Tuesday’s rugby news has Stephen Moore confident, Hurricanes to focus on lineouts, sevens open for Quade Cooper and Toulon to host Classic All Blacks.
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Moore Confident
Brumbies captain Stephen Moore is confident ahead of this weekend’s game against the Hurricanes after defeating the Stormers in South Africa despite travelling half way around the world and back.
“There’s no way around it, you’ve just got to dig deep and find that extra little bit. There’s no avoiding the fact that it’s not ideal,” he said.
“You’ve got to travel halfway across the world and then fly to New Zealand and all those things are in play, but that’s when the character of the side comes in.
“You’ve just got to find that bit extra if you want to win the game and we’re going to have to find that this week. I’m confident after tonight’s performance there’s enough character in the side to be able to take our game to another level, which we’re going to need to do.”
The Brumbies are sweating on the availability of Henry Speight who will face the judicial hearing on Tuesday afternoon where he will argue that he did not lift Stormers player Juan De Jongh.
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Canes to Focus on Lineouts
Hurricanes coach Chris Boyd has emphasised the importance of lineouts and the set piece battle ahead of their match against the Brumbies.
The Brumbies have been successful with using the driving maul off lineouts in recent weeks.
“Out of 51 tries, they’ve scored 36 from line-outs, and out of that 36, 26 have come from drives – it’s a huge number,” Boyd said.
“It would be fair to say that the line-out against the Chiefs, we were disappointed with. It wasn’t good enough and there has been quite a bit work go into that, so I think we’ll be right.
“They have the stingiest defence, the smallest number of line-breaks and tries conceded, the smallest number of points conceded … They are a very accurate side.”
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Sevens Still Open for Quade
The Australian Rugby Union are attempting to keep Quade Cooper in Australian Rugby through a Sevens contract.
The news comes a day after the Queensland Reds announced they have withdrawn negotiations with Cooper.
“We would love for Quade to continue to play his rugby in Australia and we make no secret of the fact that we are looking to bolster our Sevens squad for our Rio campaign,” said ARU general manager Rob Clarke in a statement.
“However what we have put in front of him is a long-term deal that looks well beyond 2016 and the Olympic Games.
“We respect the QRU’s position, but ultimately he is now a free agent and has to consider a new landscape.
“The decision sits with him as to which road he wants to take, but he will do so knowing that the head coach of the Wallabies and the ARU is fully supportive of Quade playing for Australia, from Australia.”
Meanwhile, All Blacks and Chiefs teammates Liam Messam and Sonny Bill Williams will miss next year’s Super Rugby season and All Blacks tests to join the New Zealand Sevens team at the Rio Olympics.
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Toulon to Host Classic All Blacks
Toulon will host the Classic All Blacks in October in a match to honour the late Jerry Collins who played for both Toulon and the All Blacks.
The match will take place at Toulon’s Stade Felix Mayol on October 7.
“The club, the town and the whole region are extremely proud and delighted to welcome the Classic All Blacks, such a legendary team, to Stade Mayol,” Boudjellal said.
“I am sure the All Black Haka on this day will remember Jerry Collins with great emotion and so will we. Fans from around the world will witness two heavyweight rugby institutions competing against one another in the heart of Toulon.”
The provisional list to play for the classic All Blacks is: Carl Hayman, Ali Williams, Chris Masoe, Rudi Wolfe, John Afoa, Corey Flynn, Andrew Hore, Brad Thorne, Adam Thompson, Daniel Braid, Joe Rococoko, Sitiveni Sivivatu, Anthony Tuitavake, Sam Tuitoupou, Nemia Tialata, Simone Taumoepeau, Nick Evans, Tom Donnolly, Jason Eaton, Mike Delaney, Luke McAlistair, Richard Kahui and Mils Muliaina among others.
“The Classic All Blacks will include many great All Black names currently playing overseas,” said Andy Haden, president of the Classic All Blacks.
“When New Zealand plays France the matches are always exciting. There is always passion and flair and I’m sure this game will be no different. We want to remember Jerry Collins well on this historic day.”
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