Wednesday’s rugby news has Dom Shipperly injured for the season, Dave Dennis calling for the Waratahs pack to step up, Sevens star Lewis Holland injured and Danny Cipriani given ‘special treatment’.
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Shipperly Out
Rebels winger Dom Shipperly has been ruled out for the rest of the Super Rugby season after rupturing his ACL.
“We’re shattered for Dom, he’s been a consistent performer during the first-half of the year for the Rebels, but unfortunately a contact injury has prematurely ended his Super Rugby season,” Rebels general manager Baden Stephenson said.
“The Rebels will make sure that we support Dom throughout his rehabilitation process and look forward to seeing him back big, stronger and better than ever.”
Mitch Inman will also be unavailable for three to five weeks after injuring his hand against the Waratahs earlier this month.
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Tahs Pack to Step Up
Waratahs club captain Dave Dennis has called for the Waratahs forward pack to step up against the Western Force this weekend.
“There’s no secrets that our game’s based around that go-forward and at times we haven’t been giving that to our backs. It’s pretty simple,” Dennis said on Tuesday.
“It’s not through a lack of effort, it’s just through execution and connection on the field.
“Everyone’s trying to do their best to give us that go-forward and play that attacking style of rugby as a real physical forward pack, but various things have affected us.
“We were slow with our set piece starting the season. We’re starting to get a little bit of consistency there, although our lineout and our scrum is still not where it needs to be.”
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Holland Injured
The Australian Men’s Sevens Rio campaign has taken a blow after playmaker Lewis Holland injured his ankle in the Singapore Sevens.
Holland will miss the last two World Series tournaments in Paris and London.
“Losing Louie leaves a big hole,” said head coach Andy Friend.
“Especially because we lost Tommy Lucas as well during the Las Vegas Sevens; he’s another ten that I thought that was developing nicely, but in Vegas he ruptured his ACL, so we’ve lost him for the season for at least nine months, if not longer, and now Louie for two months.
“It definitely leaves a bit of a hole, but we need blokes now stepping up.”
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Cipriani ‘Given Special Treatment’
England rugby player Danny Cipriani was allowed to wait nearly an hour before being breath tested a London court heard on Monday.
Defence lawyer Philip Lucas said police sergeant Marc Pullen recognised Cipriani and gave him special treatment.
“The defendant was forming the impression from various remarks, for example ‘we’ll take care of you’ and ‘go outside and let the dust settle’ that this 50 minute delay might have been calculated to assist him.”
Sgt Pullen strongly denied trying to help out Cipriani but admitted he spoke to him about his rugby career to put him ease as he was clearly “distressed” that the charge would affect his chances of playing for England.
