Wednesday’s rugby news has Christian Lealiifano glad to be home, Rebels going chase for Quade Cooper’s signature, Wallabies to bounce back and Chiefs beat Wales.
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Lealiifano Back Home
Christian Lealiifano has admitted that it is good to be back in his hometown of Melbourne as he chases the starting inside centre position for the Wallabies this weekend.
“It’s always special (playing in Melbourne),” Lealiifano said.
“Growing up here in Melbourne, unfortunately there was no Super Rugby here at the time. But to come back and play here is always special. You have family and friends who have seen you grow up and play junior footy.
“They are fond memories for me, the Lions series. They are memories that I will never forget. But now it is time to make some new ones.”
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Rebels Join Cooper Chase
The Melbourne Rebels have reportedly begun to seek Quade Cooper’s services for next year.
Cooper is currently based at French club Toulon but he has also been linked to a Super Rugby return with the Reds.
It is understood that the Rebels will attempt to tap into Cooper’s friendship with former Reds teammate Morgan Turinui who is now assistant coach with the Rebels.
Mike Harris has filled in at five-eight for the Rebels this season but has signed with Lyon for next year possibly opening a door for Cooper.
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Wallabies to Bounce Back
Wallabies hooker Tatafu Polota-Nau has promised the Wallabies will bounce back from their defeat against England on the weekend.
The Wallabies need to win in Melbourne this weekend to set up a decider in Sydney the week after.
“You always see the true test of a person’s character when you’re down and out. I think people think we are (down and out) but at the end of the day it is about how we bounce back and reply to the situation,”Polota-Nau said.
“We are more than capable. If anything, they have woken up the beast, which is great. When it comes to training, we have to have no illusion that they’re going to be physical. We have to make sure that we give it to each other. That’s how it is going to be on Saturday.”
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Chiefs Beat Wales
The Chiefs have claimed a historic win over Wales beating them 40-7 in Hamilton last night.
Wales only started two players who played in Saturday night’s test against the All Blacks but big names such as Sam Warburton, Jamie Roberts and Taulupe Faletau played large portions of the match.
Chiefs coach Dave Rennie was delighted with his team’s performance.
“I’m not sure if it says anything about New Zealand rugby,” he said.
“What it tells you is that we’ve got a pretty tight group who work hard for each other.”
“Look, we knew we had to front big time obviously missing the All Blacks, who have carried a lot of game time for us,” he said.
“We knew it was going to be watched by massive numbers around the world
“It was a pretty special performance, because we played a fair chunk of the game without the ball. There was a hell of a hot of scrambling.
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