Monday’s Rugby News looks at a calm Cheika, wraps up an incredible round of NRC, a Wallaby turning to Sevens and a unique partnership between an Australian and Japanese team
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Calm Cheika ahead of Cup opener
Wallabies coach Michael Cheika has praised his side’s ideal preparations as they get set to begin their World Cup campaign on Saturday against Fiji.
Cheika was uncharacteristically laidback and relaxed during his first official press conference, reaffirming that everything has gone perfectly so far in their build-up to the big event.
“Things have been going really well, perfect actually (with) no distractions,” Cheika said at the team’s base in Odawara.
“We’ve been building on the footy we’re brought to the year so far so we’re ready to do whatever it takes when the times comes.
“What happens on the field is where the talking is done.
“We get our chance next Saturday.”
He will have 30 of his 31 players available for selection with young gun Jordan Petaia still battling a hamstring injury, whilst lock Adam Coleman will be eased back into contact after a knock to his thumb in the win over Samoa.
Cheika’s past experience with knock-out style tournaments has him lazar-focused on the job ahead, refusing to look ahead to their almost must-win clash against Wales in a fortnight.
“No one thinks I’m telling the truth but the only game I’m looking at is Fiji,” Cheika said.
“All the knockout tournaments I’ve been involved with European Cups and the 2015 World Cup, you only look at what’s in front of you, that’s the grand final.”
Skipper Michael Hooper revealed that the players were itching to get started, in particular, David Pocock, who has slotted right back into the squad after his long injury lay off.
“David didn’t look like he’d missed a trick,” Hooper said
“He’s come off long breaks before and done outstanding because he keeps himself in such outstanding condition and I only expect him to go up (from here).
“These are the competitions where he does so well so I’m looking forward to seeing what he can put out there.”
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NRC throws up thrillers
The National Rugby Championship has delivered some all-time classic encounters in round three of the competition.
We start off in the eastern suburbs of NSW, where Sydney have pulled off a 47-26 upset win over Queensland Country.
Sydney was boosted by the inclusion of their Randwick players, particularly Will Harrison, who came out and torched the shell-shocked Country.
Waratahs pair Cameron Clark and Lalakai Foketi were the chief destroyers, each recording a double in the impressive performance.
The exciting rugby continued down the Hume Highway with the Canberra Vikings narrowly hanging on for a one-point win over Brisbane City, 36-35 at Viking Park.
With ten minutes remaining, Brisbane looked to have snatched the result when replacement Tuaina Tualima burrowed over.
However, a penalty goal from Ryan Lonergan with five minutes put the Vikings back in front and they managed to hold on in a famous victory.
The triple-header of NRC rugby on Saturday was finished off in Wollongong, where NSW Country and Fijian Drua played out a nail-biting 24-all draw.
The game looked to be secured for the Fijians when Aporosa Tabulawaki raced 90 metres to score to put them ahead by 7 points, with the Eagles misery compounded by the sin-binning of Eagles winger James Kane with nine minutes to go
However, halfback Jack Grant found his way over in the 81st minute before replacement flyhalf Connor O’Shea slotted the conversion to continue their unbeaten run and sentence the Drua to their second draw in three games.
The round finished off in the mighty state of Western Australia, where the Force confirmed their status as the favourites heading forward with a 38-19 win over the Melbourne Rising.
The boys from the isolated state put on a show with a hat-trick to winger Byron Ralston gifting them a 19-7 lead at half-time.
Despite a spirited fightback from the Rising through WA product Richie Hardwick and Pone Fa’amausili, the Force were too strong with a try to Johan Bardoul sealing the result and maintaining their spot at the top of the ladder.
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Jack of all trades
Melbourne Rebels winger Jack Maddocks is set to link up with the Australian men sevens as they prepare for their Olympic qualifier.
Maddocks will join brother Will in the squad for the Munich Sevens, where he will assist their preparations and potentially play in the competition, before they head to the Oceania Sevens in Fiji this November.
Coach Tim Walsh was pleased with getting double the Maddocks’ (four Maddocks?), praising Rebels coach Dave Wessels for loaning him out and allowing Jack to take up the challenge.
“Jack is a quality athlete and an amazing Rugby player; He can run, leap, jump, weave and is a competitor, which is exactly the kind of player we want in the Australian Sevens Squad,” Walsh said in a press release.
“Will has been no slouch either and continues to smash records in the team with his speed and fitness, so to welcome Jack is going to enhance our environment.
“I’m grateful to Dave Wessels and the Melbourne Rebels for releasing Jack for this exciting period and I know training in our program will enhance Jack as a Rugby player.”
Maddocks was looking forward to the opportunity, with the Eastern Suburbs product keen to give the shorter format a crack with his brother.
“It’s a good opportunity for me to go test out Sevens for a bit and have a crack,” Maddocks said.
“[The Olympics] is the pinnacle of sport. Hopefully we can get there and that will be an unreal experience as well.”
“Tim (Walsh) hit me up to see if I was interested. It’s really exciting, haven’t played much of Sevens before so the challenge excited me, and it was a good opportunity to play with my brother so that was a big lure for me.
“Plenty to learn but keen to rip in. I can tell it’s a good group and something I look forward to being a part of.”
He will return to the Melbourne Rebels after the Olympic Qualifier and remains on standby for the Wallabies Rugby World Cup campaign.
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Rebel alliance
The Melbourne Rebels have announced an unique partnership with Japanese rugby side Kintetsu Liners.
With the exodus of Australian players overseas ramping up, the Rebels are thinking outside the box with an alliance with the Japanese giant, who signed their former halves in Will Genia and Quade Cooper before the deal was formed.
The second division Liners are coached by former Queensland Reds coach and ex-Wallabies prop Nick Stiles.
The deal will see both sides exchange players, coaches, best practice and innovation over the next two years.
It will also see both sides play exhibition games in both Melbourne and Osaka.
“The Melbourne Rebels are committed to taking Melbourne to the world through a multi-faceted international strategy. We are blessed that Rugby is a truly global game and we are committed to being a conduit for investment into Victoria long-term,” Rebels CEO Baden Stephenson said in a press release.
“We are developing strong relationships with many successful Japanese companies and utilising our expertise in Rugby to support the Liners efforts to regain their place in the Top League.
“We are developing strong relationships with many successful Japanese companies and utilising our expertise in Rugby to support the Liners efforts to regain their place in the Top League.
“In the last two years the Melbourne Rebels have proactively conducted trade missions to Japan, taking business delegations of over 100 people in total to Tokyo for our Super Rugby matches against the Sunwolves and making new diplomatic and corporate links.”
“The Kintetsu Liners are very excited to have the expertise and people of the Melbourne Rebels working to advance our Club,” Kintetsu Liners General Manager Kagehiro Iizumi remarked.
“We have always been impressed with the professionalism of the Rebels and we know that our partnership will be a strong driver for our future success.”
The deal will commence next month when Stephenson and coach Dave Wessels will travel over to the Liners training base in Osaka to oversee their development.
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