Thursday’s rugby news has Nathan Grey saying South Africa will be tough, a big compensation fee for Kane Douglas, Wallaroos squad announced and All Blacks scrape past Samoa.
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SA Will Be Tough: Grey
Wallabies assistant coach Nathan Grey has said that South Africa will still be a tough opposition despite the poor performances of South African teams during the Super Rugby season.
“History clearly shows that Super Rugby form is important and it assists in your national side’s preparations,” Grey said.
“But it’s certainly not a clear indicator of how they’re going to go.
“To say (South Africa) didn’t have someone in the finals has the same weight as saying `both the same Kiwi teams were in the final, so New Zealand are going to be outstanding.’
It has also been rumoured that Quade Cooper will start at five-eight and Kurtley Beale will start on the wing but Grey was giving nothing away.
“We want everyone with the expectation that they’re running on against South Africa in a week’s time,” he said.
“That’s the mindset of everyone and then it’s up to us as coaches to sit down and get that ideal side … There’s a number of possibilities with guys across the backline … We want to have our strike weapons with the ball in hand and there’s a lot of those in the team.”
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Big Fee for Douglas
A huge $370 000 compensation fee stands in the way of the ARU acquiring Kane Douglas’ services for the World Cup.
Leinster confirmed yesterday that they had been approached by the Australian Rugby Union to have Douglas officially released for World Cup duties.
Kane Douglas is not eligible to play for the Wallabies under the current eligibility rules and it is now believed that the ARU will not make any further exceptions to play Douglas in the Rugby Championship and World Cup.
It is understood Douglas has been in talks to return to Australia with the Queensland Reds in 2017.
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Wallaroos Announce Squad
The Wallaroos have announced an extended squad for a high performance training camp on the Gold Coast in August.
“This camp is a great opportunity for us to have a look at players across all positions and to start our planning for the next three years,” said Wallaroos Coach Paul Verrell.
“The talent that was on display during the Women’s Nationals was exceptional and it was clear that there is a whole new generation of Wallaroos players coming through the ranks.
Forwards:Michelle Bailey, Alex Bannon, Louise Burrows, Chloe Butler, Rebecca Clough, Grace Hamilton, Annika Jamieson, Sarah Laman, Victoria Latu, Sharyn Laws, Danielle Meskell, Michelle Milward, Hana Ngaha, Katherine Outred, Liz Patu, Catharina Prinsloo, Emily Robinson, Halisha Samoa, Brooke Saunders, Oneata Schwalger, Kirby Sefo, Sheena Sidin, Vesinia Taufa.
Backs: Ayden Bain, Hayley Barclay, Katrina Barker, Cheyenne Campbell, Ashleigh Hewson, Ariana Kaiwai, Eva Karpani, Fiona Knights, Amelia Kuk, Emma Lincoln-Smith, Ashley Marsters, Brianna Nathan, Michelle Perry, Madeline Putz, Hanna Sio, Tayla Stanford, Sam Treherne.
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All Blacks Beat Samoa
The All Blacks have beaten Samoa 25-16 in their historic first match in Apia. Samoa lifted in front of the 8014 fans at Apia park and the whole country cheering from home.
Both sides scored one try each with debutant George Moala going over for the All Blacks and Alafoti Faosiliva scoring for Samoa. The boot of Dan Carter proved the difference as he kicked six penalties and one conversion.
“I’m just pleased we managed to get on the right side of the scoreboard,” said All Blacks captain Richie McCaw.
“It’s the start of a big campaign. Remember this one and move on and enjoy it, but there is some work to do, isn’t there?”
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