Category: Rugby

Queensland teenager Jordan Petaia is a surprise inclusion in Wallabies head coach Michael Cheika’s squad for this week’s training camp in Cessnock.

Cheika will trim the squad later in the week ahead of the August 18 Bledisloe Cup opener with New Zealand in Sydney.

Petaia has been training with the wider Wallabies group in recent weeks and impressed playing in Friday’s trial for Cheika’s side.

The 18-year-old became Queensland’s youngest Super Rugby debutant when he played his first Reds game earlier this year and hasn’t looked back.

Playing mainly on the wing, Petaia slotted into 13 after Samu Kerevi was injured.

Though it seems unlikely he would feature in the Bledisloe in a fortnight’s time, the teen hasn’t put a foot wrong yet and the outside centre spot is one that is still fairly open with injuries to Kerevi and Tevita Kuridrani.

His strong showing playing in Cheika’s team in last Friday’s Wallabies trial earned him a spot in the 36-man Wallabies squad to head to Cessnock.

Cheika said there were no guarantees for the youngster but the national coach wouldn’t close the door on keeping Petaia in camp.

“I’m not into the headline for him and for his own benefit,” he told Rugby Australia’s official website.

“He understands he’s earned a chance to be with the squad and get a taste of it.

“The opportunities are limitless, according to how he develops.

“I’m not going to say he’s here in this point or at another point because that’s really up to him.

“It’s also for us to get to understand a player and certainly if he’s good enough there’s no restriction on age.

“I’ve only just got to know him a little bit in the last 10 days so let’s see how this week pans out.”

Tatafu Polota-Nau will return to the squad for the first time since moving to the UK, one of four hookers in the 36-man group travelling to the Hunter Valley.

Polota-Nau is eligible to play for the Wallabies under ‘Giteau’s Law’ but was left out of the June Series squad after a long Premiership season.

Cheika said he had spoken to the hooker last month ahead of the Rugby Championship, with a view to ensuring Polota-Nau was fresh for both club and country.

“I’ll see him in the next couple of hours. We’ve been liaising over the phone,” he revealed.

“I saw him when he was in Sydney, maybe a month ago or so when we finalised exactly what would be happening and we’re working together with Leicester as well to make sure these players don’t get burnt to a crisp either and from our end and theirs and they’ve been excellent in that.

“I think you’ve got to commend them for the way that they’ve approached it with their players. It shows why they’re one of the top clubs in Europe and have been for many, many years.”

He is joined by Leicester team-mate Matt Toomua, whose recent signing with the Rebels and Rugby Australia made him Wallabies eligible.

Wallabies captain Michael Hooper has been named in the squad as he recovers from a hamstring injury but it is unclear whether he will be fit for the first Test on August 18.

Wallabies squad:

Forwards: Jermaine Ainsley, Allan Alaalatoa, Rory Arnold, Adam Coleman, Folau Faingaa, Ned Hanigan, Michael Hooper (c), Sekope Kepu, Tolu Latu, Brandon Paenga-Amosa, David Pocock, Tatafu Polota-Nau, Tom Robertson, Izack Rodda, Pete Samu, Rob Simmons, Scott Sio, Caleb Timu, Lukhan Tui, Taniela Tupou

Backs: Tom Banks, Kurtley Beale, Israel Folau, Bernard Foley, Will Genia, Dane Haylett-Petty, Reece Hodge, Marika Koroibete, Jack Maddocks, Billy Meakes, Sefa Naivalu, Jordan Petaia, Nick Phipps, Joe Powell, Curtis Rona, Matt Toomua

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Harlequins have announced that USA Eagles centre Paul Lasike has joined the Londoners from Utah Warriors ahead of the 2018/19 season.

The New Zealand-born 28-year-old, who has been capped six times for the Eagles, was captain of the Warriors.

Lasike made a huge impression on the international scene in June when USA beat Scotland 30-29 in Texas. His powerful defence was a major factor in his country’s first victory over a major international rugby nation.

He first travelled to the US from Auckland on a rugby scholarship at Brigham Young University in Utah but he was soon approached to play for the American Football side there. His success with them led to signing contracts with the Arizona Cardinals in the NFL and later Chicago Bears, where he played as full-back.

Lasike, who spent three years in the NFL before returning to rugby with Utah Warriors, told Quins TV: “Playing rugby in the US and representing them at international level has been an awesome experience. But it was an honour to be asked to join such a prestigious club as Harlequins and I am delighted to be joining the club.

“I did my own research about the club and I asked a couple of my friends on the US team about the Harlequins and they said, ‘Grab the bull by both horns and take it!’ So I did. It is an exciting, awesome opportunity and now we have the next month to get prepared for the start of the season. I can’t wait.”

Paul Gustard, Harlequins’ head of rugby, said: “I am delighted Paul is joining us for the start of a new era at Harlequins. He is a player who has enormous game-changing potential and I am very excited and pleased that Paul and his young family have made the decision to come to be part of our journey.

“He adds something different to a talented group of centres that we have at the club. I am sure the fans will enjoy his approach to the game and give him and his family the warm welcome that they are famous for.

“I am thankful for the cooperation of the MLR and Utah Warriors for allowing Paul the opportunity to develop his game, challenge himself and give Paul and his family new experiences to enjoy.”

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Former Ireland captain Paul O’Connell has been named as Stade Francais’ new forwards coach ahead of the 2018/19 Top 14 season.

After retiring from playing in 2016, the 38-year-old joined the Ireland age-grade set up as assistant coach in December 2017, helping them during the Six Nations and World Rugby U20 Championship.

O’Connell has now decided to take up the offer from Stade and will coach alongside former team-mate Mike Prendergast, who is in charge of the backs.

Former South Africa boss Heyneke Meyer is the head honcho at the French outfit, while O’Connell’s presence will increase the number of Irishmen plying their trade in the capital, with full-back Simon Zebo now at Racing 92.

✍☘ Le @SFParisRugby est fier d’annoncer l’arrivée de @Paul_OConnell au poste d’entraineur des avants (spécialiste de la touche). Welcome to Paris Paul !#PinkArmy #TousParisiens #OConnellEstRose #WelcomePaul #SFParis pic.twitter.com/x2os7SSqVb

— Stade Français Paris (@SFParisRugby) August 3, 2018

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The Crusaders secured their ninth Super Rugby title following a dominant 37-18 triumph over the Lions at a sold out AMI Stadium in Christchurch.

Despite a positive start from the South Africans, which yielded a three-pointer for Elton Jantjies, the hosts soon asserted their authority and scored 20 unanswered points. Seta Tamanivalu and David Havili both touched down while Richie Mo’unga added two conversions and penalties for a 17-point buffer.

Jantjies responded from the tee just shy of the interval but Mo’unga’s third penalty kept his side in control at the start of the second half.

Cyle Brink and Mitchell Drummond then traded tries but the Lions refused to cede and Malcolm Marx crossed the whitewash. However, the Crusaders were ultimately too good and Scott Barrett made the game safe by going over from close range.

It sealed their second championship under the guidance of Scott Robertson, whose team overwhelmed a side that only showed glimpses of their capabilities.

Robertson may have been concerned early on, though, as Swys de Bruin’s men controlled possession, looked to test the fringes of the hosts’ defence and eventually broke the usually stout rearguard when Ruan Combrinck surged clear.

It was a brilliant piece of individual skill from the wing, who weaved his way to within five metres of the line, but they failed to take advantage of Combrinck’s excellence.

Robertson’s charges remained resilient in the face of consistent pressure, until they conceded a penalty at the breakdown, and Jantjies deservedly kicked the visitors into a 3-0 lead.

The Crusaders barely had the ball in the initial stages of the contest but, when they did get some territory, the New Zealanders began to make incursions. The Lions duly infringed and Mo’unga was on target from in front of the posts as the defending champions levelled matters.

Momentum was now with the Christchurch-based outfit and the away side were unable to cope with their pace and power when Tamanivalu barrelled his way past Combrinck to touch down.

Although the South Africans attempted to hit back via their usually trusty maul, a tactic which has served them well throughout the campaign, that threat was convincingly negated by their opponents.

Starved of front foot ball, the Lions began to make mistakes and two such errors from Jantjies led to the Crusaders increasing their buffer. Firstly, Mo’unga kicked a penalty after the fly-half had conceded a five-metre scrum before the pivot’s up and under was collected by his opposite number, who broke clear. The recently capped All Black was eventually taken down but the ball was shifted to Havili and the full-back crossed the whitewash.

Jantjies then scored a three-pointer to provide the Johannesburg outfit with a glimmer of hope before Mo’unga’s effort off the tee early in the second period re-established their 17-point lead.

De Bruin’s men were being outplayed and were struggling in the set-piece against the Crusaders’ international front five, but Brink, who had otherwise been quiet, produced a moment of inspiration to reduce the arrears.

For the first time in the contest the New Zealanders would have been disappointed by their defence, but the flanker showed immense power to charge across the gain line and scamper over.

That try gave the South Africans a lift and the hosts made a couple of surprising errors, but their experienced players simply stepped up and Robertson’s team duly scored the decisive try. It was brilliantly worked, with the forwards showing deft hands in contact, and Drummond was the beneficiary of his team-mates’ ability to alter the point of contact.

In a topsy-turvy second half, Ryan Crotty was sin-binned and Marx touched down for the Lions before Barrett crossed the whitewash to rubberstamp yet another title for the most successful franchise in the competition.

The scorers:

For Crusaders:
Tries: Tamanivalu, Havili, Drummond, Barrett
Cons: Mo’unga 4
Pens: Mo’unga 3
Yellow Card: Crotty

For Lions:
Tries: Brink, Marx
Con: Jantjies
Pens: Jantjies 2

Crusaders: 15 David Havili, 14 Seta Tamanivalu, 13 Jack Goodhue, 12 Ryan Crotty, 11 George Bridge, 10 Richie Mo’unga, 9 Bryn Hall, 8 Kieran Read, 7 Matt Todd, 6 Heiden Bedwell-Curtis, 5 Sam Whitelock (c), 4 Scott Barrett, 3 Owen Franks, 2 Codie Taylor, 1 Joe Moody
Replacements: 16 Sam Anderson-Heather, 17 Tim Perry, 18 Michael Alaalatoa, 19 Luke Romano, 20 Pete Samu, 21 Mitchell Drummond, 22 Mitchell Hunt, 23 Braydon Ennor

Lions: 15 Andries Coetzee, 14 Ruan Combrinck, 13 Lionel Mapoe, 12 Harold Vorster, 11 Courtnall Skosan, 10 Elton Jantjies, 9 Ross Cronje, 8 Warren Whiteley (c), 7 Cyle Brink, 6 Kwagga Smith, 5 Franco Mostert, 4 Marvin Orie, 3 Ruan Dreyer, 2 Malcolm Marx, 1 Jacques van Rooyen
Replacements: 16 Corne Fourie, 17 Dylan Smith, 18 Johannes Jonker, 19 Lourens Erasmus, 20 Marnus Schoeman, 21 Dillon Smit, 22 Aphiwe Dyantyi, 23 Howard Mnisi

Referee: Angus Gardner (Australia)
Assistant referees: Glen Jackson (New Zealand), Nic Berry (Australia)
TMO: Shane McDermott (New Zealand)

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Lions captain Warren Whiteley paid tribute to his team and also applauded the Crusaders after the Super Rugby final in Christchurch on Saturday.

The Crusaders ran out 37-18 winners to claim a ninth title, leaving the Lions to contemplate a third straight defeat in a final.

But number eight Whiteley was full of praise for his players and admitted the best team won on the day in an emotional interview at full-time.

“I’m immensely proud. It has been unbelievable the last couple of years but we’re obviously gutted and a bit emotional,” he told Sky Sport NZ.

“We gave it everything out there and credit must go to the Crusaders, they were unbelievable. Everything we threw at them they stopped. We threw the kitchen sink at them and they deserve this win.”

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Key players Emiliano Boffelli, Bautista Delguy, Bautista Ezcurra and Marcos Kremer have signed new deals with the UAR until 2021.

All four have been a vital part of the Jaguares’ successful Super Rugby season in 2018, while Boffelli and Kremer have also stood out at international level.

The contracts will take them past next year’s World Cup and is a significant boost for a country that have struggled to keep their best individuals within Argentina.

Los Pumas begin their Rugby Championship campaign against South Africa in two weeks under the guidance of Mario Ledesma, who was named as the new head coach on Wednesday.

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Watch the video highlights from the Crusaders’ 37-18 win over the Lions.

Video credit: rugby.com.au

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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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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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Namibia inched closer towards qualification for Rugby World Cup 2019 with a 58-28 win over Zimbabwe in their qualifier in Bulawayo on Saturday.

The win means Namibia tightened their grip on top spot in the Rugby Africa Gold Cup 2018 as the tournament got back under way following a four-week break.

The Gold Cup this year doubles as the African qualifying process for Rugby World Cup 2019, and Namibia’s bonus-point defeat of Zimbabwe means they keep their necks in front of second-placed Kenya in the race for the Africa 1 place in Pool B in Japan.

Kenya face Tunisia in Nairobi next weekend and must realistically secure all five points if they are to keep pressure on the southern African side.

Elsewhere, Uganda eased their relegation fears as they secured a first victory of the competition, beating Tunisia 67-12 in Kampala. Full-back Philip Wokorach was the standout performer as he scored a hat-trick of tries and finished the match with 37 points overall.

Uganda’s victory earned them just over ninth tenths of a rating point, enough to lift them one place to 36th in the World Rugby Rankings when they update at 12 noon British Summer Time on Monday and condemn Tunisia to a three-place fall to 43rd. Namibia’s win was worth only seven hundredths so they remain 23rd with Zimbabwe stationary in 45th.

Zimbabwe 28-58 Namibia

Namibia put themselves within 80 minutes of a sixth successive Rugby World Cup appearance with a bonus-point 58-28 victory over Zimbabwe in Bulawayo.

Phil Davies will prepare his side for their final Rugby Africa Gold Cup 2018 match, against Kenya in Windhoek in a fortnight, knowing that victory in that game will book their ticket to Japan 2019.

If it wasn’t already, qualification is now firmly in Namibia’s hands, but they were made to work hard for victory against a spirited Zimbabwean side on Saturday.

Despite taking an early seven-point lead, the Gold Cup pace-setters were pegged back within the first 15 minutes as home back-row Connor Pritchard crashed over to level the scores.

Namibia fly-half Cliven Loubser soon edged the visitors back in front from the kicking tee, though, and following a tight opening 20 minutes they began to show their class.

PJ van Lill showed good pace and power to stride over from the base of a scrum and before the half-hour mark Namibia had scored their third try of the match as replacement winger Johann Greyling produced a fine finish on the right wing.

Loubser converted both scores, and after Zimbabwe fly-half Brandon Mandivenga had missed a penalty attempt, the Namibian playmaker added another three points to give his side a 20-point lead at half-time.

The hosts could feel slightly aggrieved to find themselves so far behind at the break, but as the second period got under way their task got even tougher. Within three minutes of the restart Wian Conradie had been played into space by a brilliant offload from van Lill and the replacement back-row made no mistake, cantering over to score.

Loubser again converted and it looked as though the game was won. What followed was a see-saw 35 minutes in which the two sides traded seven tries.

Following an electric break from hooker David Makanda it was Zimbabwe who scored next, Tafadzwa Chitokwindo spotting a gap and racing through it to give the home fans hope. That feeling lasted less than five minutes, however, as Namibia’s impressive hooker Torsten van Jaarsveld burrowed over from close range.

In fitting fashion for what was becoming a roller-coaster contest, Zimbabwe went straight up the other end and their replacement hooker Mathew Mandioma crossed the try line within three minutes.

A try-less 10 minutes, in which Greyling was sent to the sin-bin, followed before a breathless finish in which the visitors’ superior fitness told. Namibia second-row Tijuee Uaniye and Zimbabwe winger Shayne Makombe traded tries, before Louis van der Westhuizen and Johan Tromp both scored for the visitors in the final five minutes.

Uganda 67-12 Tunisia

Uganda full-back Philip Wokorach scored 37 points, including a hat-trick of tries, as Uganda recovered from a sloppy start to win convincingly in Kampala.

Tunisia had been on the receiving end of a heavy defeat at the Kyadondo Rugby Club last year but began brightly on Satuday.

Jaco Stoumann’s side took advantage of a scrappy start to score the game’s first try, as Hossem Khalfi scythed through a hole in the home defence following a scrum. The full-back missed the conversion, however, and his profligacy from the kicking tee would soon prove costly.

With Tunisia on the front foot, and Uganda hooker Paul Sekate in the sin-bin, Khalfi missed a presentable penalty with 20 minutes gone and from that moment the hosts took control.

Wokorach converted two three-pointers, either side of a yellow card for Tunisia prop Mohamed Yassine Ben Abdallah, to give Uganda the lead for the first time.

Uganda then showed their visitors how to take full advantage of a numerical advantage, scoring three tries in the final five minutes of the opening half – through Pius Ogena, Michael Okorach and captain Asuman Mugerwa – to take a 25-5 lead into the break.

Any hope that Tunisia had of a fight-back was sapped within a minute of the restart as Mugerwa bulldozed his way over, straight from the kick-off.

Tunisia managed to keep Uganda at bay for the next 15 minutes, before Wokorach – Uganda’s stand-out player in Kampala – broke their resolve following a fine pass from Justin Kimono.

It was the start of a wonderful 10 minutes for the Uganda full-back, in which he scored three brilliant tries – the third a fine solo effort finished off with an outrageous side-step to beat Tunisia number eight Yahya Graa.

It was cruel on Graa, who three minutes earlier had combined with Mohamed Achref Dhif to send the scrum-half over in the right corner for Tunisia’s second try. But it would get no better for the visitors as Ugandan replacements Solomon Okia (pictured) and Ian Munyani both crossed the whitewash in the final 12 minutes to add some gloss to the scoreline.

“For the first 20 minutes we were under pressure but we stuck to our game plan,” Uganda captain Mugerwa said afterwards. “Once we got how they played we took them on.”

With thanks to World Rugby

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