Tuesday’s rugby news has Pulver praising McKenzie’s discipline, hoping that the ‘novelty’ code clash will entertain, a new Rebels captain and Racing metro kicking the ball into the woods.
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Link ends ‘boozy culture’
ARU boss Bill Pulver believes that Ewen McKenzie’s hard-line stand has galvanised the team, finally instilling a suitably professional culture. Link’s actions against O’Connor and then the ‘Dublin Six’ indicates a more disciplined stance than former coach Robbie Deans, who presided over a number of late-night incidents involving high profile players like O’Connor, Kurtley Beale and Quade Cooper. Pulver said the move was important ‘to make a point about what we found acceptable and what we didn’t,’ expecting no future disciplinary issues.
While Pulver saw that the Wallabies’ seven wins from 15 Tests in 2013 wasn’t good enough, he was pleased with the improvement made under McKenzie. ‘I’m very impressed with how Ewen’s approached the job, focused on discipline, culture and individuals being accountable,’ Pulver said. [/one_half]
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Code clash aims to entertain
Bill Pulver has also emphasised that his number one priority in negotiating the hybrid rugby league-union game is entertaining fans, and that he remains open to future cross-code matches. ‘To be a successful code you want your national team being successful and your fans being entertained,’ the ARU chief executive said.
But Ewen McKenzie has dismissed the concept, reasserting that Australia’s focus should not be diverted from the monumental tasks of breaking their Bledisloe Cup drought and winning the Rugby Championship. ‘I’m just concentrating on core business and at the moment it’s pretty important the Wallabies are concentrating on winning Test matches,’ he said. The match would have to be added onto an already congested rugby calendar which stretches from late February to early December. [/one_half]
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New rebel leader
Scott Higginbotham has been named captain of the 2014 Melbourne Rebels, replacing the departing Gareth Delve. Higginbotham had in fact served as acting captain during much of the 2013 season and new Melbourne coach Tony McGahan was impressed with the career-best form that stemmed from the increased responsibility. ‘Scott really thrived in the environment of being captain,’ McGahan said, lauding the 27-year-old’s abilities to ‘inspire his teammates on the field, and to communicate clearly and effectively with match officials.’
Higginbotham has been back into full contact training for two weeks – his first full pre-season in three years – and said that this promotion would inspire him to further improve his game. ‘It’s obviously a massive honour, this is one of the toughest competitions in the world, and to captain a side is a big deal,’ he said. [/one_half]
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Racing Metro not happy
Racing Metro’s directors have sensationally declared that their players are ‘not good enough’ to play at Stade de France. The squad, one of the costliest in the history of club rugby, suffered a 32-8 Heineken Cup drubbing by the Harlequins last round. The heavy loss forced directors to, ‘accept we are not a part of the great teams of the moment,’ a statement read. ‘The Stade de France is reserved for such teams and we do not belong there.’
Racing Metro will know play their match with Toulon at Colombes, which only holds around 14,000 people. Racing Metro have also had trouble selling tickets for the 80,000 capacity stadium despite a massive advertising campaign. Their first match played at the Stade de France, the Parisian derby with Stade Francais, attracted only 32,000 spectators. [/one_half]
