Wednesday’s Rugby News has more depressing Super news, 100 caps for Sooper Hooper, more Beale chat, and a new club in France.
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Fin By Fin
Harold Vester, boss of the Bloemfontein Cheetos, has delivered the bombest of bombshells.
“All I can say is that we are safe. I keep my ear to the ground,” Vester said, reports rugby.com.au (via the Afrikaans-language Netwerk 24).
“There is much discussion about the current series and the format and two teams of South Africa and a team from Australia.
“There was even speculation that we would return to a Super 12, but my information is that we are going to be reduced from the current 18 to 16 teams, which means the Cheetahs are safe, ” he added, probably while also snacking on his club’s cheese-flavoured treat namesake.
Rugby.com.au goes on to say that a 16-team comp was not the ARU’s preference, with the added bonus that conference-wise it’d be even worse than it is currently with one 5-team conference, two 4-team conferences, and one 3-team conference.
Information still scant on Super Rugby’s future but disregard old mate from the Cheetahs and 16 teams. Not gonna happen.
— Iain Payten (@iainpayten) March 14, 2017
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H100per
Waratahs captain Michael Hooper will become the youngest player to reach 100 Super caps on the weekend if he takes the field v the Brumbies.
As discussed on the pod, 25-year-old Hooper will be pipping Kurtley Beale (more on him down over there) by 68 days to become no. 1 on the list.
“I felt well out of my depth for quite a while,” Hooper told rugby.com.au. “[Super]’s a tough competition. It is tough, it’s fast, it’s physical. “It seems like an absolute age ago and (I had) a lot of scars and cuts less but loving it all the same.”
Hooper, whose ability to run non-stop without failure has caught the eye of the South Australian Energy Commission, is still keeping himself grounded.
“You’re always on edge, you’re always wanting to get better and you’re always trying to improve and impress yourself and impress guys who have been around the club before you and worn the jersey,” he said. “It’s a constant challenge, otherwise you’re just getting beat up for no reason. You always want to compete and do our best.”
“Like a midget at a urinal, you always gotta be on your toes,” would have a a great Honey Badger-ism he could have used, but alas.
Meanwhile, re: the conversation about Super, Hooper thinks Australia can have five teams in the competion.
“I think Australia can have five teams in the competition,” he said, also to rugby.com.au. “I think the Force have come out this year and done some really good things and then they’ve been one, the name that people have been throwing around a lot.
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WallaBeales
Kurtley Beale is keen keen KEEN to pop on the old gold jersey again. Talking to Fox Sport’s Kick and Chase (via rugby.com.au), he said this:
“That Wallaby gold jersey means a lot to me and it’s always a privilege to get the opportunity to wear it,” he said. “That was obviously the big factor to be able to get back home and get back into the Wallaby program to put my best case forward to represent the Wallabies over the next couple of years and at the World Cup.”
Beale also spoke of his love-in with Big Boss.
“Cheiks and I gone back over the last couple of years and the 2014 year with the Waratahs built a pretty special friendship,” he said.
“He’s probably been the coach (who has gotten) the best out of me and obviously over the last couple of months, we’ve had some chats and his word I hold very strongly. I know how to work under him and I guess how he can get the best out of me. “To go back home, he definitely played a big role.”
If you’ve been living under some ARU-sized rock, Beale announced recently that he’ll head home when Wasps’ season is over.
“My focus is to help Wasps to get to the finals over this side of the world and after the finals over here there’s a bit of a break to get the body rejuvenated to get home and back into training,” he said.
[following tweet is related to the next story – saving space by putting it here!]
French media reporting that Will Genia will return to Australia after shock merger between Racing and Stade. But Reds will have competition — Jamie Pandaram (@JamiePandaram) March 14, 2017
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Merger
Funny news coming out of France: Parisian clubs Racing 92 and Stade Francais have announced that they’re going to merge next season.
If you can read French, here’s the presser (titled ‘Plus Forts Ensemble‘, or ‘Stronger Together’) put out by both clubs. For now though, an English translation (via the BBC) will have to do.
“This association, effective from next season, must give birth to a new club that will preserve the roots of Racing 92 and those of the Stade Francais Paris while multiplying the means put at the service of youth and French rugby,” said the statement.
“Consolidated by its dual culture, by the fierce determination of its two presidents and its increased audience in a population pool unmatched in France, this new club has a long-term commitment to build a true reference day after day.”
To give a bit of context to this story, Racing 92 and Stade Francais merging is as if the Waratahs and Brumbies merged, or if Adelaide and Port Adelaide merged, or if Sydney FC and the Wanderers merged, or if the North Sydney Bears and Manly Sea Eag-oh.
This merger does seem more like a buyout than anything else, with the new club (name unknown) will use Racing’s new built stadium (out in the burbs, vs Stade’s inner city kicks) and Racing’s academy.
Unsurprisingly, players from both clubs are a bit perplexed by the whole initiative.
“Today we do not know what to say,” long-term Stade second-row Pascal Papé told Rugbyrama.
“We have to show that Stade Français is a family, it is not someone who is married to anyone, it is not a decision one takes alone or in pairs. It’s a family decision. And today, the family has not been consulted.
“This is a very bad decision. I respect [Stade chairman] Thomas Savare enormously but today he disappoints me by his behavior which is far from human.
“If we must die with arms in hand, I shall die with arms in my hand. Believe me, there is hope. Do not let go.”
Now that’s how you protest cutting a team, Australian rugby.
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