Tuesday’s rugby news has the status of possible convert Fifita, the injury woes of the Force, suspensions from the weekend and Cheika barking back at Jake White.
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Fifita urged to reconsider union
After league star Andrew Fifita had his 4 year, $3.5 million contract torn up by the Bulldogs, the ARU have said that any potential code switch should not be motivated by money. An ARU official said yesterday, ‘If Andrew wanted to talk to us, it would need to be for rugby reasons and not based on the earning capacity he could demand in league.’
Fifita had been considering switching to union last year, eventually turning down the ARU to join the Bulldogs. Having grown up playing union, and possessing an impressive set of skills and athleticism, Fifita could be a damaging force. But the ARU’s well documented financial troubles may inhibit any moves to secure the league star. [/one_half]
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Force to soldier on
The Western Force are confident that they can overcome the significant back row losses of Hugh McMeniman and Chris Alcock. McMeniman will miss 10 weeks after breaking his collarbone against the Chiefs a fortnight ago while Alcock is likely to miss the rest of the season after undergoing shoulder surgery.
Hooker Nathan Charles said that the depth of the team’s back row talent will cover for the unfortunate injuries. Angus Cottrell, Ben McCalman, Matt Hodgson and Brynard Stander will have to aim up for the remainder of the season, with the Force also crossing their fingers that no more injuries are sustained. [/one_half]
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Judiciary update from Tahs game
Rob Horne has been suspended for one week (up to April 6) for his dangerous tackle during the Waratahs 32-10 loss to the Sharks over the weekend. SANZAR judicial officer Jannie Lubbe accepted Horne’s guilty plea, interpreting the NSW player’s tackle as high and with a swinging arm.
Lubbe also accepted a guilty plea from Sharks player Francois Steyn, for a late tackle on Kurtley Beale, but ruled that the incident only warranted an off-field yellow card. Lubbe thought that Steyn would not have known that Beale had passed the ball, lacking the required intent for a suspension. [/one_half]
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Cheika continues war of words
Waratahs coach Michael Cheika has brushed off the subtle barbs of Jake White, saying, ‘it wouldn’t hurt me to be criticised by someone who’s disingenuous, so it doesn’t hurt me.’ Instead, the NSW saw it as a compliment to be critisised by ‘someone like that.’
The Tahs head to Cape Town on Wednesday to play the Stormers and the team will be hoping that a number of high profile players are deemed fit enough to play. Israel Folau and Kurtley Beale are still in doubt, although Cheika is confident that both will play. Hooker Tatafu Polota-Nau is also expected to have recovered from his head knock to play this week. [/one_half]
