Friday’s rugby news has a Wallabies Grand Slam, Mowen compared to Matfield, Foley defects to the Rebels & the Reds focused
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Wallabies Grand Slam Tour
I know we are all getting ourselves psyched up for the Lions tour, but looking further ahead, this year’s Wallabies spring tour will be a rare Grand Slam outing. So in addition to a confirmed Test against Italy, the Wallabies will also play the four traditional Grand Slam nations – England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales.
This will be only the third such tour since the famous 1984 one in which the Wallabies coached by Alan Jones and led by captain Andrew Slack and five-eighth Mark Ella were able to defeat all four nations, with Ella scoring a try in each of the Tests.
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Reds focused on Rebels returnees
The Queensland Reds have set their sights on two Melbourne Rebels players making quite different returns in this weekend’s clash. Scott Higginbotham will return to Suncorp Stadium after five seasons playing with the Queensland side. Higginbotham is downplaying his return to Queensland as just another game, saying “I’ve already played against Queensland this year, so there’s nothing new there.” The Reds, though, know how much Higginbotham can bring to the field and have pegged him as the Rebels’ danger man.
James O’Connor meanwhile will return to Super Rugby after missing last week’s Rebels victory over the Waratahs through injury. The Reds will understandably be looking to send lots of attack O’Connor’s way to test out his recovery from a sternum injury.
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Mowen the new Matfield
Brumbies coach Jake White has come out in support of his skipper’s Wallabies credentials. In particular, White focused on Mowen’s lineout ability believing it to be his key strength in terms of getting him a coveted gold jumper. Indeed the South African paid him close to the ultimate compliment, comparing his influence at lineout time to that of Springbok great Victor Matfield. White said ”I know what Victor Matfield meant to the Springboks lineout and I can tell you Ben Mowen is as important to the Brumbies – his understanding of it is as good as Victor’s.”
Meanwhile, according to Mowen, the Hurricanes are a sterner test than the Auckland Blues who the Canberra team bested last week. Mowen has earmarked TJ Perenara, Beauden Barret, Victor Vito, Conrad Smith and Julian Savea as the key men that the Brumbies will have to watch in tonight’s clash at Canberra Stadium.
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Foley joins Rebels
It is being reported that Waratahs five-eighth Bernard Foley has agreed to move south to the Melbourne Rebels from next season. While the deal has not been officially announced, the reports state that the contract is a big one and that Foley has already signed on the dotted line. Foley has had a breakout year with the Waratahs, cementing the number 10 jersey and leading the competition in both try assists and linebreak assists. What this says about James O’Connor’s future with the Rebels is really anyone’s guess at this point. Some sources are already contradicting yesterday’s reports that O’Connor did not have any suitors, claiming he is in fact already in talks with other teams.
Foley will be joined at the Rebels by current Waratahs teammate Tom Kingston. The young winger has struggled for game time this season, so will no doubt be looking for greater opportunities in Melbourne.
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