Monday’s rugby news has Wallaby re-signings, the Brumbies unconcerned with off-field issues, a disappointing result for the Australian Sevens and academy concerns in England.
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Cooper and Beale re-sign
The Wallabies have ensured that both Quade Cooper and Kurtley Beale will be available for World Cup consideration. Cooper has signed a one-year extension with the ARU while Beale is understood to have agreed to contract terms, with a press conference scheduled for next week.
Cooper was presented with enticing offers from wealthy French rugby clubs but was said to be swayed by the chance at redemption following a disappointing 2011 World Cup in New Zealand. While Beale was also rumoured to be looking at a league defection recently, his re-signing was imminent with the promotion of Michael Cheika to Wallaby head coach.
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Sevens into quarter finals
Australia will clash with Fiji in the Cup quarter-finals of the South African round of the Sevens World Series in Port Elizabeth. The Australians, who were runner-up to South Africa in Dubai last weekend, finished second in Pool B after falling to Argentina 31-21 in the final match of the day.
Fiji will be a tough test for the Sevens team, with coach Geraint John challenging his players to raise their game on Day Two. “The Argentina game was a disappointing end to what I felt was a slightly disappointing day. I didn’t feel we performed particularly well and we missed too many tackles,” John said.
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Moore not distracted
ACT Brumbies captain Stephen Moore says the players are able to separate the club’s financial uncertainty from on-field performance, with the players said to be fully focused on next year’s bid to win a Super Rugby title. The Brumbies are currently facing a $1 million loss for the preceeding year and is still searching for a major sponsor as well as a new chief executive.
“At the moment the only thing the players are thinking about [is] putting in a strong training week before Christmas and then coming back with our focus on rugby,” said Moore, who recently ceded his players’ representative board member position to Scott Fardy.
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UK concerned with gym culture
English No.8 Nick Easter has joined a number of high-profile stars in rasing concerns about the overwhelming emphasis on the size and strength of young players coming through the acedemy system. Easter said that rugby’s “gym-monkey” culture at acedemy level would have serious health repurcusions in years to come.
Wasps fly-half Andy Goode believes the emphasis on weight training among the next generation of English players will have a detrimental effect on the national team. “Now it seems to be about how much you can lift rather than developing kids with skill,” Goode said. “That’s the big difference between us and the southern hemisphere.”
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