ARU denies injury-hit Force Staniforth lifeline

[en_force_er]

The advantage of the force getting flogged week in week out is that Qld wont be the worst Aussie team, and they have a larger viewership up there so its much more important for overall revenue if there doing better.

Next year when the Australians have there own conference that theory might stand but, in the current S14 format, teams won't profit financially based on 1 team on the other side of the nation being worse than them.

 

[DPK]

The advantage of the force getting flogged week in week out is that Qld wont be the worst Aussie team, and they have a larger viewership up there so its much more important for overall revenue if there doing better.

Next year when the Australians have there own conference that theory might stand but teams won't profit financially based on 1 team on the other side of the nation being worse than them.

will next years super 14 be 13 aussie derbies followed by finals?

 

[en_force_er]

will next years super 14 be 13 aussie derbies followed by finals?

I'm assuming you mean that literally and not sarcastically.
No, but half the season will be Aussie V Aussie games and being better than another local team will prove much more important.
With only 5 teams in your conference and 2 of those teams making finals, 1 spot higher looks alot better to supporters.

 

[MrTimms]

Next year when the Australians have there own conference that theory might stand but teams won't profit financially based on 1 team on the other side of the nation being worse than them.

will next years super 14 be 13 aussie derbies followed by finals?

My understanding is they will play a home AND away with the teams in their conference, plus one match against the other 10 teams (from the two other conferences) on a rotating home/away basis.

The finals are a bit murkier though, with a guaranteed finals spot for the top of each conference, plus some other way of making up the numbers, along the lines of the Heineken Cup, from what I can gather.

 

[louie]

It's not going to do Australian rugby any good for the Force to be flogged this year. Solution: check out of Beale, Halangahu, Lealiifano or To'omua who's thinking of joining the Rebels and pay them a bonus to move to Perth for a few months. And have the imagination to address every problem as a unique situation when they arise. The ARU isn't the public service.

Why? so the brumbies and tahs are both weakened and have less chance of making the finals?
It hasn't been good for Australian Rugby that the reds have been getting flogged for the past few years but no one cared then.

If the Brumbies or Tahs are going to lend a player to the force then it should be done in the same manner as in football. The Club is paid a fee and the players wages by the club gaining player. The brumbies or tahs should be gaining some $ benefit otherwise what's the point?

 

[louie]

i dont actually think the tahs or brumbies have excess 5/8ths
even for the wallabies now when everyone is fit they go into a game with gits, barnes and cooper and rotate positions at some stage, having three in nsw and act is exactly the same thing, its just modern rugby. the loose man out is only t.smith. i dont see anyone really displaced at the tahs to his equivilent.

if staniforth was to get a release from his contract in japan it wouldnt be a problem, the fact he doesnt seem to have asked for one tells you were his head is at. he aint going to be here for the wallabies so he aint gonna be here.

The advantage of the force getting flogged week in week out is that Qld wont be the worst Aussie team, and they have a larger viewership up there so its much more important for overall revenue if there doing better.

fantastic point

 

[Epi]

he aint going to be here for the wallabies so he aint gonna be here.

So what? Is George Smith here for the Wallabies? WTF do the Wallabies have to do with this??

 

[Scarfman]

Two stories about Saffa teams getting loaned players to cover for injury.

http://www.sport24.co.za/Content/Ru.../18-02-2010-08-19/Sharks_sign_Goode_on_loan__

Durban - England flyhalf Andy Goode signed with the Sharks on a short-term loan deal on Thursday.

The South African outfit said on its website that it had secured the services of the 29-year-old Goode from French club Brive for the upcoming away leg of its Super 14 campaign.

Goode, who has 17 caps for England, will join up with the Sharks for the five-week tour of Australia and New Zealand which begins next week.

The Sharks lost Argentina international flyhalf Juan Hernandez for the season to a back injury and promising No. 10 Steve Meyer announced his surprise retirement last week, forcing it to search for an experienced backup to Springbok Ruan Pienaar.

Earlier on Thursday the Durban team said it had secured the services of Bulls second row Wilhelm Steenkamp on loan until the end of the Super 14 season.

"Bringing these two players to the Sharks has certainly bolstered our squad depth significantly as the pair come with a huge amount of experience and will bring something special to the team," coach John Plumtree said.

"Andy Goode's reputation speaks for itself and to take a top quality competition like the Super 14 seriously, you need top quality players like him."

Plumtree also thanked the Bulls for releasing Steenkamp, who played for the Emerging Boks against the British and Irish Lions last year.

"We certainly appreciate their kind gesture of releasing a player to a union who needs him right now," Plumtee said.

Following Friday's clash with the Cheetahs, the Sharks face a daunting away leg beginning at the seven-time champion Crusaders next Saturday.

The Sharks then play the Waratahs, Brumbies, Highlanders and the Hurricanes on consecutive weekends.

http://www.sport24.co.za/Content/Ru...7/18-02-2010-12-18/Steenkamp_loaned_to_Sharks

Pretoria - The Blue Bulls have released lock Wilhelm Steenkamp on loan to the Sharks for the remainder of the Super 14 competition.

Steenkamp, who has 19 Super Rugby caps, will return to his Pretoria base after completion of the competition.

He will again be available for selection for the Blue Bulls once the Currie Cup season starts.

According to the BBC’s business and high performance manager, Ian Schwartz, a request from the Sharks to utilize the services of Steenkamp, was granted and Steenkamp will join the coastal side immediately.

“Wilhelm will get playing time at the Sharks, which will not only benefit the player, but South African rugby as a whole,”

Schwartz said the Sharks are in need of a top class lock and they have released Steenkamp due to their depth in that position. "We have no doubt he will add value to the Sharks in their campaign,” he said.

 

[DPK]

will next years super 14 be 13 aussie derbies followed by finals?

I'm assuming you mean that literally and not sarcastically.
No, but half the season will be Aussie V Aussie games and being better than another local team will prove much more important.
With only 5 teams in your conference and 2 of those teams making finals, 1 spot higher looks alot better to supporters.

No sarcasm intended, just curiousity lol

More derbys can only be a good thing.

 

[waratahjesus]

he aint going to be here for the wallabies so he aint gonna be here.

So what? Is George Smith here for the Wallabies? WTF do the Wallabies have to do with this??

i think you will find the actual ARU rule is that a player playing in the super 14 has to be available for the wallabies. the only way they can head overseas is if they are off contract both ARU and from there team. Despite having no chance of playing for the wallabies it was my understanding that every player is still signed by the ARU even if a top up isnt in place.

George Smith asked for a release and was given special consideration because of his service for the game.

therefore if the Force are to sign Staniforth and he is going back to japan, then the only way they can sign him is as a marquee player which the ARU has total control over and would not approve as the idea of the marquee is that it attracts fans by bringing good players to our shores. I dont think Staniforth actually does that. He is a mature head in a young backline, but they have inside cover and need a playmaker so why are they bothering at all is the more likely question that should be asked.

 

[farva]

I believe that one of the ex-Force flankers (cant remember his name) played a season with one of the Japanese clubs finishing before the S14 season started, went to the Tahs last year and then signed back with the Japanese club after the S14 season finished. The only difference was that he was not actually signed with the Japanese club at the time. Very little difference between the two but I guess a big enough difference.

 

[Lee Grant]

My understanding is they will play a home AND away with the teams in their conference, plus one match against the other 10 teams (from the two other conferences) on a rotating home/away basis.

The finals are a bit murkier though, with a guaranteed finals spot for the top of each conference, plus some other way of making up the numbers, along the lines of the Heineken Cup, from what I can gather.

They won't play all the other teams in the other two conferences unless there has been an update since last May. They will play 4 of the 5 teams in the other two conferences. I believe this was a concession to the South Africans because of the Currie Cup.

In the finals 6 of the 15 teams will be involved.

The winners of the 3 conferences go through to the finals. The two conference winners with the best records get the first week of the finals off. The 3rd best gets to play with 3 wildcards teams in preliminaries.

The wildcards are the 3 teams who did not win their conference but have the best records of the remaining 12 teams. Thus a strong conference could have 3 teams in the playoffs the next best, two, and the weakest, one.

The weakest wildcard would play the weakest conference winner in one game of the preliminaries, and the other two wildcards would play each other. The two winners go through to the semis against the two teams who had the first week off. Etc etc.



PS Mr Timms - thanks again for those tickets to the Viking Park trial

 

[Sully]

Qld were in a similar position last year and played promising youngsters out of there academy and from club Rugby. There was no winging to the media about importing foreign based players under contract! although they did get a dispensation to add an extra prop.

 

[Epi]

Qld were in a similar position last year and played promising youngsters out of there academy and from club Rugby. There was no winging to the media about importing foreign based players under contract!

how did that work out for them??

 

[DPK]

I reeeeeeeeally wish the ARC was still around, then Australian rugby probably wouldnt be in this situation, or the situation would not be this bad.

 

[waratahjesus]

I reeeeeeeeally wish the ARC was still around, then Australian rugby probably wouldnt be in this situation, or the situation would not be this bad.

how? by them playing an extra few games at the end of the season, the force have identified and contracted talent, they have has a bad run of injuries, but they have no faith in the players they have recruited to replace the people who are out. depth is shallow, thats why you have to develop a squad with good depth and cover, it takes years and luck. The force dont have it. the ARC would have meant that there academy players got an extra five games after the shute shield, nothing more nothing less

 

[DPK]

how? by them playing an extra few games at the end of the season, the force have identified and contracted talent, they have has a bad run of injuries, but they have no faith in the players they have recruited to replace the people who are out. depth is shallow, thats why you have to develop a squad with good depth and cover, it takes years and luck. The force dont have it. the ARC would have meant that there academy players got an extra five games after the shute shield, nothing more nothing less

5 games at a level between club and super 14 level is better than no games, or a tour that takes place at the same time as club rugby seasons.

 

[Sully]

Qld were in a similar position last year and played promising youngsters out of there academy and from club Rugby. There was no winging to the media about importing foreign based players under contract!

how did that work out for them??

it was shit last year. But it seems to be starting to pay off now.

 

[todd4]

It looks like the Force may sign Staniforth straight away afterall... It was reported on Perths Channel Ten news tonight that his Japanese club has folded (?) (anyone know anything about this?). If this is the case it would make his contract with them kaput. The item on the news said he could very well be signed in time to play against the Chiefs in round 3..... I would still like to hear it officially from the Force and the ARU though.... :thumb

 

[Lindommer]

Spanner's experience among the rabble (the Force's backs) will be invaluable. I hope Mitch has the good sense to play him at 12 and not on the wing.