Tuesday’s rugby news has Sam Carter urging on the forward pack, Burke siding with Foley, the All Blacks with a large gap in the centres and the IRB promising to grow women’s rugby.
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Carter says forwards must lift
Despite a strong showing last weekend, Sam Carter has said that the Wallabies forward pack will have to lift again if the team is to claim Saturday’s second Bledisloe Cup match in Eden Park. Carter, who has now played two Test matches, said that the lineout, scrum and breakdown work could all improve.
“If we can get one or two per cent better than our opposite number that we’re playing on the weekend, then that generates a big result,” Carter said. The Wallabies will have to overcome the weight of history, as New Zealand have won their last 32 tests at Eden Park, while the last Australian victory was back in 1986. [/one_half]
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Burke calls for Foley start
Former Wallaby Matt Burke believes that Ewen McKenzie missed a perfect opportunity to win the opening Bledisloe Test by starting Bernard Foley on the bench. “They knew it was going to be pouring with rain,” Burke said, adding, “I don’t know why they didn’t put Foley in at No.10 just for his understanding of how to get around the park in the right places.”
Burke said that he would have preserved the Waratahs playmaker duo of Foley and Beale, and questioned why the pairing were not tried at some stage. Another point of contention with McKenzie’s game management was leaving the Will Skelton substitution too late in the game to make any real impact. [/one_half]
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Hansen faced with centre dilemma
All Blacks coach Steve Hansen has said that it is unlikely that inside centre Ma’a Nonu will participate in this week’s match, creating a selection dilemma in the centres. While Hansen has the luxury of having Conrad Smith return to the All Blacks outside centre position, he will have to decide between retaining rookie Malaki Fekitoa, shifted to 12, or starting Ryan Crotty, who regularly plays inside centre.
Meanwhile, All Blacks fans have been reported as having muted reactions to the failure of the team to record their record-breaking 18th consecutive win on Saturday, with many believing the conditions and referee Jaco Peyper’s whistle played a part. [/one_half]
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IRB vows to grow women’s rugby
The IRB has vowed to do “everything” to grow women’s rugby in the wake of a highly successful World Cup won by England. “The fact that so many spectators have come to watch, as well as record television audiences at home, is a testament to the quality of rugby that has been on display,” IRB president Bernard Lapasset said after watching England beat Canada 21-9 in Sunday’s final.
The success of the tournament, hosted before a very receptive French public, bodes well for the development of the game ahead of the 2016 Rio Olympics, where men and women’s rugby sevens will be given unprecedented global exposure. [/one_half]
