Wednesday’s rugby news has Lealiifano’s injury concerns, Cooper’s 2014 pre-season bout, McKenzie’s upcoming selection difficulty and the South African quota dilemma.
[one_half last=”no”]
Lealiifano to have surgery
Wallabies centre Christian Lealiifano will have ankle surgery next week but the Brumbies worryingly don’t know when the star playmaker will return to action. Although it is presumed that Lealiifano will miss the opening rounds in February, doctors are yet to confirm the extent of the damage, creating the possibility of more games missed.
While playing through pain for most of 2013, it remains unclear whether Lealiifano will need a plate inserted or if he will need more major reconstructive surgery. ‘Until they open his ankle up, they’re not exactly sure what damage they’ll be repairing,’ said Brumbies coach Laurie Fisher. Lealiifano is the only member of the Brumbies’ Wallabies contingent requiring post-season surgery. [/one_half]
[one_half last=”yes”]
Reds let Cooper box
Queensland Reds coach Richard Graham has proclaimed that he has no problem with Quade Cooper continuing his boxing between the team’s pre-season trials, despite the injury risk this poses. ‘I have no issues, I think physically it keeps him in really good condition,’ Graham said. At the moment, the team’s only injury concern remains winger Rod Davies’ knee.
Meanwhile, Graham has also reaffirmed his support for deposed Wallabies skipper James Horwill. While Graham admitted Cooper had put his hand up as a potential future Reds captain, he claimed that Horwill was never in danger of losing the Super Rugby team’s reins. The Reds coach supported the leadership skills of Horwill, while also asserting, ‘I don’t think necessarily taking the captaincy off him was the catalyst (to his form revival).’ [/one_half]
[one_half last=”no”]
Returning Pocock poses dilemma
Former Wallabies prop Al Baxter has reignited the hypothetical openside flanker wars, asserting that a fully fit David Pocock should still be the first choice Australian number seven. Baxter also suggested that keeping Hooper in the team despite Pocock’s return could be successful, even though it did not pay off when Wallaby greats Phil Waugh and George Smith were employed simultaneously.
And in some welcome news, Australia has pushed back into the top three in the latest IRB Rankings, following their defeat of Wales. England has dropped to fourth, but a successful Six Nations could see this change again, with the Wallabies not playing again until June. [/one_half]
[one_half last=”yes”]
SA quotas weathering criticism
In August this year the SARU announced that all 14 Vodacom Cup teams must pick a ‘minimum’ of seven black players in their match-day squads, with five black players required to start in next season’s competition. Civil rights organisation AfriForum has now warned SARU that these quotas constitute a violation of the IRB’s prohibition on racial discrimination.
Kallie Kriel, CEO of AfriForum, alleges that quotas have only resulted in teams importing black players, with SARU and the Government failing to address inequality in the development of young black talent at school level. Legendary Springbok Breyton Paulse also questioned the move, asserting that quotas harm the beneficiary, whose merit is diminished within the team set-up. [/one_half]
