Monday’s rugby news has the Reds trying to keep Quade, Hunt ruled out, TPN worried about concussions and RWC eligibility rules questioned
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Reds confident in contract race
The Reds are confident that the ARU’s revised contracting system will convince star playmaker Quade Cooper to remain in Brisbane. Although Toulon announced that the Wallabies 10 had signed a two-year contract, the Reds have now denied his departure is a done deal – accusing the Top 14 club of jumping the gun.
It is now reported that Cooper has been offered a four-year flexible contract by the ARU, which will allow him to play in Japan during the off-season and return for Super Rugby to remain eligible for the Wallabies. “For us, obviously Quade is an important piece of everything we’ve done here at Queensland,” Reds coach Richard Graham said, adding: “Those negotiations are ongoing and they’re really positive at this stage.”
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Hunt too sick to play
The Reds will be without Karmichael Hunt when they face the Crusaders on Friday. Hunt has barely trained since returning from the team’s two-week tour of South Africa after a debilitating bout of gastroenteritis which has left the former league star three kilograms lighter.
Queensland will be looking to squeeze a few wins from a tumultuous season, with vice-captain Rob Simmons emphasizing that the team are building towards showing their potential, although too late in the season. “We’ve got to try and build on that, make it an 80-minute performance, move forward from the Hurricanes and try and put a better performance on the field against the Crusaders,” he said. “That’s what we’re searching for – more consistency.
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TPN considering retirement
Although cleared of a serious concussion after being forced from the field in Friday night’s match against the Brumbies, Waratahs hooker Tatafu Polota-Nau has revealed he will consider retirement or taking a long break from the game if he suffers another serious head injury.
Polota-Nau has a history of concussion, many of which were caused by a reckless tackling technique which he has now committed to alter due to injury concerns. The 50 Test veteran emphasized that concussion represented a major issue in player welfare, praising the new stricter protocols. “There’s more to life than just rugby, but at the same time I still feel like I’ve got unfinished business with rugby itself,” TPN said.
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World Rugby reviewing eligibility
World Rugby is set to review Test eligibility rules amid concerns that the increasing movement of players from the southern hemisphere to Europe could threaten the integrity of national squads. Existing regulations allow players who have not been capped previously at ‘A’ level or above to qualify for any country in which they have lived for three years in succession.
“I think obviously there is a concentration of club wealth in the northern hemisphere, there’s no question that the salaries are very high in France and in England and it’s very tempting for players to ply their trade in the northern hemisphere,” World Rugby boss Brett Gosper said. Any changes would mean that young uncapped Australian players overseas such as Paul Alo-Emile could not join the French side, but other imports such as Fijian Henry Speight would not be eligible.
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