Wednesday’s rugby news has a boost to the Brumbies, three injuries for the Reds, a France tour update and Kieran Read still doubtful after his concussion.
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Brumbies stars staying put
Wallaby pairing Matt Toomua and Christian Lealiifano have turned down offers from the Rebels to stay at the Brumbies, with official contracts to be made in the coming days. The news will be a massive boost to the Brumbies, who face the table-topping Sharks on Sunday, but also to the Wallabies, as there was always a chance the pair would take up overseas offers.
ACT coach Stephen Larkham foreshadowed a forward-driven, field-position game on the weekend. While saying that the two teams had fairly similar gameplans, Larkham also emphasised, “There are a few things, a few tactics that we are going to introduce to hopefully catch them.” [/one_half]
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Reds suffer injury blow
The Queensland Reds continue to crumble as the team has suffered a triple injury blow for this week’s match. Liam Gill has strained his calf after returning from a five-week sideline stint due to a hamstring injury. The strong flanker will now be out for another two weeks. Eddie Quirk is also out for a fortnight after injuring his rib in last week’s loss to the Blues.
Finally, the Reds have confirmed that Chris Feauai-Sautia will have to undergo a shoulder reconstruction and will be facing a six-month recovery. “We are fortunate that both Beau (Robinson) and Curtis (Browning) have been involved every week in the match squad,” coach Richard Graham said. [/one_half]
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Frenchmen rested for Aussie tour
France coach Phillippe Saint-André has admitted that a number of star internationals will not take part in the Australian tour leading into the the World Cup. “I’ve had chats with some Top 14 coaches and some players really need a rest because they’re a bit burnt out,” he said.
France finished a disappointing fourth in this year’s Six Nations, with Saint-Andre hoping that a successful three Test tour will build momentum. But preparations will suffer this setback due to the fact that the Top 14 Final is played just seven days before the first Australian fixture. [/one_half]
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Kieran Read battling concussion
The Crusaders will find out tomorrow if Kieran Read will be able to make his Super Rugby return from a head clash suffered during his side’s 18-17 win over the Chiefs on April 19. Read was expected to recover in time for last weekend’s match against the Brumbies, but was unable to pass the fitness test after his second serious head-knock of the season.
“The big one is how he feels after activity, so that will happen tomorrow. If he’s even feeling slightly off, it’s just not worth the risk,” Assistant coach Tabai Matson said. [/one_half]
