Today’s rugby news has late big hits, Wallaroos named, RA finances, possible career moves and pain in Spain.
Samipeni Finau – any later and he’d be pregnant
As noted by Brisney Spears on Monday, on the weekend Tahs fly-half Tane Edmed was flattened by Chiefs flanker Samipeni Finau, continuing the latter’s run of borderline tackles on players just after they have passed the ball.
Nine reports that Stephen Hoiles has eased back from his initial criticism. “I’m now sitting on the fence of, yeah, he got it right, but certainly he’ll get it wrong at some stage,” said Hoiles.
Morgan Turinui said “I’m happy to err on the side of it’s okay” .
Sir John Kirwan has come out swinging on Sky Sport’s The Breakdown, saying it was “ridiculous” that Finau’s approach was being criticised and suggested Super Rugby Pacific fans in Australia were “moaning“.
Kirwan suggested Finau is ripe for the picking as the All Blacks’ next Jerome Kaino.
“I have an issue that we are talking about it,” Kirwan said in the tradition of shutting-down debate when your side is as pure as the driven snow.
“It’s ridiculous that we’re talking about it and it’s ridiculous that someone across the Tasman is moaning about it.”
“If that was rugby league it’d be on the highlights and everyone would be going ‘how good is it?’
“I don’t think there’s any malice in it,” the knighted mental health advocate added. “He’s technically correct. He’s physical. Let’s celebrate it. It’s legal.”
Hamish Bidwell at RugbyPass was more circumspect. “…a trend is developing of him collecting guys late. If Finau wants to return to the All Blacks’ fold, we can’t have that.”
“I admire his ability to hit and I commend the height at which he’s doing the hitting, I’m just dubious about his timing. The game needs to protect players who are no longer in possession of the ball and I’d hope that, if Finau comes down on the wrong side of this fine line, he’s penalised appropriately.”
Wallaroo squad announced
Nathan Williamson reports that Wallaroos coach Jo Yapp has named nine debutants in the 30-player squad.
16-year-old Shalom Sauaso is the biggest inclusion, continuing a breakout season for the powerhouse centre. Sauaso is joined by fellow teenagers Allana Sikimeti and Caitlyn Halse, with Halse one of 13 NSW Waratahs players to be selected following Sunday’s grand final victory.
Brumbies Sally Fuesaina, Biola Dawa and Lydia Kavoa have also received maiden call-ups (calls up?) alongside Rebels lock Tiarah Minns.
Western Force scrumhalf Samantha Wood and hooker Hera-Barb Malcolm Heke were rewarded for strong Super Rugby W seasons, guiding the club to the semi-finals for the first time in their history.
It reflects a new look to Yapp’s squad, who will open their account against Canada (Eh) on May 11, with regulars such as Ivania Wong, Emily Robinson, Sera Naiqama and Annabelle Codey amongst the high profile omissions.
Western Force lock Michaela Leonard will retain the captaincy, with Waratahs number eight Piper “Plucka” Duck returning to the squad after her season-ending injury in 2023.
Yapp has also confirmed ten players will join the squad as part of a development squad, headlined by 16-year-old Waiaria Ellis.
The last time this many teenagers were called-up, it was as witnesses in the Crown’s “peeping tom” case against Hoss.
The Wallaroos host the Snow Mexicans at Allianz Stadium on May 11 before shifting to Melbourne where they’ll take on the Seppos at AAMI Park on May 17. Their final match of the series will be played in Auckland against New Zealand on May 25.
Rugby Australia posts $9.2m deficit
The Guardian reports that Rugby Australia has declared a $9.2m deficit for last year is Tom Jones* , but warned 2024 will be “another challenging year” as the governing body is forced to stump up growing interest payments.
The governing body released its financials for 2023 as part of this year’s AGM on Monday.
RA chairman Daniel Herbert said in the annual report the deficit was “to be expected in a Rugby World Cup year, and which comes in slightly lower than the deficits reported in the last two men’s World Cup years”. Fewer match-day player payments probably helped there.
Last year, RA recorded revenue of $124m, and expenditure of $130m, as well as $3.3 in finance costs.
The governing body set up a new $80m loan facility last year to “be a short-term bridge” to the higher revenues expected in 2025, due to the British and Irish Lions tour, as well as the home World Cups in 2027 and 2029.
In 2019 there was a deficit of $9.4m. Revenue was $112m, expenditure $121m and finance costs minimal. That year, Wallabies team costs were almost $10m. The same line item is not in the 2023 report, but RA announced last month $2.6m in unapproved expenses was accrued during the World Cup campaign.
Waugh flagged 2024 would be another challenging year “given we have had to take on the unplanned cost of the Melbourne Rebels’ operations for 2024, as well as additional investments and distributions to member unions, Super Rugby clubs, the community game, pathways and women’s rugby”.
He said RA had the options to further reduce costs this year, but that risked having a detrimental impact on the game. “It is essential that we set the game up as best we can for the major revenue events on the horizon in 2025, 2027 and 2029,” he said.
Ahead of the British and Irish Lions tour in 2025, the first ticket allocations for matches in Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane have been exhausted, but more tickets will be made available later this year. Presumably a marketing or accounting type can explain why the tickets are apparently being released in batches.
The Rugby Australia version of the article is worth a read as a cracking example of positive spin.
(*not unusual)
Poms trying to poach Hunter Paisami
RugbyPass reports that Reds centre Hunter Paisami is the subject of a tug-of-war between Rugby Australia and the Gallagher Premiership’s Exeter Chiefs.
The in-form centre is currently weighing up his options, with the Chiefs reportedly tabling a long-term offer while RA have only offered a one-year top-up on Paisami’s current deal.
Paisami is in line for a Wallabies recall by new coach Joe Schmidt after missing out on you-know-whose World Cup squad last year.
The 26-year-old would not be the only Wallaby centre heading to the Premiership should he accept Exeter’s offer, with Tahs centre Izaia Perese set to join Leicester Tigers ahead of next season.
Shocking incident in Spanish bar for England’s Billy Vunipola
The guardian reports that, in the finest traditions of English tourism to Spain, Billy Vunipola was tasered twice by police officers before being arrested at 4.30am on Sunday morning after an incident in a bar in Majorca.
The arrest occurred in Epic bar in Palma after the England rugby international took off his shirt and allegedly began threatening customers and employees with bottles and chairs. According to Spanish police, Vunipola, who is 6ft 2in and weighs more than 127 kilos, was then said to have been tasered after assaulting an officer.
Vunipola issued a statement on Monday confirming the incident and apologising “for any inconvenience to all involved”. He said: “I can confirm I was involved in an unfortunate misunderstanding when I was leaving a club in Majorca on Sunday, which got out of hand.”
“Contrary to media reports there was no violence, no fight and I did not threaten anybody at any stage, with bottles or chairs or anything else. I was charged with resisting the law and, following an ‘express trial’, I have paid a fine of €240.”
“The Spanish police investigation is now closed and I am flying back to the UK today. I will obviously co-operate with the Saracens internal process and unreservedly apologise for any inconvenience to all involved.”
[Don’t forget to get your nominations in for the 2025 GAGR Underplaying an Incident Award]
A spokesman for the National Police in Majorca said: “In the early hours of yesterday morning, at 4.30am, we arrested a 31-year-old foreign man on suspicion of a crime of disobedience and assaulting a police officer. The events took place in a leisure establishment on the seafront in Palma, when a man was causing altercations inside the establishment.”
“The man would not listen to reason and confronted the rest of the customers, and the security staff were unable to restrain him or remove him from the premises. The police were alerted and the officers, on seeing the man, who was shirtless and making gestures with his hands, cleared the premises.”
“It was then that he confronted the police and attempted to assault the officers. The police officers tried at all times to get him to calm down, but the man would not listen to reason. At that moment, the man pushed and slapped an officer and a policeman pulled out his electric stun gun and fired a first time although the gun didn’t discharge.” (Apparently that will happen more and more as you get older.)
“A second projectile was then fired, which did the job, and it was then that the officers jumped on him and proceeded to immobilise him by shackling him, later taking him to Son Espases hospital for assessment and arrest.”
