Thursday’s rugby news has a Super Rugby expansion update, Dennis talking his team up, Pulver seemingly ok with player drain and another Stade Francais jersey for the trophy room.
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Asian teams make Super Rugby push
Japan and Singapore have both submitted tenders to enter the 2016 Super Rugby competition, with a decision set for September or October. “Asia is a region that has been the focus of considerable investment by the International Rugby Board in recent years and is a strategically sound location for the evolution of Super Rugby,” SANZAR chief executive Greg Peters emphasised.
The two nations will hope to be part of the 18 team format of the 2016 competition. The other two teams added to the 15-franchise structure will be the Kings from South Africa’s Eastern Cape and a team based in Argentina. [/one_half]
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Tahs can improve, says Dennis
Injured Waratahs captain Dave Dennis remains adamant that the minor premiers are yet to unveil their true potential going into the Super Rugby finals. Despite winning 12 from 16 while scoring the most points in the competition and conceding the fewest, Dennis believes that the team have not peaked.
“No disrespect to the teams we’ve played, but we haven’t played that complete game yet,” he said. “Last week we won by 30 points, but our set piece was down.” The injured back-rower also emphasised that the winning attitude instilled by coach Michael Chieka will ensure that the team do not allow any complacency or drop in focus in the coming weeks. [/one_half]
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Pulver hazy on loss of talent
ARU boss Bill Pulver has described the ARU as both “not unhappy” and “not dissatisfied” with the recent outcomes of player retention and departures. In a much clearer statement, he emphasised, “It is a fact of life that Japan and France have a lot of money to throw at players, but actually we’re quietly pleased with the support that we’ve had for our elite players playing in Australia.”
Pulver was tight-lipped on tyhe specific question of the signing fate of Kurtley Beale, merely saying that the ARU are in talks with the centre’s management and that the code were trying hard to keep Beale. [/one_half]
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Stade Francais delivers
Although not quite as magnificent as the 2010 jersey (seen here), the gaudy 2014/15 playing kits of Stade Francais have well and truly lived up to the French team’s reputation. Have a look below, hopefully it will keep a few Aussies in yellow.
Voici les nouveaux maillots du @SFParisRugby pour la saison #Top14 2014-2015… Alors ? @adidasFR pic.twitter.com/itjfthFKNv
— TOMAS Julien (@julientomas) July 15, 2014
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