Friday’s rugby news has the Rebels defeated, Cubelli raring to go, Guilford starting for the Tahs and Ashton to miss the Six Nations.
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Rebels lose first trial
The Auckland Blues have beaten the Melbourne Rebels 59-7 in the first trial match of the year at Bell Park, Auckland, on Thursday. The Blues capitalised on an inexperienced Rebels line-up with four tries in the final 20 minutes putting the game beyond doubt.
Rebels coach Tony McGahan was fulsome in his praise of the Blues, saying the scoreline was a fair reflection of how they had performed. Costly errors and turnovers stifled any momentum in attack for the Rebels as the Blues scored seven unanswered tries in the second half. “They were excellent all the way through,” he said. “You saw the strike power they had through a big squad.”
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Cubelli keen for taste of rivalry
Argentinean recruit Tomas Cubelli will start in the Brumbies’ first pre-season trial against the NSW Waratahs in Wagga on Saturday, with coach Stephen Larkham resting a number of his Wallabies stars including Stephen Moore, Christian Lealiifano, David Pocock, Scott Sio and Scott Fardy. Cubelli commented that he was acutely aware of the fierce rivalry between the two sides.
“When I was here [in 2013], the only game we saw was the Brumbies against the Waratahs and they were hating each other,” Cubelli said. “It didn’t matter that they played together in the Wallabies, they were crushing each other.”
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Guildford at fullback
Waratahs Head Coach Daryl Gibson has named his team for the opening pre-season trial, with his squad including 11 uncapped players with a mix of Super Rugby experience and home-grown NSW talent. In what will be the first taste of the Waratahs’ new backline prospects, former All Black, Zac Guildford will step into fullback, with ex-NRL star, Reece Robinson slotting into the right wing.
Will Skelton is the only Wallaby World Cup player included by Gibson, who anticipated that the Wallaby lock would play around 30 to 40 minutes of Saturday’s hitout. “He’s had an excellent recovery from his injury and come through all of the tests that we’ve required him to pass,” Gibson said
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Ashton suspended
England winger Chris Ashton has lost his appeal against a 10-week ban for eye-gouging that has ruled him out of the Six Nations championship. The 28-year-old Saracens player, recalled to the England squad for the first time in 18 months, was suspended for making contact with the eyes of Ulster’s Luke Marshall during a European Champions Cup match on Jan. 16.
Ashton pleaded not guilty at a hearing last week and had appealed against the severity of the punishment. But an Independent Appeal Committee upheld the ban on Thursday, meaning Ashton cannot play again until March 28.
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