Sonny Bill and Rocky...

[Rugby Rat]

1. Sonny Bill has an Australian grandmother. Should we persue him to play super 14 and then the Wallabies ?
Does he only play for the money ? Would he be a liability and therefore the AB's can have him if they like.

2. Rocky. Should he wait out this year as we might be OK ? If so will he get frustrated and lose the passion ?

 

[barbarian]

1. Yes, we should pursue him with all we've got. But there is an extremely high chance we won't get anywhere- the guy is a kiwi and seems to have his eye on a black jersey. It will take a lot of cash to change his mind there, probably more than we have to spend. But there is no doubt he would get the turnstiles spinning if he came to an Aussie S14 franchise.

Don't think he'd be a liability, his track record with 'off-field' incidents is almost spotless (Candice in the cubicle was an error on so many levels)

2. No. No. No. Get him in now, he is the best 6 we've got and we would achieve nothing having him on the sidelines. There is no room for argument here.

 

[Rugby Rat]

He's make a very handy Waratah 13. :thumb

 

[Pfitzy]

Tim Horan was suggesting he'd be a better blindside flanker. I tend to think that's not a bad idea.

But I think he'd make a much better 12 than a 13 (or a 6). More chance to run, slightly easier to defend, and his offload could be put to great use either in action or use his offloading reputation as a decoy and cut to outside centre when the hole appears.

 

[Rugby Rat]

12 in defence. 12 and 13 in attack.

A nippy passer on his inside in attack would be able to get him 1on 1 out wide. Gitts perfect for the job.

 

[Pfitzy]

Yeah he'd be good to send wide on the angles occasionally - if e.g. Gits cut him on the pass he could wrap and hit the outside short ball from the 13.

 

[cyclopath]

SBW is a Kiwi and it would be a joke if he were "made" an Aussie. Sorry, that's just the way I think. He should be chased by the Kiwis though - in the right S14 franchise he could be something.
We got AAC (Adam Ashley-Cooper), Ioane, Horne, Tahu, Cross who are all quite capable at 13 (and some at 12). That is, after the Wizard shuffles off.

 

[Cutter]

I can see I'm going to have differing views to most on these:

1. No. We shouldnt buy someone for the Wallaby jersey. If he said he wanted to play for the Wallabies that might be different but he has always talked about the ABs. The Wallabies arent a franchise.

2. Yes. The integrity of the system is at stake here. A player should only be available to represent the Wallabies if they have played the S14 season. They shouldnt make exceptions because others will start asking for them and then be rightfully aggrieved if they dont get special treatment too. Elsom has played two seasons back to back. A club season and then some rest would do him good.

 

[cyclopath]

I forgot about #2.
Disagree with Cutter - if they sign up to be here for next year etc it's good enough for me. IF they're good enough, and if that needs to be proved with some club rugby, or some other yet to be announced tier then so be it.

 

[Biffo]

1. Yes
2. No

rant over

 

[chriscullen]

Sonny Bill an Aussie, Mc Alistair called up to All Blacks

Luke McAlistair has been called up to the All Blacks to replace Richard Kahui. Could be even playing this weekend against France.
Sonny Bill could play for the Wallabies due to an Australian Grandmother. He would have to play for a S14 team first to be eligible. Is actually qualified to play for 3 nations Samoa/Nz/Australia.

 

[Scarfman]

First game at that level, SBW was very good. Would already make a handy player at S14. The problem is that we would have to throw major bucket of money at him just to get close to what he could get paid in Euros. On balance, I think we should wait until he does a Rocky - says "I have enough money," I want to play for the Wallabies. That's when we might justifiably offer him money. There'd be no end to the 3rd parties, too.

For the record, this was the first game I've ever seen him play. He looks just a little slow for an international 13, particularly in defence. Why not 8? I think he'd be brilliant.

 

[formeropenside]

SBW should play for Samoa, and the top tier rugby nations should be trying to bring the islands up to top tier level.

I dont think Rocky should be allowed to play, or you will get players turning out for S14 only half the time.

 

[disco]

1. Sonny Bill has an Australian grandmother. Should we persue him to play super 14 and then the Wallabies ?
Does he only play for the money ? Would he be a liability and therefore the AB's can have him if they like.

No no yes & no.
SBW throwing this comment out there just proves that he's all about the money, I say give him to the AB's they'll be broke after the next RWC anyway so he'll be back in france chasing more euro.

We've got some very good 13's & Mark Gasnier will most likely return to have a crack anyway & he gave SBW and Tana Umaga the run around last time they met.

2. Rocky. Should he wait out this year as we might be OK ? If so will he get frustrated and lose the passion ?

Rest him over the inbound tests & give one club game before the Tri-Nations.

 

[Blue]

Surely the Aussie comment SWB dropped was just a tactic aimed at pushing the price the NZRU will pay for him...

 

[disco]

Surely the Aussie comment SWB dropped was just a tactic aimed at pushing the price the NZRU will pay for him..

Exactly the blokes a mug, has no loyalty to Oz or NZ he just wants the dosh but also wants the fame with it. If he wasn't chasing fame he'd be better off playing club in France & turning out for Samoa in the RWC.

 

[Lee Grant]

Money Bill would be a good rugby project for any Oz S14 squad as a player with limited experience, but only if he didn't have the baggage that he has. Put him behind a decent pack of forwards and he would blossom.

But his actions suggest that he is a "Show me the money" kind of guy, and I don't think that any S14 franchise, or Oz, NZ or Samoa, would have the dosh to keep him home on the farm. If he ever plays test rugby it will probably be for France after he keeps playing club rugby there and qualifies on residency. A test jersey would increase his value.

He is making a few noises about this might happen, or that, according to the questions asked and the nationality of the journalist asking them, but I think that his answers are just laying down a contingency bridge if something untoward happens - such as a French club owner having a hissy fit.

I could be wrong: SBW has made himself available for the Kiwi league team and played injured for them; so he may have a bit more starch in that area than we think. Watch this space.


On Rocky: he has opened up a can of worms and eventually it will be hard to put the lid on it. Things have turned out well, apparently, and all that has happened is that Oz Super rugby missed him for one season and the Wallabies missed him for one EOYT. Well, that and the fact that he must be feeling stuffed after training/playing since August 2008.

If he is being treated as a one-off, as the Kiwis treated Carter, well and good, but we can't afford to let too many others take the same opportunity; just a few elite guys after a RWC year. If not, the power of the marketplace will overwhelm us and, as other people have said: Oz rugby will become like Oz soccer wherein youngsters go offshore even before their school years are over and wherein all our internationals play club soccer overseas.

 

[Lachlan]

He is a proud kiwi. He will never play for Australia if an AB squad position is available for him.

 

[formeropenside]

He is a proud kiwi. He will never play for Australia if an AB squad position is available for him, or he decides he wants to win a world cup.

tidied that up for you.

welcome aboard, by the way

 

[disco]

He is a proud kiwi.

Yeah like most but for some reason not proud enough to live there.