Tuesday’s Rugby News has the Wallabies fretting over consistency, good gut feelings about Marika Koroibete, a former rugby international struggling with concussion worries, and a memorial event to honour an old pal and good bloke.
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WBs Want Consistency
The mood in the Wallabies camp is one of frustration, with Michael Hooper unhappy with the team’s inconsistency.
“It’s frustrating we can’t get consistency,” Hooper told the SMH. “Just vital moments are letting us down…it’s tough to take – to get that close, just two points down for the whole game and pressuring them. I thought there was just going to be a breaking point and unfortunately it didn’t come.”
“We produced some amazing play to get down in the South African 22 and then just simple stuff, right at the death, would bring us undone,” the vice-captain added. “It was really frustrating because there was some better play than we actually did in Brisbane against these guys to beat them (23-17 last month).”
Interestingly, Hooper added that he felt good about the upcoming game against the Pumas as the Wallabies feel a bit at home at Twickenham, calling the ground “a really familiar place for us” where they “have many fond memories”. The Wallabies played four games in the World Cup there last year.
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Koroibete Good: Tuqiri
Lote Tuqiri reckons Marika Koroibete is the goods, telling the Daily Telegraph that he’ll be “a success, 100 per cent”.
“His speed is above the norm and to all those people who say he’s smallish for rugby at 93kg, I’d say he plays at 105kg with the power and leg drive he throws at defences,” Tuqiri said.
It was reported earlier in the year that Koroibete will be invited to the join the Wallabies during the spring tour. When he does link up with the camp, he’ll be the fifth Fijian-born winger involved with the Wallabies this year (Eto Nabuli, Sefa Naivalu, Henry Speight and Taqele Naiyaravoro are the other four).. For what it’s worth, Tuqiri thinks Koroibete joining the Wallabies is a good idea, saying: “I really like the idea..[it’ll] get him started.”
Koroibete will join the Melbourne Rebels next year after having finished up his time with Melbourne Storm last Sunday.
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Concussion Worries
Retired Wales and British and Irish Lions representative Shane Williams has revealed in his weekly column that he suffers from frequent headaches and has difficulty concentrating, symptoms which he pins down to multiple concussions during his playing career.
Writing for The Rugby Paper (via Wales Online), Williams wrote: “the game gave me everything but there are times when I’ve asked myself if the headaches and loss of concentration I sometimes experience now are down to the countless knocks to head I received in my career.”
Stressing that he blames nobody, Williams added that he’s tormented by the fact that “my career was spent in a time when no-one really had a full understanding about head injuries . The mind-set was completely different. We knew rugby was a contact sport so if you couldn’t see the injury then you just got on with it.
“Goodness knows how many bangs I took to the head, but the truth is that I probably suffered a concussion-type injury once every three games I played.”
Williams, only 39, also praised the actions of Canadian international Jamie Cudmore. Cudmore last week decided to sue his former club Clermont Auvergne over a incident last year where the club’s management sent him back on the pitch despite Cudmore having sustained a concussion.
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Toothy Memorial
This Saturday, 8 October, the Quirindi Rugby Club in northern New South Wales will play host to the Toothy Tens Rugby Memorial Day in honour of local man, Nick “Toothy” Tooth.
Founded and organised by a bunch of Toothy’s peers, the rugby tournament is a celebration of Nick’s life, after he passed away from sustaining a head injury during a local rugby union match at his home town of Quirindi in April 2015. The event will aim to raise funds and awareness of sports-related head injuries and the Westpac Rescue Helicopter Service.
Nick played for the Quirindi Lions since the under 6s, and was a team favourite throughout his time playing for the Shore School, the Eastern Suburbs Colts and premiership winning player for Woollahra Colleagues Rugby Club.
One of the organisers, Edward Nankivell, said the rugby event is to honour one of the finest blokes he knows.
“I couldn’t think of a better way of honouring his memory than by holding a friendly rugby tournament,” Nankivell said. “Toothy was an outstanding bloke and player who supported everyone on and off the field. Despite having so many close friends, he was always around to have a chat, help you out or grab a beer with. This day enables us to remember Toothy, get out on the field, have a go and support each other; just like he would have.”
The tournament, now in its second year, will kick off at 10am and run through to the early evening, featuring 16 teams from all around NSW. Other than rugby games, there will also be a live auction where things such as an Enforcer Pro scrum machine, a stud Hereford bull, signed international jerseys and Australian open tickets will be all up for grabs.
For more information, visit this site.
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