Tag: Rugby

Few people are better placed to assess World Rugby’s two-time player of the year Beauden Barrett’s ability than All Blacks and Hurricanes team-mate TJ Perenara.

Adding even more strength to his view is the fact the pair form one of the key combinations in any rugby side, that of scrum-half and fly-half, where experience and time together can make the game one of instinct in key moments.

What he felt made Barrett so much different was based around his “top two inches”, Perenara said.

He is one of the fastest, and most skillful, players in the game but he was almost the most composed player Perenara had seen.

“He doesn’t let a hell of a lot bother him,” Perenara told the All Blacks’ official website.

“Out on the field he doesn’t let the moment bother him. I remember playing with him here [Eden Park], we would have been 21 years old, and Conrad [Smith] scores a try against the Blues to put us within one point and as a 21-year-old kid he stands up and kicks the conversion to win it.

“I had been subbed off at that time and to watch him step up and not care about the moment or whatever, it was just a kick at goal, was a credit to him.

“That’s probably the best thing he brings to our environment. Yes, he’s amazing with what he can do out on the field but his top two inches and the calmness he brings to everyone else is what I think makes him special.

“Beauden’s a special player. A lot of people over the last little while have been questioning him and his ability and I said it last week in the media that no-one should ever question Baz out on the field. A lot of the stuff people say is purely to create tension and create hype but I think what Baz does out on the field is pretty special.

“There’s always going to be people who try and knock people down but I’m one of those people who, sometimes when he does some stuff out on the field, just look at him in awe of the sort of stuff he can do. And the work he puts in throughout the week enables him to be able to do that sort of thing.”

But Perenara said all the talk had no effect on Barrett. He knew his ability and what he was capable of.

“We’ve played a lot together and grown up together and we don’t really read a hell of a lot in the media,” added Perenara.

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Munster and the Irish Rugby Football Union have announced the signing of former All Blacks scrum-half Alby Mathewson on a short-term deal.

Mathewson will join the Irish province (subject to being granted a valid work permit) for four months as injury cover for Conor Murray who has been ruled out for the short-term period.

The 32-year-old Kiwi scrum-half has made five appearances for the All Blacks and has played Super Rugby for the Hurricanes, Blues, and Western Force.

At the beginning of the 2017/18 season he joined Toulon and played for the Top 14 club on 19 occasions, including the Champions Cup quarter-final against Munster in Thomond Park.

Mathewson’s previous visit to the Limerick venue saw him make his All Blacks debut in the thrilling 18-16 win against the province in November 2008.

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The Waratahs announced on Tuesday that hooker Damien Fitzpatrick has extended his contract with the Sydney-based outfit until the 2019 Super Rugby season.

The 29-year-old said the decision to continue playing his rugby for the Waratahs was an easy one.

“I’m a proud New South Welshman so the decision was an easy one as I want to remain a Waratah,” he told the Waratahs’ official website.

“I enjoy being part of this group, we have a great squad, a valuable mix of super talent and hard workers. I know how determined the team is to go one step further next year and bring home the Super Rugby title, and I want to play my part in that,” he said.

“2018 was about delivering on our potential, we did that in patches but we know that we can do even better next year. We played some quality attacking rugby this year that I know the fans enjoyed watching.”

Fitzpatrick reached the milestone of 50 games for his State in 2018.

“That was certainly a proud moment, it didn’t come easy for me and that made it all more the special,” he added.

Waratahs assistant coach (forwards), Simon Cron, said Fitzpatrick adds so much more to the team.

“Fitzy is a great asset to the team in terms of leadership and experience,” he said.

“He has shown his importance to our squad in consistently performing week in week out and I’m looking forward to seeing him take another step up next year.

“Having Fitzy and Tolu (Latu) push each other is really important to the make-up of the squad. We want that kind of competition in every position and then combine that with JP Sauni who will also be wanting to apply pressure and take his opportunities when they come.

“They all get on well and will help each other to get better and it’s enjoyable to watch them want to do well for each other.”

Fitzpatrick has also been confirmed as captain of Sydney for this year’s National Rugby Championship (NRC).

“Playing in the Sydney representative colours will be special for the team,” he said.

“To bring back the traditional Sydney team colours will add new fire to the Sydney versus Country rivalry and I cannot wait.

“The NRC is a pathway for our players and brings together the talent of club rugby, emerging and Super Rugby players. It’s an opportunity for players to play well at a new level, put their hands up and to get noticed by the Super Rugby coaches.”

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Rugby Australia CEO Raelene Castle has thrown her support behind Wallabies coach Michael Cheika, declaring his job safe until next year’s World Cup despite “disappointing” Bledisloe Cup performances.

Cheika’s Wallabies tenure has been put under the microscope in the wake of two Bledisloe Cup thumpings in as many weeks.

In the lead-up to last week’s Auckland Test, some media reports suggested losses against South Africa and Argentina in the next two Rugby Championship Tests would be enough to put his job into question.

Castle did not validate those claims despite admitting the 38-13 and 40-12 losses to New Zealand were “disappointing”.

“(They were) disappointing performances, no doubt,” Castle told Rugby Australia’s official website.

“And everyone recognises that – that’s not how we want the Wallaby jersey to be perceived at all.

“He is contracted through to the World Cup and he has a plan – we are across that plan and we are comfortable with it.

“But clearly you can’t just ignore the performances – they’re not acceptable.

“So it’s about what we can do to support him as an organisation to make sure he has what he needs to make sure the Wallabies are successful as we move into that World Cup.”

Castle said the Rugby Australia board was behind Cheika and eager to help him wherever possible rather than looking for an alternative coaching solution.

“Certainly from our perspective, my support and the board’s support is behind Michael Cheika as we move into the World Cup,” she said.

“We’re also talking to him about where the opportunities are and what support he needs around him in his environment to make sure we see that growth.

“We now go into two Test matches against South Africa and Argentina and that’s a really good opportunity for us to see the Wallabies in a winning environment.”

When pushed on what support Cheika requires, Castle pointed to the Wallabies’ defence.

The Australians leaked 78 points through two Tests against the All Blacks, making defence coach Nathan Grey a target of public criticism.

“There are parts of our game that haven’t performed – particularly around defence,” added Castle.

“So we will be having conversations around that.

“But I don’t think it’s about changing what we’ve got.

“It’s about what else can we bring.

“We’ve got a wide rugby community that have significance on the world stage so we are looking at who we can use that are proud Australians and who can help the Wallabies to make sure they continue to be successful.”

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Check out the highlights from Round One of the Top 14.

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The Scarlets have announced that they have acquired the services of experienced hooker Marc Jones from Premiership outfit Sale Sharks.

Jones, 31, has played nearly 200 games for Sale Sharks since making his debut in the 2005/06 season.

The Sharks stalwart, and cornerstone of their pack for nearly a decade, made a move to then Championship side Bristol for the 2015/16 season before returning to the North West for the 2017/18 season.

Pontypridd born Jones moved north to pursue his rugby dream, opting to settle in the Salford area with his young family.

Jones’ acquisition is an exciting one for the Scarlets with the highly experienced player likely to challenge both Ken Owens and Ryan Elias as well as help the development of young hookers Taylor Davies and Dafydd Hughes.

Scarlets head coach Wayne Pivac said: “We’re extremely pleased to be in a position to officially confirm Marc’s signing.

“We have two international hookers in Ken and Ryan and two very exciting prospects in Taylor and Daf. Marc is a very experienced player who will challenge our international hookers in Ken and Ryan but will also be an important asset to us during the international windows.”

Jones added: “This opportunity to join the Scarlets is one that I’m particularly excited by and can’t wait to get started this week. I was born and bred in Wales and have always harboured ambitions of playing my rugby at home.

“I’m extremely proud to have represented Sale Sharks for the best part of a decade but this new opportunity is one that I’m looking forward to and we’re excited by as a family.

“The Scarlets have led the way in recent seasons and I’m looking forward to playing part in the seasons to come.”

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Argentina head coach Mario Ledesma has made four changes to his squad for their upcoming Rugby Championship games in New Zealand and Australia.

Three of the alterations are amongst the forwards with front-row Gaston Cortes, veteran back-row Juan Manuel Leguizamon and hooker Julian Montoya recalled to the squad.

Montoya was ruled out of Los Pumas’ first two Tests against the Springboks due to injury and returns to the squad at the expense of Facundo Bosch.

The only other change is in the back-line where centre Matias Orlando is back in the fold after recovering from injury.

Argentina face a daunting task against tournament pace-setters New Zealand in Nelson on September 8 but Ledesma and his charges will be in a condfident mood after beating South Africa 32-19 in Mendoza at the weekend.

That result was only Los Pumas’ fourth Rugby Championship win since they joined the tournament in 2012 and ended an 11-match winless run.

Argentina squad:

Forwards: Matias Alemanno, Gaston Cortes, Agustin Creevy (c), Diego Fortuny, Santiago Garcia Botta, Marcos Kremer, Tomas Lavanini, Juan Manuel Leguizamon, Tomas Lezana, Pablo Matera, Santiago Medrano, Julian Montoya, Javier Ortega Desio, Guido Petti, Nahuel Tetaz Chaparro, Juan Zeiss

Backs: Santiago Alvarez, Gonzalo Bertranou, Emiliano Boffelli, Tomas Cubelli, Jeronimo de la Fuente, Bautista Delguy, Bautista Ezcurra, Santiago Gonzalez Iglesias, Martin Landajo, Juan Cruz Mallia, Matias Moroni, Ramiro Moyano, Matias Orlando, Nicolas Sanchez

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The Bulls have announced that Springbok prop Trevor Nyakane has re-committed to the Pretoria-based outfit after signing a new contract.

Nyakane, who joined the three-time Super Rugby champions from the Cheetahs in 2015, has re-pledged his allegiance to the Bulls until October 2019.

Nyakane is widely regarded as one if the toughest guys in the business, and probably also known to have one of the biggest smiles and personalities to go with. He has played in 91 Super Rugby matches, 42 for the Cheetahs and 49 for the Bulls, and has also donned the green and gold of the Springboks on 37 occasions.

Blue Bulls High Performance Manager, Xander Janse van Rensburg, said: “Trevor’s contribution to the Bulls family is more than just his amazing on field abilities.

“He is an absolute team-man, and an inspiration to us all. We are privileged to have an athlete of his calibre.”

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Worcester Warriors‘ promising centre Will Butler has been ruled out until December with a recurrence of an elbow injury sustained at the end of last season.

Butler suffered the original injury after scoring two tries in Worcester’s end-of-season defeat at Northampton Saints in May. He has now had a recurrence of the same injury while featuring for the Warriors in the Premiership Rugby Sevens in late July and will undergo surgery.

“If you remember Will went off in the Northampton game,” Solomons told Worcester News.

“That was treated conservatively.

“He got through the world championship but in the sevens at Northampton he injured it again.

“It was felt that it was prudent to have the operation so he will be out for a period of about three months and hopefully he will return to play in December.”

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The Brumbies have announced the signing of Junior Wallabies star Bayley Kuenzle after the exciting back signed a two-year contract with the club.

Kuenzle, who was part of the junior Wallabies squad that played in the World U20 Championships in France earlier this year, represented NSW Schools in 2016 where a series of outstanding performances earned him a call-up to the Australian Schools Barbarians squad.

Promoted to NSW U20 team, and selected for the Junior Wallabies World Cup campaign, Kuenzle impressed in France with his direct running and playmaking skills, bringing him a try against Italy as the team eventually finished the tournament in fifth place.

“I am very excited about the prospect of joining up with the Brumbies ahead of the 2019 Super Rugby season,” Kuenzle said of his addition to the Brumbies wider training squad.

“The Brumbies are a quality rugby team and play an exciting, fast-paced style of game which I believe will suit my own playing style. They are a young and talented group in Canberra and I am looking forward to joining up.

“I expect to learn a lot off the coaching staff at the club, and from the experienced players that the team has. I have heard good things about the culture and the Brumbies family and am looking forward continuing my development as a player.”

Brumbies head coach Dan McKellar was enthusiastic about the signing of the talented playmaker ahead of the club’s 2019 Super Rugby season with Kuenzle joining the Brumbies at the end of the national Rugby Championship.

“Bayley is an Australia under-20s player and has played first grade for Souths in the Shute Shield in Sydney,” McKellar said of the new signing.

“He’s got a good size for the position, and a temperament that fits as well. He can run, can organise, and just has an excellent all-round skill set. Bayley has shown that he can direct things on the park. He doesn’t get overexcited and is never flustered.

“He runs nice and square to the line and is direct and, when he does run, he’s very good at it. He’s another young player who has an opportunity to forge a career with us.“

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