Wednesday’s Rugby News has senior Wallabies admitting culture failure, more O’Connor news, South Africa demanding a 6th s15 team and a Wilkinson tell-all interview.
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Senior Wallabies unable to mould culture
In the wake of the James O’Connor departure, Wallabies hooker Stephen Moore has conceded that older players did not do enough to preserve a professional culture under Robbie Deans. ‘As senior players we could have done better. That’s something I will probably look back [at] and regret,’ said Moore.
But the 86-Test veteran also emphasised that the primary responsibility for the off-field incidents involving O’Connor, Quade Cooper and Kurtley Beale must lay with the individuals concerned. ‘I think there were probably times when Robbie put a lot of faith in young guys and maybe they let him down,’ he said. The team culture under Ewen McKenzie appears in good shape, which Moore attributes to a shared desire to put the team’s needs ahead of those of the individual. [/one_half]
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SA sixth team ‘non-negotiable’
South Africa is demanding six Super Rugby teams from 2016 or it will ‘look north’ to join the emerging European competition, South African Rugby Union President Oregan Hoskins says. The SARU will apparently not accept anything less when the new broadcasting deal comes into effect after the 2015 season. South Africa had hinted at a similar move in 2009, when the Melbourne Rebels were chosen as the 15th Super Rugby franchise over the Southern Kings.
Hoskins also said that South Africa is entitled to increased bargaining power, asserting, ‘South Africa is the partner and the brand which is the biggest in the southern hemisphere in terms of commercial value, brand value, bums on seats, television viewership, the number of players we have, et cetera.’ [/one_half]
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O’Connor signing complete
James O’Connor has opened up about his decision to join English premiership side London Irish, emphasising his need to become his ‘own man’ and escape the Australian ‘bubble.’ Leaving some of his Australian support structures, O’Connor asserted, ‘I really want to focus on my personal development.’ The 44-Test Wallaby will play at fullback for the remainder of the Aviva Premiership season, which runs until May.
London Irish director of rugby Brian Smith said O’Connor’s presence would be an ‘injection of class’ into London Irish and was the ‘most significant’ signing in the club’s professional era. O’Connor will face a quick learning curve, expected to play in the club’s game against Northampton this weekend.
And here's @JamesOConnor832 in his shiny new London Irish kit. pic.twitter.com/3gcxqyIAz3
— ESPN Scrum (@espnscrum) October 29, 2013
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Wilkinson recounts life-changing World Cup
In a recent interview, Jonny Wilkinson has admitted that winning the 2003 World Cup was the most problematic event of his rugby career and he is yet to watch highlights of the match. While emphasising that he ‘wouldn’t swap it for anything,’ Wilkinson added that the fame which followed made for a difficult adjustment, made harder by a horror run of injuries.
By the time the 2011 World Cup arrived, Wilkinson had lost any connection with his fellow players due to his lengthy injury absence, characterising the reaction from team-mates: ‘Apparently this guy played in 2003 and I’m supposed to respect him but I’ve never met him.’ I still hate him for kicking that field goal though.
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