Tri-Nations latest (Mon)
6 Sep 2010
Keo.co.za brings you the news from the Tri-Nations.
Bok sharpshooter to stay with Wallabies
Braam van Straaten has been offered a full-time contract with the Wallabies from now until after the 2011 World Cup.
The former Bok player has been involved with the touring Wallabies side as a kicking consultant, a position that’s set to become permanent. Van Straaten told rugby365.com that he will sign a contract with the Australian Rugby Union in October.
Wallabies fullback Kurtley Beale kicked a last minute penalty in Saturday’s 41-39 win over the Springboks. In the aftermath, he said Van Straaten had been a big help to the Aussie kickers.
Cooper to confirm future soon
Quade Cooper says he will make his career decision after the Tri-Nations.
The Wallabies pivot received a lucrative AUS$1.5 million deal from the Parramatta Eels to switch codes to league next season, but it seems recent performances and results will influence him to remain with the Wallabies. However, Cooper said he will only confirm his decision after the final Tri-Nations match against the All Blacks this Saturday.
‘It could but I’m just enjoying playing footy,’ said Cooper. ‘Just getting two games in a row and one more left [against the All Blacks], once we knock that over I’m sure I’ll be able to come up with a decision and hopefully it’s a good one.
‘Coming up against the All Blacks for my first time is going to be great but as a group we’re really looking forward to it. It gives you confidence when the team is going so well and the team comes out on top in such a tight performance like this.’
There was more indication that Cooper will remain in union after Parramatta’s chief executive Paul Osborne admitted that he feels they have lost the race for his signature.
‘I think he’ll stay in rugby I haven’t heard from him for a few weeks. I always thought he’d stay in rugby,’ said Osborne.
Henry praises Wallabies
Graham Henry lauded the Wallabies’ attack after their display in the 41-39 win over the Springboks in Bloemfontein last Saturday.
While the All Blacks head coach plans to secure an unbeaten Tri-Naions campaign as they face the Wallabies in the final fixture this weekend, he complemented his Australian counterparts for their impressive performance against the Boks.
‘It was a good game to watch. I enjoyed it actually and they played particularly well,’ Henry told stuff.co.nz. ‘I think their ability to have a crack, the backs played well, combined well together, stretched the South Africans many times and scored some great tries.
‘They did (leak points) but they won at altitude and it’s the first time for a million years so they’d be very happy about that.’
Alexander slowly recovering
Ben Alexander says he is slowly returning to match fitness as he played his first competitive match last weekend.
The Wallabies loosehead prop played 30 minutes for Eastwood in their 95-10 win over Parramatta in the Shute Shield last Saturday, his first appearance since injurying his knee against Fiji in June.
It is likely he will be ready for international action during the Wallabies’ end-of-year tour.
‘It was a good game to come back to. I blew out a few cobwebs,’ Alexander told smh.com.au. ‘The back is a bit sore, just getting back into the scrummaging side of things, but the fitness feels good. I just have to work on the timing of my defensive work and timing at the breakdown.’
29 Comments
6 Sep 2010, 08:44 am
zzzzzzz
so boring now for us saffas
6 Sep 2010, 09:06 am
today’s clearance sale..
1 used trophy cabinet
comes with its own echo and a matching set of wooden spoons
ideal for storing all sorts of knick-knacks, like “declaration of war” notes, elongated red shoes to water-squirting flowers and little button noses.. also keeps make-up fresh..
at this price a steal
contact any of the Clowns at SARU for further inquiries
6 Sep 2010, 09:35 am
@poppa69(poppa69)-2: You are one sad human being…
6 Sep 2010, 09:40 am
@Falken(Falken)-3: insert “crying smilie” here….
6 Sep 2010, 09:40 am
@poppa69(poppa69)-2:
6 Sep 2010, 09:47 am
@poppa69(poppa69)-2:
the trophy jokes are one year premature – tell this choke oops i mean joke again after the RWC semi’s
6 Sep 2010, 09:48 am
@poppa69(poppa69)-4: Being a man in the know regarding NZ rugby whats Sonny Bill Williams chances of making the WC?
Is he even good enough?
6 Sep 2010, 09:53 am
@Falken(Falken)-7: hes definitely good enough, read a report on rugbyheaven on his first canterbury game, apparently still needs to work on his defensive lines and the like… hopefully something canterbury can get him up to speed on in the S15 next year.
has the ability to be an outstanding player, whether it actually translates to the field depends on the support he gets in Canterbury… watched a lot of him when he played league here in Aus… even met him, was shorter then me but he is a solid boy..
6 Sep 2010, 09:56 am
@boktillzero(boktillzero)-6: hehehe I hope the guy that used to work at SARU polishing all the trophies has found new employment somewhere else…
6 Sep 2010, 10:08 am
@poppa69(poppa69)-2: bwhahaha…enjoyed that one. weve been truly ravaged this year
6 Sep 2010, 10:08 am
@poppa69(poppa69)-9: Ha ha ha .. actually pretty good.
The cabinet can now be used for PdV ballet kit and “dancing with -out music” sessions.
6 Sep 2010, 10:22 am
What ?
The TriN is STILL going ?!?
6 Sep 2010, 11:02 am
@Black Panther(Black Panther)-12: Believe it or not. Yes! One more match on Saturday.
6 Sep 2010, 11:13 am
I will be very surprised if Sonny Bill Makes it into the All Blacks. He’s a good footballer but he is a bit of a misfit in Rugby. Not fast enough for 13, not skilled enough for 12 and not big enough for the backrow.
6 Sep 2010, 12:12 pm
@poppa69(poppa69)-2:
News Flash.
The entire contents of the SARU Trophy Room was stolen today in a brazen snatch and grab.
Police a seeking a rubust young man,
last seen leaving the building carrying a roll of green and gold carpet.
6 Sep 2010, 12:17 pm
@Bravo8(Bravo8)-14:
I would go as far as to say…………..Sonny Bill is already an AB.
Only the timing of his debut is in question.
His debut for Canterbury registered 7.1 on the Richter Scale.
6 Sep 2010, 12:50 pm
Ladbrokes UK offering odds at 8/11 on NZ winning 2011RWC. Odds-on favourite.
SA and Oz both much, much longer at 5/1
6 Sep 2010, 13:22 pm
@Panzer Chief(cane)-16: LOL
6 Sep 2010, 16:27 pm
@TheTackler(TheTackler)-17: Happy days, AB’s are favourites … again. I can see a patern here … and I love it. C..h..o..k..e..r..s! Who-hoo, Boks will be back and really pi$$ed off about losing this year. Write them off at your own peril and yes, be afraid, be very afraid
6 Sep 2010, 16:37 pm
@TheTackler(TheTackler)-17:
What are their odds on how long it takes Colleen to throw away Wazzas’ ring to the squirrels ?
6 Sep 2010, 20:46 pm
@poppa69(poppa69)-9: Hopefully Old Bill is nice and comfortable in the cabinet. I’m interested to know what he has to see now that his friends have ditched. sniff.
Saturday will prove to be the most irritating 80 minutes I would have watched in a long, long time. Knowing that Boks are comfortably streets behind the teams in action is a source of deep shame. Oh well, let’s go back to Pommie, Jock and Jones bashing. No comment regarding the Paddies.
6 Sep 2010, 20:48 pm
@poppa69(poppa69)-9: Hopefully Old Bill is nice and comfortable in the cabinet. I’m interested to know what he has to say now that his friends have ditched him. sniff.
Saturday will prove to be the most irritating 80 minutes I would have watched in a long, long time. Knowing that that the Boks are comfortably streets behind the teams in action is a source of deep shame. Oh well, let’s go back to Pommie, Jock and Jones bashing. No comment regarding the Paddies.
6 Sep 2010, 22:35 pm
@BishopsOD(BishopsOD)-22: I dont think theyre streets behind at all, as the second half effort showed…they just cant seem to get “up” for the entire game, they are putting in what looks like 40 minute efforts in an 80 minute game..
desire is a hard thing to maintain at a professional level… they dont play for enjoyment anymore..
7 Sep 2010, 02:06 am
Spiro Zavos, in the Sydney Morning Herald, might be showing PDivvy what opportunity he has missed…
“Chiefly responsible for the (Bloemfontein) triumph was a new cohort of young Wallabies from Generation Y: David Pocock, Will Genia, Quade Cooper, James O’Connor and Beale. According to sociologists, this generation has “high expectations of their employers, seek out new challenges, are not afraid to question authority, value teamwork, seek the affirmation of others, crave attention and want to be included and involved”.
Robbie Deans’s softly-softly educative and inclusive methods work much better with Generation Y players than the traditional shouting ‘this-is-the-way-things-are-done-here’ coaching method.”
7 Sep 2010, 02:10 am
And, for those who prefer hard statistics to soft, fluffy sociology, Zavos offers this…
“An intriguing statistic that emerged from Bloemfontein was that the Springboks fielded their most experienced side ever. There were 11 survivors from the side that won the 2007 Rugby World Cup. They made only 68 tackles to the 177 by the Wallabies. There were 132 runs (mainly by the huge Boks forwards) to the 69 runs by the Wallabies. Yet the Wallabies scored five tries to three. The Springboks clearly lacked young players with the Y-factor to their game, either with their running (O’Connor and Beale), impact on the rucks (Pocock) and passing (Cooper).”
The Boks aren’t “tired”. They’re simply TOO OLD.
And, by 2011, they’ll be a whole year older.
7 Sep 2010, 10:07 am
@TheTackler(TheTackler)-25: Thats true, The Bokks are very good at playing one particular style of play, worked last year, worked very well, the problem is that it didn’t work this year, We have gone through some tough times with these youngesters, we didn’t have a choice, its all good now our injured players are coming back now, If all goes well there will be some selection headaches next year for us
7 Sep 2010, 10:18 am
@TheTackler(TheTackler)-25: and were they too old when they were running the clock down in the 79th min towards another win after coming back from 31-6 down?
Not to do with age, it’s to do with form and fitness.
7 Sep 2010, 10:39 am
The Boks have been found wanting this year, no question.
A bit like last year, only in reverse, where the AB’s were shown up badly.
In a fair world, all would be forgiven after the mighty Bok machine gathers itself and crushes all and sundry during the EOYT and rolls on to both dominate and triumph at RWC11.
Thats said, in a fair world, clowns are not usually given the job of ring master on top of their job as comic distraction to the main attraction.
7 Sep 2010, 11:20 am
@Brads(Brads)-28: Would it be safe today that it was more due to the experience and core players who guided the Bokks through than anythng the coaches did?
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