Wednesday’s top rugby news has Cheika pumped up over Potgeiger signing, a Digby legal update, an Irish sex scandal and New Zealanders finally banned for whinging.
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Cheika reacts to Potgieter signing
Waratahs officials were overjoyed with yesterday’s breaking news that South African loose forward Jacques Potgieter is heading to the Waratahs on a two year contract. Coach Michael Cheika said he was an ideal fit for the squad. ‘In building our 2014 squad I wanted to profile one of our locks as a no-nonsense, hard and strong ball carrier and tackler, experienced and hungry to add these qualities to our squad,’ said Cheika. It will be interesting to see who gets shafted in a fairly stacked Waratahs back-row.
In other Waratahs news, it appears that New Zealand, Edinburgh and the Scottish Rugby Union have completed the signing of back Grayson Hart. Hart, who qualifies to play for Scotland through Glasgow-born grandmother Nancy Harvey, has been with the Tahs since 2012. [/one_half]
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Digby update
Digby Ioane’s battle to avoid conviction over an assault at a Melbourne hotel in March has taken another interesting turn. The Wallabies winger appeared briefly in court on Tuesday and will seek to be placed on a court diversion program. This allows a first-time offender to acknowledge responsibility and be released without conviction. ARU boss Bill Bulver described the incident, for which the Reds suspended Ioane for one week, as ‘a storm in a teacup.’
Meanwhile, Ewen McKenzie has thrown his support behind Jesse Mogg in the Wallabies back three mix. Despite a regrettable final 15 minutes in Saturday’s Super Rugby final loss, McKenzie asserted that he remains a fan of Mogg. ‘I think he’s got a really good balance to his game. There’s a lot of upside to what he can do,’ the new Wallabies coach said. [/one_half]
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Irish scandal heats up
Two Irish international rugby players are alleged to have been involved in a scandalous threesome after a Dublin night out and are being advised to stay away from the media spotlight. ‘The whole situation paints a pretty bad picture and definitely damages the clean-cut reputation these sports stars have in Ireland,’ An Irish Independent source said. ‘They could lose sponsorship deals and it could jeopardise any other commercial deals for them in the future as well.’
Details of the alleged threesome emerged after a private message posted by the woman on her Facebook page inadvertently found itself on public record. The mystery is killing me, who do you think the two Irishmen are? Post your thoughts in the comments below. Which players could it be “developing their partnership”? [/one_half]
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New Zealand officials banned for whinging
This story is exactly what it sounds like, although Graham Henry remains at large. A New Zealand club’s player, team official and supporter have all been given ‘significant bans’ after they abused and swore at match officials. The incident occurred during the Citizens Shield semi-final on July 20 when Athletic Marist Rugby Club were beaten 27-20 by Valley.
‘The union has zero tolerance for abuse at any match official, and all three should have known better. We have dealt with it and are moving on,’ North Otago Rugby Football Union chief executive Colin Jackson said. The punishment will amount to just under 3 months, during which time the team’s strapper and back Simi Fuluasou will be banned ‘from attending any New Zealand ground or stadium where a rugby match was being played.’ [/one_half]
