Queensland Reds secure Braid
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The Queensland Reds have signed the outstanding flanker Daniel Braid. Braid who lined up against the Wallabies this year for New Zealand has been the backup for Richie McCaw in recent times and was the New Zealand Super 14 player of the year in 2007.
The signing of Braid as the first foreigner who is not eligible for Wallabies selection by the Reds is the first signing by under the new foreign based player policy recently introduced. Braid will replace David Croft who retired at the end of the 2008 Super 14 season.
Wallabies injury woes - Horwill ruled out
James Horwill, 23, has been ruled out of the Wallabies spring tour of Europe after succumbing to a foot ligament tear that could see him sidelined for up to six months.
Horwill incurred the injury against South Africa and has struggled through with the injury subsequently and only now after resting it for a while has a more serious problem been confirmed. Horwill will need to undergo rehab and will hopefully be in a position to return at some stage during the 2009 Super 14 tournament.
Horwill’s absense is a major blow to the Wallabies as Horwill has established himself as the premier lock for the Wallabies. His loss through injury is magnified by the loss of Vickerman overseas but also opens the door for other players like Mark Chisholm to prove their worth for the Wallabies.
A replacement has yet to be named.
ARU approve foreign players in Super 14
The Australian Rugby Union board today approved the inclusion of foriegn players in the Australian Super 14 teams. The new Foreign Player Policy is highly conditional and restricts each Australian Super 14 franchise to a maximum of two overseas based players.
Australian Super 14 teams will be able to sign one marquee foreign player. This marquee player can be an international player but can never qualify for Australian selection due to the IRB regulation restricting each player to only represent one country throughout their career.
Each Super 14 team will also be allowed to recruit a second developing foreign player who has yet to represent his country at international level in tests, sevens or A-team level. This player can then qualify for Australian selection after three years of consecutive residency.
Super 14 teams can also choose to select two developing players instead of one marquee and one developing player. The ARU has imposed the additional restictions of each bid for a foreign player having to be submitted through the ARU and approved prior to the contract proceeding. The ARU has also restricted these foreign players to only a two year contract at any one Super 14 team.
This change opens the door to bringing in players that would draw a high degree of international appeal to the Australian game. Players such as Sebastien Chabal and Shane Williams would have a tremendous following should any Australian team attempt to bring them to their franchise. It is certainly a smart marketing move from the ARU and bodes well for the game.
Chris Latham joins Worcester Warriors
Chris Latham the former inspirational Australian Wallabies fullback has joined the Worcester Warriors for the Guinness Premiership.
Latham, 32, who ended his rugby career in Australia early due to a season ending injury hopes to take part in the first game on 7 September for the Warriors.
Chris Latham has arrived at an interesting time in the clubs history as the home ground Sixways has been undergoing major improvements to the surface of the stadium and surrounding amenities.
The experience Latham will bring to the Warriors on the field and his professionalism off will play a big part in determining the success of Worcester in the Guinness Premiership
Southern Hemisphere look at tour alternatives
Australia and New Zealand are looking at alternatives to the northern hemisphere touring teams visiting Australia and New Zealand in June. This comes after the disregard shown by northern hemisphere teams who have sent understrength teams here for the last few years.
This year saw one of the weakest touring teams to tour the respective countries in a critically undermanned French side that sported a team of virtual unknowns. The northern hemisphere teams are in a tough spot as they are sending teams at the end of a long and tough domestic competition and often the sides that arrive in Australia and New Zealand are struck by injuries and stars looking for a end of season break.
This has resulted in touring sides being cannon fodder for the big southern hemisphere teams. The northern hemisphere recently made some commitments after pressure from the ARU and NZRU to send their best sides and had recently assured their domestic competitions would finish by the end of May. However, despite this the French will not conclude their competition until the 6th June so it makes the whole commitment a joke.
In response to this the ARU ans NZRU have proposed a possible southern hemisphere plan where the All Blacks would tour Australia in June and play the Waratahs, Reds and Brumbies. This would be followed by the Wallabies going to New Zealand to play the Hurricanes, Blues and Crusaders.
Should this proceed it will likely be a huge positive for the region as it will draw huge crowds and return the ARU budget to a better position after they have taken a loss in recent in recent times especially with the French team that toured this year drawing lacklustre crowds.
Currently planned fo 2009, France are scheduled to play two Tests in New Zealand and one in Australia while Italy are also scheduled to tour Australia.
ARU open door to Overseas Players
The Australian Rugby Union have opened the door for overseas players to join domestic rugby teams such as the Force, Waratahs, Red and Brumbies. This is a major change for the ARU as they aim to keep the game developing in Australia.
At the moment it is still a proposal but is being finalised by the local unions with it to be put to an ARU vote on 5th September. The proposal is one that is likely to proceed as it provides a mouth watering opportunity to splash out and lure some big stars to the Australian Super 14 teams.
The most likely teams to splurge would be the NSW Waratahs and the Western Force who have a strong corporate sector to bankroll the teams. South Africa and the European countries have all embrased foreign players and the standard and appeal of the game in those countries has improved on the interest shown towards overseas based stars.
The introduction of overseas players would also provide some flexibility towards the expansion of the game in Australia should the Super 14 expand and Australia increase to five teams in the future.
John Roe retires from injury
Sad news today for the Queensland Reds who lost their captain John Roe today through retirement. Roe, 31, the Reds captain played 107 games for the Reds and 19 internationals for the Wallabies in a test career that began in 2003.
Roe retired due to the inability of his shoulder to respond to medical treatment. Roe has a shoulder reconstruction in 2007 and missed the last few games in 2008 with another shoulder injury. It is a big loss for the Reds as Roe was one of the key members of the team and his loyalty and commitment to the team was one of the key reasons they were able to retain some promising young players.
Peter Hynes
Peter Hynes, 25, has been a strong performer for the Reds over a number of seasons but it was not until this season that he has shown what he is capable of delivering at a consistent level.
Peter Hynes has played over 50 games for the Queensland Reds after making his debut in 2003. In the 2008 Super 14 tournament Hynes scored five tries and was a shining light in a Reds team that was going through a major rebuilding stage under new coach Phil mooney. Hynes deserves his opportunity on the Wing for the Wallabies and will be hoping to secure the spot with the likes of Drew Mitchell, Mark Gerrard and Adam Ashley-Cooper waiting for any chance to grab a spot back in the team ahead of Hynes.