Friday’s rugby news has New Zealand off the hook, the Brumbies trying to win Pocock over, the Waratahs at full strength and mass changes for France.
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NZ Sevens go unpunished
New Zealand will face no disciplinary action despite fielding eight players when the team scored a game-tying try against Australia in the Sydney Sevens. Shortly after the game, World Rugby released a statement saying the result would stand despite footage clearly showing eight players on the field at the start of the move that levelled the game at the death.
“World Rugby’s misconduct process caters for unsporting actions, cheating and ill-discipline (amongst other behaviours) which are at a level that bring or have the potential to bring the Game into disrepute” a statement on Thursday read, with an investigation finding the incident to be an “inadvertent breach”.
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Larkham desperate to keep Pocock
Stephen Larkham has made it strikingly clear he doesn’t want to lose David Pocock, who will play against the Reds in his first match since the World Cup. “All of the (Wallabies) coaches were in agreeance after the World Cup that we felt we couldn’t win a game if David Pocock wasn’t on the field,” Larkham said.
Pocock’s possible sabbatical year to study in the UK in 2017 is thought to be part of a flexible new deal with the ARU through to the 2019 World Cup. It is now believed he may also play a short stint overseas as well, although Brumbies CEO Michael Jones has said that the club won’t offer him that year off.
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Waratahs add Test stars
Skipper Michael Hooper, Kurtley Beale, Rob Horne and Nick Phipps are among six key Wallabies returning for the Waratahs’ second Super Rugby pre-season trial match. Hooper is joined in the starting forward pack by returning fellow Wallabies Tatafu-Polota-Nau and Dean Mumm for Friday’s clash with the Chiefs in Rotorua.
With Foley only just back at training following his Japan stint, Beale will start at five-eighth. “When KB’s playing footy he always loves to be involved so taking that ten jersey off him might be tough but that’s exciting going into that environment,” said Foley of his own return.
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France make six changes
The France head coach Guy Novès has made six changes for Saturday’s Six Nations meeting with Ireland after his team’s nervy opening win against Italy. Novès brings in the wing Teddy Thomas and centre Maxime Mermoz to replace Hugo Bonneval, who is named on the bench, and Gaël Fickou, who has been absent this week for personal reasons.
In the forwards, the props Eddy Ben Arous and Rabah Slimani drop to the bench as Novès prefers Jefferson Poirot and Uini Atonio either side of the captain Guilhem Guirado, with the lock Paul Jedresiak and injured flanker Louis Picamoles making way as Alexandre Flanquart and Yacouba Camara come in.
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