For everyone who thinks Australia needs a quality inside centre, here’s an interview with one we prepared earlier. Wouldn’t he have been good at 12 for the Wallabies on the weekend. From our friends at the offsideline.
SIONE Tuipulotu has become a key player for both Glasgow and Scotland since moving here four years ago. His younger brother Mosese has impressed in his two outings to date since joining Edinburgh in the summer. And now the two siblings are working together to persuade Ottavio, Sione’s “littlest brother”, to join them in Scotland.
At 20, Ottavio is the youngest member of the Australian-born family, who qualify for Scotland through their grandmother from Greenock and also have Tongan and Italian heritage. While his two older brothers are centres, Ottavio is a hooker, and currently plays for the Waratahs.
Speaking after Glasgow’s 42-10 URC win over Benetton on Friday night, Sione said that, while Ottavio’s career development has suffered setbacks through injury, he has the potential to become the best player in the family. “Genuinely, I think if my littlest brother comes over here, he might end up being better than me and my brother, my sister as well,” he said. “He had a really rough run with injuries – he had two knee reconstructions before he was 18 – but he’s really dedicated to his rugby.
“I don’t make any decisions for him, but if it was up to me, he would do one year there, try and get as much rugby under his belt in Sydney and then come over. Sess [Mosese] has been selling him that. We had a group FaceTime the other day and Sess was like: ‘Bro, it’s not what you think. I got to Edinburgh and it’s like Harry Potter here, bro. I should have come ages ago’. So it’s like Sess was trying to sell him the dream massively. But I can understand, when you’re on Bondi Beach you feel like your life’s pretty good. But I’m hoping to see him sooner rather than later.”
Leicester’s Cheika faces disciplinary hearing for alleged row with doctor
Many will find this difficult to believe.
Michael Cheika has been accused of disrespecting an independent matchday doctor after his first match in charge of Leicester Tigers last month and was on Tuesday night due to face a Rugby Football Union disciplinary hearing.
Cheika, who faces a ban if found guilty, is alleged by the RFU to have breached its rule that governs conduct prejudicial to the interest of the game. Leicester secured a dramatic victory in the match in question – edging past Exeter with a last-gasp Tommy Reffell try – but the Tigers are believed to be frustrated at the red card shown to their centre Solomone Kata.
The frustration stems from the fact that he will miss five matches after his sending off for a dangerous tackle on Jack Yeandle at Sandy Park despite “showing obvious signs of concussion”, calling into question whether he should have been on the pitch at the time.
Shortly before the tackle, Kata was involved in a collision with his teammate Ollie Chessum as the pair attempted to tackle the Exeter winger Immanuel Feyi-Waboso. Chessum was sent for a head injury assessment but Kata was not. The incident was later reviewed by the independent matchday doctor, who told the Tigers that both players should have been removed for HIAs due to showing category-one symptoms which results in a stand-down period of 12 days.
I can understand his frustration but he has form and has now been suspended for two weeks. IMHO he’s probably lucky given his record.
RECAP: Australian Rugby Shield – Day 1
From Pravda
Black Falcons clipped by Defence Force fightback
SA Black Falcons Men 27 (Nakarawa 2, Vi tries; Wilkes 3 con; Wilkes 2 pen) def by ADFRU Men 36 (Wanstall 2, Stone, Cochrane, Smith tries; Muller 4 cons, Muller pen)
Orchids collar Kelpies in Queensland derby
QLDC Orchids 14 (Johnston 2 tries; Harris 2 cons) def QSRU Kelpies 5 (Pienaar try)
Cockatoos fly high against Queensland Subbies
NSW Country Cockatoos 57 (Beach 4, Hubbard, Sinoti, Gibbon, Hobbs, Quigley tries; Grant 6 cons) def QSRU Subbies 10 (Cunningham try; Niupopo con; Niupopo pen)
Kestrels clinch flock-buster against wasteful Falcons
ACT & SNSW Kestrels 17 (Turnbull 2, Brewer tries; Edwards con) def SA Black Falcons Women 14 (Tangitau, Giannikouris tries; Kelly, Cousins cons)
Queensland Country bring Jackies to heel
QLDC Heelers 62 (Bezombes, Ford, Loughnan, Curran, Salee, Hansson, Johnston, Ronavuso, Wigan, Kautai tries; Mason 4, Davison 2 cons) def TAS Jack Jumpers 7 (Lovell try; Kazarine con)
Defending champs Corellas corral Defence
NSWC Corellas 31 (Walklate, Duff, Miller, Winsor tries; Colman 3, Walklate cons, Colman pen) def ADFRU Women 7 (Tijou try, Marshall con)
