Month: March 2019

Crusaders head coach Scott Robertson was full of praise for his side’s fly-half Richie Mo’unga after their Super Rugby Final win over the Lions on Saturday.

Mo’unga shone as a playmaker, finishing with a 17-point haul courtesy of three penalties and four conversions and was named man-of-the-match after his side’s 37-18 triumph in Christchurch.

“He beat about 20 defenders, he kicked the majority of his goals, he was tough on defence and he was behind a Rolls Royce pack,” Robertson told Stuff.

Mention of the Crusaders’ Rolls Royce pack is in reference to All Blacks coach Steve Hansen, who said it’s easier for a fly-half to shine behind a powerful “Rolls Royce” pack after Mo’unga outplayed first-choice All Blacks pivot Beauden Barrett when the Crusaders beat the Hurricanes in their Super Rugby semi-final in Christchurch.

Robertson also pointed out that despite Mo’unga’s fine form as a playmaker and goalkicker, he was also prepared to the dirty work for his team.

“What I like about Richie is that he is brave on defence,” he added.

“That is the biggest part of his game. He was probably one of the best touch players in New Zealand, so he had great feet and great hands and could kick clutch penalties and conversions.

“Now he is brave on D, you have to have the whole skill set to play test rugby and he showed he could do that at the highest level in a final of a championship.”

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Leicester Tigers have announced that they will force Tatafu Polota-Nau and Matt Toomua to fly back to England during the upcoming Rugby Championship.

Polota-Nau (hooker) and Toomua (centre) were both named in Wallabies head coach Michael Cheika’s provisional squad for their Bledisloe Cup and Rugby Championship opener with New Zealand in Sydney on August 18.

However, if Polota-Nau or Toomua are retained by Cheika, they will have to return to their Premiership club during the Rugby Championship’s rest weekends.

Leicester Tigers revealed the news via a statement which said: “If retained in the final squad for the upcoming Bledisloe Cup and Rugby Championship series, the pair are expected to return to Tigers during the Rugby Championship rest periods, which coincide with rounds 1 and 4 of the Gallagher Premiership.”

Polota-Nau, who qualifies for international selection under Rugby Australia’s overseas player selection policy rules for players with 60 Test appearances or more, has been named after being rested for the Wallabies’ recent series against Ireland in Australia.

Tigers centre Toomua qualifies for selection, despite having only made 33 Test appearances, after it was announced earlier this week that he has agreed terms to return to Australia with the Melbourne Rebels in 2019 at the conclusion of the upcoming Northern Hemisphere season.

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England head coach Eddie Jones has admitted that he is powerless about the transformation of the English system where clubs retain control over the players.

Unlike the Southern Hemisphere, where provincial teams work in tandem with the governing body, with the national interest in mind, the game is structured differently in the Northern Hemisphere where many European clubs have control over their players which occasionally leads to conflict with the national set-up.

Jones said he is not there to revolutionise a change and said it’s important to work within the current system in England.

“I’m not Alexander the Great,” he told Press Association Sport.

“This structure has been set up for years and you’re expecting a little Aussie like me to break it in three years,” England head coach Jones said.

“Unless you break it there will be no change, but I can’t control it and am happy to work with what we have.

“We can have discussions about what position a player should play, but the coaches get paid to make their clubs win.

“It’s not like the provinces in New Zealand or Australia or South Africa where they have a responsibility to the national team.

“That’s the structure and we work with it. We’ve got a responsibility to work with the clubs and we do that to a large extent. There’s always conflict, but we’ve established good relationships.”

England struggled at the breakdowns during this year’s Six Nations and in their three-Test series against the Springboks in South Africa in June. This was mainly due to the way it was approached and refereed.

Jones admitted that he has little influence in advising clubs on the tactics to use for improvement.

“It’s not my job to influence how the Premiership is played and I don’t think they would welcome it,” he added.

“The only thing I can affect is how the breakdown’s refereed in the international game and there are ongoing discussions with coaches and referees about that.”

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Ulster have announced that Australia international wing Henry Speight has agreed to join them on a short-term contract from the Brumbies.

The 30-year-old back three star will move to Kingspan Stadium later this month in a similar deal to that which saw fellow Brumbies player Christian Lealiifano arrive in Belfast last season.

Speight will return to Australia on December 31, in advance of the 2019 Super Rugby season.

The Fijian-born speedster has played over 100 Super Rugby games for the Brumbies and has represented the Wallabies on 19 occasions.

He picked up an ankle injury in the last match of the 2018 season, but has been medically cleared to play before the PRO14 kicks off.

“I’m excited to have the opportunity to represent a big club like Ulster. I’ve spoken to Christian (Lealiifano) a lot regarding this move and he had only great things to say about the staff, players, supporters and wider community, which welcomed him with open arms,” said Speight.

“This is a fresh challenge for me and I hope to embrace it by relishing every moment and by adding value to the group as best I can. I can’t wait to arrive in Belfast and get to work with my new teammates.”

Ulster’s Operations Director, Bryn Cunningham was pleased to be able to bolster the squad with such a quality player at this stage of the season.

“With the nature of Henry’s current contractual position, I would like to thank his local agent, the Brumbies and the ARU for facilitating getting this deal across the line,” he said.

“Henry has X factor quality and has consistently proven himself as a top performer at both Super Rugby and International level, with his most recent displays for the Brumbies being eye-catching. We hope he will quickly become be a real fans’ favourite at Kingspan Stadium!

“Henry will act as cover for Louis (Ludik), who sustained a hamstring injury in the final game of last season and is expected to be available for selection by November, and David Busby, who will now miss at least the first half of the season through an injury picked up in pre-season.

“His presence will also support the development of the young back three players within our senior and Academy squads. We saw the significant impact Christian had on Johnny McPhillips last year and we would hope that Henry will provide us with something similar.”

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All Blacks head coach Steve Hansen and fellow selectors Ian Foster and Grant Fox have named a 33-man squad for this year’s Rugby Championship.

A feature of the squad is the return of number eight and captain Kieran Read, who missed the June series against France through injury, while lock Brodie Retallick also returns to the side after 11 months away from Test rugby.

As well as the 33-man squad, two other players will assemble with the squad as injury cover. Hooker Liam Coltman comes in as cover for Dane Coles, who is expected to return to Test match rugby some time during the Rugby Championship, while midfielder Ngani Laumape comes in for Sonny Bill Williams, who is recovering from a shoulder injury.

The squad also features two uncapped players. Crusaders and Tasman prop Tim Perry, who played two non-Tests on last year’s end-of-year European tour, was named in the squad but for the matches against France but missed the series with injury, while young Chiefs and Taranaki scrum-half Te Toiroa Tahuriorangi has also been selected.

Kane Hames, Nepo Laulala, Atu Moli and Jordan Taufua were not considered for selection due to injury.

Hansen said: “The selectors found this an incredibly difficult squad to select, and whilst we congratulate those who’ve been named in the Rugby Championship team, we also commiserate with those who’ve missed out.

“It has to be noted that there are some very good players who have not made the squad. However, as we’ve seen in previous campaigns, a number of these players will get an opportunity through injury, just like Liam and Ngani already.”

Hansen added: “One of the positives of having such a talented pool to select from is that it creates natural competition, not only for spots in the Rugby Championship squad, but also the matchday 23. That competition should remove any feelings of complacency within our playing group.”

Hansen said the squad was keen to build on the hard work put in during the successful three-Test series against the French in June.

“Whilst last year was about growing depth – and we’ll need to continue to do that in some positions – this year is more about growing our game and our player combinations within that,” he added.

“By the end of the year, we should have a clearer picture of who and what will be needed for next year’s Rugby World Cup campaign.”

While there was always a need to have an eye on the future, Hansen said the team also had to deal with the here and now.

“We’ll face quality opposition throughout the Championship,” he said.

“Both Australia and South Africa appear to have grown their games and will come at us with real energy and conviction, while the Argentinians have a new coaching group, which will present new challenges.

“All of this means that this year’s Rugby Championship will be a well-contested competition and we’ll need to once again raise the bar across the board when it comes to our preparation, our skill levels and how we handle pressure. Being comfortable is not an option.”

Hansen said the immediate goal was to “recapture the Bledisloe Cup”.

“After the Rugby World Cup, this is the most important trophy we play for,” he revealed.

“We lost to Australia the last time we played them, so no doubt they’ll have a lot of self-confidence and are worthy of starting as favourites.”

Hansen said the squad was looking forward to the support from fans around the world, but particularly the fans at home for the domestic Tests in Auckland, Wellington and a first-ever Test in Nelson.

The All Blacks squad is made up of 18 forwards (three hookers, five props, three locks and seven loose forwards) and 15 backs (three scrum-halves, three fly-halves, four midfielders and five outside backs) and has a total of 1078 Test caps experience.

The squad includes three Blues players, seven Chiefs, six Hurricanes, 10 Crusaders and seven Highlanders while 13 of New Zealand’s Mitre 10 Cup provinces are represented, with seven Canterbury players, five from Taranaki, three each from Wellington, Manawatu and Tasman, Auckland, Counties Manukau, Waikato and Bay of Plenty have two players each while there is one player from Northland, North Harbour, Hawke’s Bay and Otago.

The All Blacks squad will assemble in Christchurch on Thursday this week with the team taking on the Canterbury and Otago provincial sides in the Game of Three Halves match at AMI Stadium on Friday. A squad of 32 will head to Sydney on Sunday to prepare for the first Bledisloe Cup Test.

New Zealand squad:

Forwards: Dane Coles, Nathan Harris, Codie Taylor, Owen Franks, Joe Moody, Tim Perry, Karl Tu’inukuafe, Ofa Tuungafasi, Scott Barrett, Brodie Retallick, Samuel Whitelock, Sam Cane, Shannon Frizell, Jackson Hemopo, Kieran Read (c), Ardie Savea, Liam Squire, Luke Whitelock

Backs: TJ Perenara, Aaron Smith, Te Toiroa Tahuriorangi, Beauden Barrett, Damian McKenzie, Richie Mo’unga, Ryan Crotty, Jack Goodhue, Anton Lienert-Brown, Sonny Bill Williams, Jordie Barrett, Rieko Ioane, Nehe Milner-Skudder, Waisake Naholo, Ben Smith

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Sale Sharks wing Chris Ashton admitted that he did not expect to be recalled to the international setup so soon after his return to England.

Ashton was named in England head coach Eddie Jones’ 44-man pre-season training camp squad on Thursday.

He last played for England in 2014 and this is his first international call-up since 2016.

It comes after he left Top 14 outfit Toulon on an early release to join Sale Sharks.

“It’s a strange feeling,” Ashton told the BBC.

“I feel like a new player and I’m happy to be back in the group.

“I wasn’t supposed to be back in England. When I went to France I thought that was it for me and I could spend the next few years in France enjoying rugby.

“The season went really well and I enjoyed it, but the more the year went on the more I wanted to be back here and back in this environment.”

The 31-year-old only played for Toulon for one season – after signing a three-year contract – but made a big impact at the French club as he broke the Top 14 try-scoring record, with 24 tries in 23 matches during their 2017/18 campaign.

“It bothers me to think I only did a year at it,” he said.

“I thought I was open-minded, but not enough. Maybe it wasn’t meant to be, and maybe the whole purpose of it was for me to do a year. I hope that anyway.

“Pretty quickly my wife and I realised it was going to be tougher than we thought. We went over with a nine-month-old baby. We both have big families and we’re both very family orientated.

“I did very much enjoy the rugby, but family comes first and if we’re not happy at home it’s not much use.”

Ashton was called up to Jones’ first England squad in 2016, while still playing for Saracens, but missed out on Test selection after he was banned for biting and eye-gouging.

He impressed by scoring a hat-trick for the Barbarians against England at Twickenham in May and said he found it difficult not to play for his country.

“I missed playing for England,” he said.

“It was tough to watch being in England, and I hoped when I moved to France that would go away but it didn’t. I always wanted to be part of it.

“I’m the kind of person that has to learn for myself. I do things and then learn later. I made the decision I wanted to go and try and I did that.

“It’s always bothered me not being involved, but I hope I’ve got a couple of good years left yet at it.”

Ashton is now focused on representing England at next year’s World Cup in Japan and admitted that he was always thinking of the global showpiece while he was in France.

“The day the World Cup isn’t on my mind is probably the day I stop playing,” he said.

“It’s what everyone wants to win and being in France and seeing that opportunity go by would’ve been tough for me to take. I couldn’t accept that.

“Even if I don’t get in and I don’t play for England, at least I’m giving myself the best opportunity.”

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Bath have announced the signing of loosehead prop Jacques van Rooyen from Super Rugby outfit the Lions, who will join them ahead of 2018/19.

The South African has played over 60 times for the Lions since making his debut in 2014.

“I’m really looking forward to testing myself in the Northern Hemisphere and playing for a club with a great deal of ambition going into the new season,” Van Rooyan told Bath’s website.

Director of Rugby, Todd Blackadder, added: “We are really pleased to bring someone in of Jacques’ calibre in time for the new season. He’s proven himself in Super Rugby and will bring a great deal to the squad both at the set-piece and with ball in hand.

“We have great strength in depth at loosehead with Jacques, Lucas (Noguera) and Nathan (Catt) all competing for the number one shirt after losing Beno (Obano) to injury in May. Jacques can also play at tighthead, which adds another option over the course of a busy season of domestic and European rugby.”

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South Africa U20 fly-half Damian Willemse is one of three uncapped players included in the Springbok squad for the Rugby Championship.

Lions quartet Malcolm Marx, Warren Whiteley, Ross Cronje and Lionel Mapoe are also back in the Bok fold for the first time this season.

Rassie Erasmus, SA Rugby’s Director of Rugby, announced a squad of 35 players on Monday, with two loose forwards, the Bulls’ Marco van Staden and Cyle Brink of the Lions, joining Willemse, the 20-year-old Stormers and Junior Springbok fly-half, as the uncapped players in the group.

Whiteley and the experienced Eben Etzebeth both return having recovered from long-term injuries, while Marx has shrugged off his hamstring troubles, which forced him to miss the June internationals.

Also returning to the Springbok squad are Francois Louw, the experienced flanker who plays for Bath, Lwazi Mvovo, as well Mapoe and Cronje, both of whom missed the mid-year Tests because of injury.

Louw has represented the Boks in 57 Tests and Erasmus said he will add a lot of experience to the group.

“Eben and Warren have been out of the Bok mix for a while because of injury so it’s very pleasing to have them back in the squad, while Malcolm has regained his good form with the Emirates Lions since recovering from his injury,” said Erasmus, who added that the participation of Brink and Jean-Luc Preez is dependent on medical examinations.

“We saw the benefit and impact of Willie le Roux and Faf de Klerk in the squad during the June internationals and I want ‘Flo’ to perform a similar role for us.

“It is also pleasing to again add some young players who been showing good form and consistency for their franchise teams during Vodacom Super Rugby,” Erasmus added, in reference to the uncapped trio of Willemse, Van Staden and Brink.

Siya Kolisi retains the captaincy, while Le Roux and De Klerk, both of whom were outstanding during the 2-1 series win over England in June, are amongst the 15 backs in the squad.

The bulk of the players have been training in Stellenbosch for a few weeks, with the Lions contingent set to join them on Wednesday. The men from Johannesburg returned to South Africa on Monday after their Super Rugby final appearance on Saturday against the Crusaders in Christchurch.

The squad will continue with preparations in Cape Town until Friday and following a two-day break will then reassemble in Durban next Sunday to continue with their build-up towards the Rugby Championship opener on 18 August against Argentina at Kings Park. The two sides meet again a week later in Mendoza.

Players who were not considered because of injury include Damian de Allende, Warrick Gelant, Lood de Jager, Trevor Nyakane, Coenie Oosthuizen and Sbu Nkosi.

The Springbok squad for the Rugby Championship

Forwards (20): Cyle Brink, Jean-Luc du Preez, Thomas du Toit, Pieter-Steph du Toit, Eben Etzebeth, Steven Kitshoff, Siya Kolisi (c), Francois Louw, Wilco Louw, Frans Malherbe, Malcolm Marx, Bongi Mbonambi, Franco Mostert, Tendai Mtawarira, Sikhumbuzo Notshe, Marvin Orie, RG Snyman, Akker van der Merwe, Marco van Staden, Warren Whiteley

Backs (15): Lukhanyo Am, Ross Cronjé, Faf de Klerk, Aphiwe Dyantyi, André Esterhuizen, Elton Janjies, Jesse Kriel, Willie le Roux, Makazole Mapimpi, Lionel Mapoe, Lwazi Mvovo, Embrose Papier, Handré Pollard, Ivan van Zyl, Damian Willemse

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Now that the dust has settled on Super Rugby 2018, it’s time for us to look back over the recent campaign and pick our Team of the Season.

Our side has been selected on previous round picks as we trawl back to the opening round, counting up who performed well until the final game.

There is a healthy mix of teams represented but surprisingly just two players from the champion Crusaders make the cut. Who’d make your XV.

Super Rugby: Team of the Season

15 Israel Folau (Waratahs): With three votes he was tied with Jordie Barrett and David Havili, with Solomon Alaimalo on two. However, Folau edges this jersey after yet another strong campaign in Waratahs colours. Such a threat with ball in hand, his combination with wing Taqele Naiyaravoro was something to behold in 2018, with Folau setting up many of the big man’s 15 tries. Folau meanwhile finished with 11 tries.

14 Ben Lam (Hurricanes): Lam shot to fame this year after a career that, up until 2018, had seemed to be fizzling out. He struggled at the Blues, with Sevens taking priority, but since his move to the Hurricanes he looks rejuvenated. We have switched him to the right wing here due to the fact he finished top of the try-scoring chart on an impressive 16 and was also selected five times in our weekly team line-ups.

13 Jack Goodhue (Crusaders): Another relatively simple decision here as Goodhue made four of our teams this season, seeing off Jesse Kriel, Lukhanyo Am, Curtis Rona and Anton Lienert-Brown with consummate ease. The Crusaders youngster was a rock in defence alongside Ryan Crotty and complimented that with intelligent running and a good skillset in possession. His stock continues to rise after this superb campaign.

12 Kurtley Beale (Waratahs): What a return to Super Rugby from the Wallaby. He was excellent this season and it’s no coincidence the ‘Tahs shot up the table from sixteenth to third position on the overall standings following his arrival. Beale edged out Rieko Ioane, who showed his versatility this year, as the dangerous Wallaby star sparked numerous attacks and helped take the pressure off fly-half Bernard Foley.

11 Taqele Naiyaravoro (Waratahs): A third Waratah makes our backline with four selections this season, seeing off George Bridge who was a consistent performer for the Crusaders. Naiyaravoro though finished with 15 tries, 42 clean breaks, 70 defenders beaten and a huge 1,478 metres ran with ball in hand to be one of the most feared backs in Super Rugby. The Waratahs’ loss is most definitely Northampton’s gain.

10 Richie Mo’unga (Crusaders): Despite missing a chunk of the season due to injury, Mo’unga still managed to cruise to this shirt after a brilliant campaign. Beauden Barrett and Hayden Parker were next in line but some way off the Crusader, who ran the show in 2018. Supreme in possession, with the boot and also solid defensively, he could not have done any more as he looks to push for more All Black minutes.

9 Aaron Smith (Highlanders): New Zealand’s number one number nine was out in front here with four selections as he saw off Bryn Hall, TJ Perenara and Gonzalo Bertranou, who all had more than one pick. Smith, as always, was the general at the base for the Dunedin side but he will have been hugely disappointed with how their season finished at the hands of the ‘Tahs. Leading 23-6, Smith’s team then crumbled in Sydney.

8 Akira Ioane (Blues): The Blues struggled as a team, and eventually finished in 14th position on the overall table, but Ioane was one of their shining lights throughout the season and eventually received four votes. He was a constant threat with ball in hand and got his side over the gain-line with countless carries in which he combined raw power with superb athleticism. Finished the season in joint first place – with Damian McKenzie of the Chiefs – for defenders beaten (74) and beats out Jordan Taufua of the Crusaders and the Rebels’ Amanaki Mafi, who both played huge roles for their respective teams.

7 David Pocock (Brumbies): Only made his long-awaited return to the game in Round Seven but still gets into our team despite a strong challenge from Hurricanes tearaway Ardie Savea, who also shone on a consistent basis. Pocock’s prowess at the breakdown is one of his main strengths and he was dominant in that facet of play throughout this season again. The Wallaby also shone as a ball carrier and on defence with his ability to win turnover ball in the tackle particularly impressive.

6 Luke Jacobson (Chiefs): The surprise package in our side, the 2017 New Zealand U20 captain’s game has come on in leaps and bounds during his rookie season and his selection is no mean feat as he gets the nod ahead of proven internationals in Pablo Matera (Jaguares), Jean-Luc du Preez (Sharks), Liam Squire (Highlanders) and Brad Shields (Hurrcicanes). Jacobson’s physicality as a ball carrier was excellent and he also shone in defence throughout the season.

5 Franco Mostert (Lions): The Springbok lock was one of the Lions’ standout performers and played consistently well throughout 2018. Was at the forefront of the Johannesburg outfit’s onslaught up front and it’s hardly surprising that he finished the campaign as the tournament’s most prolific tackler (234) and line-out jumper (87). Based on those statistics, Mostert deserves his place in our team while Highlanders stalwart Tom Franklin also caught the eye after several superb performances.

4 Brodie Retallick (Chiefs): The All Black enforcer missed some of the Chiefs’ matches due to injury but still makes our team as he was in fine form for the two-time champions when fit. Shone in the line-outs and never shirked his responsibilities at the coalface of his side’s forward effort, but it’s his excellent ball carrying and handling skills which secured his place in our line-up. Retallick’s All Blacks team-mate Scott Barrett of the Crusaders and the Rebels’ Matt Philip were next best.

3 Taniela Tupou (Reds): A much improved player under the guidance of Reds head coach Brad Thorn, the Wallaby has combined his explosive power as a ball carrier with the more traditional characteristics of a tight forward which has had the desired effect on his all-round game. The 22-year-old has become very influential at scrum-time and also puts his body on the line in defence and played with a maturity beyond his years in 2018. Thomas du Toit of the Sharks was next best.

2 Malcolm Marx (Lions): There was little debate about this position as Marx solidified his growing reputation by making our team on six occasions. Performed well in his core duties especially his throw-ins at the line-outs where he finished with a 90 percent success rate, which is the best return by a hooker in the tournament. Marx’s dynamism on attack saw him crossing for 12 tries and he also stood out at the breakdowns where he won countless turnovers. The Crusaders’ Codie Taylor, Armand van der Merwe of the Sharks and Jaguares veteran Agustin Creevy were next best.

1 Jacques van Rooyen (Lions): Marx’s front-row partner from the Lions also makes the team for the second successive year after a string of impressive performances for the Johannesburg-based outfit. Van Rooyen withstood stiff competition from players like Karl Tu’inukuafe (Chiefs), Steven Kitshoff (Stormers), Scott Sio (Brumbies) and JP Smith (Reds) but gets the nod due to his superb scrummaging and ability to gain ground as a ball carrier.

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Forwards Aaron Jarvis and Harrison Keddie have both been ruled out for the start of the new season for the Dragons after suffering bicep injuries in training.

Both players have undergone operations and have begun their rehabilitation with an expected return to training in October.

For Jarvis this is a cruel setback after he only joined the PRO14 outfit ahead of this season from Top 14 giants Clermont.

Keddie meanwhile continues to suffer from poor luck with injuries as he missed a spell of 2017/18 with a shoulder issue.

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