Thursday’s rugby news has the Sunwolves given the all clear, high praise for Giteau, the Reds turning to their young playmaker and a huge ban for a Welsh international.
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Japanese team locked in
New SANZAR chief executive Andy Marinos says he is 100 per cent certain new Japanese team the Sunwolves will be able to field a team in 2016’s expanded Super Rugby competition. A week after Australia’s five Super Rugby clubs went back to pre-season training, the Sunwolves are yet to announce a head coach and a playing roster.
But Marinos, who previously served as SANZAR boss from 2008 to 2010, said the Sunwolves had signed about 25 players and are expected to announce more once a head coach is announced shortly. Marinos did admit that he was “concerned” that the Sunwolves may struggle to be competitive, although he was much more positive about the yet-to-be-named Argentinian franchise.
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Giteau compared to Messi
Wallabies playmaker Matt Giteau has received the ultimate sporting compliment, compared to Barcelona and Argentina legend Lionel Messi by Mourad Boudjellal. “If you look at Toulon’s statistics with and without Matt Giteau, they’re not the same,” Boudjellal said. “It’s like comparing Barcelona’s statistics with and without Lionel Messi.”
The Toulon president was speaking after the arrival in France of All Blacks superstar Ma’a Nonu, who has joined Giteau on the books at Toulon.Boudjellal has suggested Giteau is untouchable in Toulon’s No 12 jersey, which means Nonu could find himself shunted out to 13 to accommodate Giteau and his Wallabies teammate Quade Cooper.
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Reds turning to McIntyre
Reds and Brisbane City forward coach Nick Stiles has emphasised that the team will be looking to young plamaker Jake McIntyre to take the reins at flyhalf after the departure of Quade Cooper. Stiles emphasised that the Reds are not looking to make any new signings at the position and backed the 21-year-old to continue his improvement in 2016.
“The NRC’s been good for Jake, it’s given him two seasons of learning and understanding how you’ve got to go about controlling a game as a 10,” Stiles said. “We look forward to him getting even better through the pre-season.” McIntyre played three Super Rugby games in 2015 amid a mounting club injury toll.
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Rees receives lengthy suspension
The former Wales captain Matthew Rees has received a seven-week ban for stamping on the Harlequins and England No8 Nick Easter. The Cardiff Blues hooker was sent off by referee, Alexandre Ruiz [France], in the 73rd minute of the match for the stamp on Easter.
He was subsequently found guilty following an independent disciplinary hearing in London, with the judicial officer determining that the offence was at the top end of World Rugby’s sanctions of a 12 week entry point. He then reduced the sanction by five weeks, taking into account Rees’s guilty plea, timely expression of remorse to Easter and his clean disciplinary record
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