Friday’s rugby news has Cheika revealing his 39 man squad, Leroy Houston going to the Reds, Taqele Naiyaravoro returning to the Waratahs and players slam Hayne.
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Cheika Reveals Squad
Michael Cheika has revealed his extended 39 man squad to take on England in June.
Four overseas players and ten uncapped players were included in the squad.
Cheika said he was using this series to build players for the future.
“We have selected this squad with one eye on the now and one on the future and there’s a huge focus on building depth within the squad,” Cheika said.
“For example, we want to work with three tight fives and four number 7s, looking to build that competition within that type of combination.
“Our first week in camp will target a high intensity training attitude, building on combinations within that environment. We want to build on the identity we’ve worked hard on establishing over the past 18 months.”
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Houston to Reds
Following his inclusion in the Wallabies squad, the Queensland Reds have announced that Leroy Houston will join the Reds immediately until 2018.
“Queensland and the Reds are my home, so there was no other choice when I decided to come back to Australia,” Houston said.
“I have awesome memories of my time at Ballymore. There’s a good bunch of young lads at the club and some really experienced players there too. I’m looking forward to getting back there and contributing to what they’re trying to build.
“I was there in 2008 when it was tough going, so I know what it’s like to experience that, but we won the title in my last year and hopefully I can share some of my experiences with the current group.
“There’s a lot of potential there and I can’t wait to be a part of it.”
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Naiyaravoro Returns
Taqele Naiyaravoro will return to the Waratahs until the end of 2018 following a stint with the Glasgow Warriors.
“I’m delighted to have him back and competing for a wing spot. He’s a different type of winger and uses his size and speed to good effect,” Waratahs coach Daryl Gibson said.
“He will add to our strike power out wide, increasing the competition for our back three.
“I’m sure he has grown as a player too, having experienced northern hemisphere rugby.”
The Waratahs have also signed Damien Fitzpatrick who was previously with the Waratahs between 2009-2013. The signing has sparked speculation that Tatafu Polota-Nau may be heading overseas.
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Players Slam Hayne
Former Sevens player Nick Phipps and Reds prop Ben Daley have slammed Hayne’s decision to join the Fiji Sevens team.
“It could derail them couldn’t it?,” Phipps said.
“And it could affect how the team goes about it because you work so hard in a group, you build a mentality in a group about working hard for each other and then a couple of blokes get knocked out at the end and you start to question those values and what really is this team based on?
“I think as a player, especially, you start to feel for a lot of those players over there (Fiji).
“They are phenomenal athletes over there and they could have five or six teams in the competition (and) do well every week, and they have consistently performed well.
“Then you just see (Hayne) play in the Australian game — two breakdown penalties, a knock on in a very important part of the game, and you just don’t know how ready he is.”
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