Tuesday’s Rugby News has Cheika doing a Neo impression, Karmichael talking belting blokes, Steve Hansen and Warren Gatland having a knob-off, and the end of the Women’s World Sevens Series
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I Want To Believe
Michael Cheika, fresh from watching the Matrix trilogy, has told that the press that he believes that the Wallabies can beat the evil men in black.
“I believe it. I suppose that’s where it’s got to start,” Michael Cheika told rugby.com.au.
“I don’t blame people, based on what’s happened this year overall, whether it be in Super Rugby or our games, I don’t blame people if they don’t believe in us.”
“We’ve got to show it on the field and we will.”
“That’s up to me to get them [fit and making good in-game decisions],” Cheika added, holding his hands up to the press’ questions and deflecting them as if they were bullets and stopping in mid-air.
“That’s what the coach has got to do.
“He’s got to get them right, he’s got to get them in the right headspace, make them believe and get them in the condition to believe that,” Cheika said, with the air of a man who also believes that one can leap across buildings if they merely free their mind.
“That’s what I’ve been doing over these three weeks, and laying those foundations and that’s what we’ll continue to do in the next 6-8 before the Tests are.”
“We look at guys who can make passes let’s say three out of five times,” he continued.
“We want them to do that five out of five times.
“Accurate under pressure and sometimes that comes down to, not just the energy level but also the concentration level.
“I think having a certain level of fitness, gives you a certain level of confidence as well.”
No word yet on whether Cheika plans to actually jump into one of these evil men in black and become them, in a way, to break them.
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Karmichael Loving Test RaRa
Karmichael Hunt is chopping enemy attacks as a Wallaby, telling the West Australian smashing the opposition has never had quite had the same glow.
“I’ll definitely take it,” Hunt said. “The one thing I knew about Test footy is it’s always going to be physical.
“My experience has helped me there. (I was) fairly uncomfortable early on and still a little bit uncomfortable in certain areas of my game when it comes to 12.
“But like anything you need more time there. I need to watch more vision, I need to talk with the coaches and work with the players and just form combinations.”
Apart from getting betterer at belting the living the daylights out of other blokes, Hunt’s also looking to improve secondary skills like passing the ball and setting up attacks.
“As a 15, you’re working in space and waiting for the inside guys to throw you the ball. As a 12 you’re actually having to create those plays so there’s a lot more thinking involved in it,” he said.
Hunt, born in NZ, was also seemingly asked if cracking All Blacks spleens fazed him at all.
“When it comes to getting aroused for a game of footy there’s no better motivation than the All Blacks. There’ll be no dramas there,” he said.
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Steve vs Wazza
Steve Hansen and Warren Gatland have been having a knob-off during the Lions tour, and it’s popped back into life once again after Hansen did what Hansen did best and acted like a bit of a dill in a press conference.
“It’s predictable comments from Gatland, isn’t it? Two weeks ago we cheated in the scrums and last week it was blocking and now he’s saying this,” Hansen bleated to Radio Sport (via Fox Sports).
“It’s really, really disappointing to hear it because what he’s implying is we’re intentionally going out to injure somebody.”
Hansen, who is shocked that Gatland didn’t talk to him about his grievances before airing them publicly, continued on.
“I guess he might be a bit desperate or something but I’m not sure, I don’t know why he’d be saying it,” Hansen said, laughing as he kicked some Year 7 kid’s ball over the fence.
“[Deliberately trying to injure players] never was and it never will be as long as I’m involved with the All Blacks,” he added.
Do you wanna know what Gatland said? No? Ok, here we go:
“The one concern for me was, a couple of times from Conor Murray, there was a chargedown where someone dived at his legs which was a little bit dangerous,” Gatland said, according to Stuff.co.nz.
“After he’s kicked he’s been pushed a few times, pushed to the ground. They’re not massive issues for us, but we’re just making sure that he’s being looked after and protected and not harassed after he’s box kicked.”
Oooh ah!
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Kiwis Win 7s
It appears that the Aussie women’s 7s side has succumbed to the media pressure generated by this page. They have bottled their chance at having the last laugh after New Zealand beat them 21-7 in the final of the final tournament.
Canada came third in the tournament, held in Clermont-Ferrand.
The Kiwis won the Women’s World Series too, although they wrapped the title up earlier in the previous leg in Canada. The Aussies, fittingly, also came second overall.
On their way to the final, the Aussies smashed Fiji, Spain and France in the group stages, and then smashed USA (31-14) in the quarters and Canada (19-14) in the semis.
“New Zealand have had an exceptional year and they finished it well, “ coach Tim Walsh told Fox Sports.
“It certainly gives us motivation and desire to come back next year in what is a very big year with the Commonwealth Games and the World Cup.
“We’re looking to be peaking for those events. We’ll certainly be taking a lot out of this season.
“There are some good young players coming through which is great and bodes well for the future of Australian women’s rugby, so we’ve got make sure we stay at the top and win those big events.”
A reminder how the 2016-17 HSBC World Rugby Women’s Sevens Series finished up: pic.twitter.com/ZuWBhBBKIh
— World Rugby Sevens (@WorldRugby7s) June 25, 2017
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