Thursday rugby news has Horne being hopeful, Itoje being iconic, Coleman being captain and Magnay being missed.
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Horne being Hopeful
He might be leaving the Waratahs at years end, but veteran centre Rob Horne believes that Australian rugby can find its groove again in time.
Chatting to rugby.com.au, Horne conceded that while he admits that there is a general dissatisfaction in regards to Super Rugby, there is still an underpinning strength underlying the code in Australian rugby (i.e. everyone is going to watch club rugby instead).
“I think you’ve seen in club rugby, just the turnout to club rugby’s been immense this year because there is such a passion for the game,” he said.
“But through the external stuff too, there’s maybe a bit of (disillusionment) about some things.
“I’m completely confident and comfortable in the game in Australia – I know how much support there is.
“The other codes would love to have that underlying support and that belief and that love of the game that we have.
“We’re in a unique position, we’re a world game that is played everywhere in massive markets.
“The game is not in as bad a shape as it’s being portrayed.”
Horne believes that Australia has the talent to beat New Zealand, and believes the game is in good stead to do well, as he heads off to Northampton Rugby Club, one of the most consistently profitable rugby clubs in the UK.
He admitted that many are feeling quite helpless to the situation, but, in a positive spin, believes that there is one positive way to fix that.
“We get the opportunity to go out on the weekend and perform and that’s our responsibility and that’s what we have to do,” he said.
“We go out and play well and get results then the other stuff, that’s out of our hands but that’s what we can control and we’re fortunate that we can control that because that’s what supporters want to see.”
Leaving NSW after ten years of service, Horne was quick to recognise the role the club has played in making him into the player his is today.
“It’s shaped who I am as a person to an extent and I love playing for NSW and it’s something that I’m going to hold highly for a long time.
“To play rugby for my state and to be able to do that for 10 years, I feel very fortunate and very privileged because I know a lot of guys that have been here and love this team as well haven’t had that opportunity.
“I’m very grateful to be able to be here as long as I have and hopefully have contributed a bit and left something behind as well.”
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Magnay missed
When the news broke that Campbell Magnay is set to head overseas next year to join Japanese Top 14 club Suntory Sungoliath, it’s fair to say Nick Stiles wasn’t too happy about it.
While he is disappointed to see Magnay join George Smith over in Japan, he hopes that he can persuade Magnay to rejoin the Reds for 2018, and beyond (rugby.com.au). While Smith is coming back for next season, Magnay is officially off contract, and the Reds are keen to have him back on board.
“He’s not contracted at this stage but that’s something he wants – he wants to come back to the Queensland Reds and we would like to have him back here,” Stiles said.
“We have invested three years of a lot of hard work from the back room staff and the medical staff to get his body right and to be honest, I don’t feel we have got reward out of him yet, on field.
“Campbell feels that way as well and ideally he will come back and play Super Rugby next year but there is still a lot to go on for that to happen.”
Should Magnay depart, it would be yet another disastrous loss for Aussie rugby, with the likes of Sean McMahon, Jake McIntyre and Liam Gill being examples of young guns heading overseas.
“You don’t want to see a 20, 21-year-old footballer with as much talent as he (Magnay) has heading overseas at that age,” Stiles said.
“It’s unfortunate but you are seeing it more and more” Stiles said.
“Sean McMahon is doing the same, Liam Gill left at a young age, so that’s something that does pop up more often now and if we can understand the fluid nature of rugby, we can say to Campbell that we aren’t happy about him going but we would love to see him back.
“We will see what we can work out.”
In other Reds news, Rob Simmons will get a Suncorp farewell when he plays at blindside flanker against the Brumbies this weekend. (I just find it interesting that Simmons hasn’t actually played at blindside flanker since 2013. Make of it what you will).
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Iconic Itoje
While pictured here in his England colours, Maro Itoje has been developing an increasingly vocal following off the back of his outstanding performance for the British and Irish Lions at the Cake Tin last Saturday.
Hearing his name being chanted across the raining Wellington night was a surreal experience for the youngest member of the Lions squad, but his performance and rise in popularity has certainly rubbed off on many of the other Lions players when they were interviewed by Express in the UK.
“I actually don’t think he does like it,” said Itoje’s Saracens team-mate Jamie George. “But they get stuck into it so I’m pretty happy about it.”
“We need to have passionate players against the All Blacks. We try not to give them anything easy, especially in terms of physicality. They are a top team with big boys and a lot of experience in there – we have to meet fire with fire.”
“If you think about it the team has literally been together for seven weeks so with each day that goes past it is another opportunity to get to know guys better, to build chemistry, to improve and get a better understanding of one another,” he said.
“You have to appreciate him,” said Number Eight, Taulupe Faletau.
“In the Second Test he put a marker down in world rugby. He was pretty phenomenal. We’re just glad he’s on our side.”
It’s fair to say that with Itoje topping the tackle count, if he has a good game for the Lions at Eden Park, then the Lions will have a good game at Eden Park. But remember: the entire English second row wasn’t even born the last time the All Blacks lost at Eden Park.
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Captain Coleman: He’s Our Hero!
The Western Force will name their 13th captain overall (and fourth skipper this year), when Adam Coleman takes to the field this weekend against the Melbourne Rebels.
Having stepped up off the back of a strong debut rugby season, Coleman has been a shining light for both the Force and the Wallabies so far this year. He replaces skipper Matt Hodgson, who will miss the match with a calf injury.
The Force will have plenty of returning firepower for this weekends match, with Matt Philip, Jono Lance, Chance Peni, Brynard Stander and Ian Prior coming into the starting line up, as Dave Wessels prepares for two gruelling derby matches to finish off the season on a high.
However, ‘Blood’ admitted that he is keen as a bean to get the boys back on the paddock for their first hitout since May when he chatted to rugby.com.au.
“It’s been great to have a few weeks of dedicated training time to work on our game. We’ve worked hard on elements of our set piece and bringing more variation to our attack.
“It looks like the rain is going to hold off on Friday so we’re looking forward to an exciting game from both sides.”
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