Author: HelenAtAmarIt

Former Australia head coach John Connolly has urged the Wallabies selectors to be brave and leave veteran utility back Kurtley Beale out of their squad for their upcoming tour to the northern hemisphere.

Connolly, who coached the Wallabies in 2006 and 2007, made the difficult decision of leaving experienced Test scrum-half George Gregan behind when Australia went on their end-of-year tour in his first season in charge of the two-time world champions.

The 71-year-old said that move paid dividends as Gregan came back stronger and had a good season in 2007. And now he wants current Wallabies head coach Dave Rennie to follow his example and do the same with players like Beale, saying Rennie can learn more about his players ahead of the 2023 World Cup in France.

New Zealander Rennie is set to name a squad of around 35 players for his five-Test tour – against Scotland, France, Italy, Ireland and Wales – on Sunday.

Important tour

It’s an important tour for Rennie whose win rate is at just 38 per cent from 29 Tests since he took over the coaching reins in 2020.

Rennie initially backed young players but has turned to more experienced campaigners of late with Beale, who is currently back at the Waratahs, returning to the Test fold for last year’s year-end Tests. He has also recalled veteran fly-halves Quade Cooper and Bernard Foley during this year’s Rugby Championship campaign.

The coach has also chopped and changed players at full-back due to injuries and form with Beale, Tom Banks, utility back Reece Hodge, as well as wings Jordan Petaia, Tom Wright and Andrew Kellaway, all wearing the Wallabies number 15 jersey since last year.

But Connolly believes giving Banks or uncapped Reds full-back Jock Campbell a chance on the Wallabies’ European tour would be a “brave” decision which would suit Rennie better in the long run.

“In 2006, we had a decision to make around the half-backs,” he told Fox Sports.

“We had (Brett) Sheehan, (Sam) Cordingley, who were both playing reasonably for their states, Cordingley had a few injuries, and we had (Matt) Giteau who we wanted to have a look at halfback. In conversation with George, we decided to leave him at home and then we decided to look at our halfbacks strongly. George had a great Super season and went to the World Cup.

“In this situation, this is a lot easier than the George situation, that was a tough call, he had a rest and came back and had a great season.

“These two guys, we don’t know how good Banks and Jock Campbell are. Playing Kurtley who hasn’t played eight months, and struggled to make the team before he left, makes no sense. If he (Beale) has a great Super season, plays the house down, yes he goes.”

Australia’s 2006 European tour did not go according to plan as they drew their first Test with Wales before sealing a narrow win over Italy but they then lost to Ireland.

Connolly duly decided to take a gamble by handing Stephen Moore his first Test start at hooker in their final Test of the tour against Scotland and, despite him struggling during the early stages of that encounter, players like Stephen Larkham and Chris Latham soon took control of proceedings and guided the Wallabies to a memorable win.

With with just 10 matches left before the World Cup, Connolly feels the Wallabies should be brave and take similar risks for this year’s European Tests.

“I remember the other coaches wanted to get him off but I said we’re playing the right out and giving him every chance to be successful, and in the second half he was more comfortable, played well at the end of the game and the rest is history, he went to the World Cup and has turned out to be one of our best hookers,” he said.

Trust your judgement

“But you’ve got to trust your judgement and we thought he had size, we thought he had the ability, so you’ve got to back your judgement.

“Both those players, Banks and Campbell, have the game to play at Test footy – how much improvement they have in them, I would argue that Campbell has more improvement left in him than Banks.

“Campbell has improved every game like Latham, a country kid who came to the city and improved.

“Playing Kurtley, at his age, who hasn’t played since February, give him an off season. If he plays well for the Waratahs then he goes to the World Cup.

“You’ve got to be brave.”

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24-year-old central midfielder Adrien Thomasson is soliciting interest from Italian outfit Parma, with his Nantes deal expiring at the end of the month, according to France Football.

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Parma are not alone in their interest, with St Étienne, Montpellier, Strasbourg and Stade de Reims having placed the player on their respective shortlists.

The Springboks and All Blacks will complete their Rugby World Cup preparations when they face off at the ‘home of rugby’, Twickenham Stadium.

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Just two weeks before the global tournament starts in France, where New Zealand face hosts Les Bleus in the opener, the dominant forces in the game will go head-to-head.

Both nations have won the World Cup three times, with the Springboks the current holders after beating England 32-12 in the final in Japan.

A vital fixture

Jacques Nienaber, the Bok head coach, said: “We’re excited to play this vital fixture before the Rugby World Cup at the iconic Twickenham Stadium.

“There is a large contingent of passionate expats and Springbok supporters in London, and we have no doubt they will come out in numbers and give us a lift before we attempt to defend our World Cup crown.”

The match will kick off at 19:30 BST (18:30 GMT) on Friday, August 25, almost eight years after they played each other in the World Cup semi-final at the same stadium.

SA Rugby director of rugby Rassie Erasmus added: “The Springboks and All Blacks share one of the greatest rivalries in rugby, and to face them at Twickenham will be an exciting experience for the players and our fans. I have no doubt it is going to be an epic encounter.”

Following the end of the 2023 Rugby Championship campaign, the Boks will play two warm-up as they face Wales before taking on the All Blacks.

South Africa and New Zealand are currently third and fourth in the world rankings, and will no doubt be among the favourites when next year’s global tournament begins.

Titanic battle

“This match will form an important part of our preparations for Rugby World Cup,” All Blacks head coach Ian Foster said.

“Matches against the Springboks are always hard-fought and we are expecting nothing less than a titanic battle on this unique occasion.”

Rugby Football Union chief executive Bill Sweeney is also delighted as they host two of the biggest teams in world rugby in their own backward.

“We are looking forward to welcoming two powerhouses of global rugby. Both nations have sizeable ex-pat communities in London and beyond, who will no doubt contribute to what is set to be an electric atmosphere at Twickenham Stadium,” Sweeney said.

Marseille have had an €8m offer for AS Roma central defender Juan Jesus rejected by AS Roma, according to Le 10 Sport.

The Italian side did not offer a tangible price at which they would accept an offer, but Marseille are likely to make another offer for the 27 year old, according to the report.

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All Blacks veteran Sam Whitelock has joined up with the squad in Japan after recovering from an ear issue that affected his balance.

The second-row suffered the problem after playing with his children on the trampoline and soon felt out of it with his balance and vision being influenced.

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Slow recovery

Whitelock admits it took some time to come right and spent most of the five days bedbound as he recovered. Now that he is back, the All Black is looking forward to joining up with the team again.

“Long story short, there are some little crystals in your ears, in your inner ear, and they all got into a little bit of a weird funk. That’s why I lost a little bit of balance, my vision was pretty blurred, and it took a little time to get right,” Whitelock told the All Blacks‘ official website.

“But I had some amazing people help me get it right, people in Christchurch, people in Auckland. Everyone’s given me some space to get it right, and now I’m looking forward to getting back to the team environment and getting into some contact.”

There are exercises to help the ear concern, but it is important to identify which of the ear canals has been affected and then do the required activities that help balance and sight recover.

“From my little bit of knowledge, there are three inner ear canals and each of them affect your balance and sight differently,” the second-row added.

“You have to work out which one it is, and then go through different protocols and exercises to get it right.”

Preparing for a exciting Test window

Whitelock is delighted to have rejoined the squad and is looking forward to the exciting string of Test matches ahead.

The All Blacks face Japan in Tokyo on Saturday before travelling to the United Kingdom, where they take on Wales on November 5, then Scotland on November 13 before a blockbuster clash against England at Twickenham on November 19.

AS Monaco have completed the signing of highly-rated Lyon forward Willem Geubbels for a reported €20m fee with a sell-on percentage clause.

The 16-year-old is viewed as one of the most exciting prospects in France and has signed a contract that will keep him at the Stade Louis II until 2021.

Geubbels made four appearances for Lyon last season, and became the all-time youngest player in Europa League history when he came on as a substitute away at Atalanta.

The 2017 French champions are understood to have beaten RB Leipzig to the signature of France U18 star, and the club was personally recommended to the teenager by the Monaco coach Leonardo Jardim and striker Radamel Falcao.

Geubbels told the club website: “I am very happy to sign for AS Monaco. It is a historic club that plays in the Champions’ League and competes every year in Ligue 1. The project of the club is ambitious and relies on the development of young players. I cannot wait to meet my new team-mates, to learn from them. I am ready and determined to help the team do great things”.

H.W.

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The teams have been named for this weekend’s Premiership games, including the highly anticipated encounter between second-placed Sale Sharks and in-form Gloucester at the AJ Bell Stadium on Saturday.

Check out the teams and our predictions for all of the matches, here.

Friday

Northampton Saints v Exeter Chiefs

Form: Northampton Saints’ only defeat in their last six first team matches was 14-27 on their visit to Bath in Round Seven of Premiership Rugby. The Saints have lost just once in any competition at cinch Stadium since Exeter last visited in February: 21-41 to Leicester Tigers in September. Exeter Chiefs have won only one of their last four Premiership Rugby fixtures: 50-14 at Bristol Bears in Round Five. The Chiefs have won only two of their last seven away games in Premiership Rugby. The last five meetings between the two clubs in Premiership Rugby have incredibly been won by the away side on the day. Chiefs have won on four of their last five visits to Franklin’s Gardens.

Prediction: Northampton by 4

The teams:

Northampton Saints: 15 Tommy Freeman, 14 Courtnall Skosan, 13 Fraser Dingwall (c), 12 Rory Hutchinson, 11 Ollie Sleightholme, 10 Fin Smith, 9 Tom James, 8 Sam Graham, 7 Aaron Hinkley, 6 Angus Scott-Young, 5 Alex Moon, 4 Lukhan Salakaia-Loto, 3 Ehren Painter, 2 Mike Haywood, 1 Emmanuel Iyogun
Replacements: 16 Robbie Smith, 17 Alex Waller, 18 Paul Hill, 19 Brandon Nansen, 20 Kayde Sylvester, 21 Alex Mitchell, 22 George Furbank, 23 Matt Proctor

Exeter Chiefs: 15 Josh Hodge, 14 Dan John, 13 Rory O’Loughlin, 12 Ian Whitten, 11 Olly Woodburn, 10 Joe Simmonds, 9 Jack Maunder, 8 Jacques Vermeulen, 7 Lewis Pearson, 6 Dave Ewers, 5 Ruben Van Heerden, 4 Jack Dunne, 3 Harry Williams, 2 Jack Yeandle (c), 1 Scott Sio
Replacements: 16 Jack Innard, 17 Alec Hepburn, 18 Josh Iosefa-Scott, 19 Dafydd Jenkins, 20 Rus Tuima, 21 Sam Maunder, 22 Will Becconsall, 23 Sean O’Brien

Venue: cinch Stadium at Franklin’s Gardens
Kick-off: 19:45 GMT
Referee: Craig Maxwell-Keys
Assistant Referees: Mike Hudson, Jamie Leahy
TMO: Dean Richards

Saturday

Sale Sharks v Gloucester

Form: Sale Sharks have slipped to back-to-back defeats in Premiership Rugby, at home to Harlequins and away at Saracens, and have not lost three in succession in the competition since 2018. The Sharks have suffered only two defeats at AJ Bell Stadium in Premiership Rugby in 2022, the other loss being to Saracens in April. Gloucester have won their last four Premiership Rugby matches since their 39-41 loss at Saracens in Round Three. The Cherry and Whites have not won five in succession in the competition since 2017. Sale have won four of their last five encounters with Gloucester, the defeat being by a solitary point at Kingsholm last October. Gloucester have won just once at AJ Bell Stadium since 2016: 18-16 in October 2019.

Prediction: Sale by 12

The teams:

Sale: 15 Joe Carpenter, 14 Tom Roebuck, 13 Sam James, 12 Sam Hill, 11 Arron Reed, 10 Robert du Preez, 9 Gus Warr, 8 Daniel du Preez, 7 Ben Curry (c), 6 Jono Ross, 5 Josh Beaumont, 4 Jean-Luc du Preez, 3 Nick Schonert, 2 Tommy Taylor, 1 Ross Harrison
Replacements: 16 Akker van der Merwe, 17 Bevan Rodd, 18 James Harper, 19 Dom Barrow, 20 Sam Dugdale, 21 Raffi Quirke, 22 Tom Curtis, 23 Byron McGuigan

Gloucester: 15 Kyle Moyle, 14 Tom Seabrook, 13 Jack Reeves, 12 Billy Twelvetrees, 11 Jake Morris, 10 Lloyd Evans, 9 Charlie Chapman, 8 Ben Morgan, 7 Lewis Ludlow (c), 6 Ruan Ackermann, 5 Cam Jordan, 4 Freddie Clarke, 3 Fraser Balmain, 2 Santiago Socino, 1 Harry Elrington
Replacements: 16 Henry Walker, 17 Val Rapava-Ruskin, 18 Kirill Gotovtsev, 19 Andrew Davidson, 20 Jordy Reid, 21 Ben Meehan, 22 George Barton, 23 Alex Hearle

Venue: AJ Bell Stadium
Kick-off: 13:00 GMT
Referee: Andrew Jackson
Assistant referees: Wayne Falla, John Meredith
TMO: Rowan Kitt

Newcastle Falcons v Bath

Form: Kingston Park becomes only the sixth venue to host 250 Premiership Rugby matches. Newcastle Falcons have won just one of their last 10 Premiership Rugby fixtures: 30-15 at home to Bristol Bears in Round Four. Bath’s 27-14 victory at home to Northampton last time out ended an unwanted run of seven successive Premiership defeats. Bath have won only twice away from home in Premiership Rugby since February 2021 and both of those victories were at Kingston Park. The four meetings by the two clubs over the past two seasons have all been won by the visiting side on the day.

Prediction: Bath by 7

The teams:

Newcastle: 15 Elliott Obatoyinbo, 14 Adam Radwan, 13 George Wacokecoke, 12 Pete Lucock, 11 Ben Stevenson, 10 Brett Connon, 9 Michael Young (c), 8 Callum Chick, 7 Connor Collett, 6 Freddie Lockwood, 5 Sebastian de Chaves, 4 Matthew Dalton, 3 Richard Palframan, 2 Jamie Blamire, 1 Adam Brocklebank
Replacements: 16 George McGuigan, 17 Phil Brantingham, 18 Mark Tampin, 19 George Merrick, 20 Guy Pepper, 21 Sam Stuart, 22 Tian Schoeman, 23 Tom Penny

Bath: 15 Matt Gallagher, 14 Gabriel Hamer-Webb, 13 Ollie Lawrence, 12 Max Ojomoh, 11 Ruaridh McConnochie, 10 George Worboys, 9 Max Green, 8 Richard de Carpentier, 7 Miles Reid, 6 Ted Hill, 5 Quinn Roux, 4 Fergus Lee-Warner, 3 D’Arcy Rae, 2 Tom Dunn (c), 1 Valeriy Morozov
Replacements: 16 Niall Annett, 17 Arthur Cordwell, 18 Johannes Jonker, 19 Tom Ellis, 20 Josh Bayliss, 21 Tom Carr-Smith, 22 Billy Searle, 23 Jonathan Joseph

Venue: Kingston Park
Kick-off: 15:00 GMT
Referee: Hamish Smales
Assistant referees: James Clarke, Gareth Holsgrove
TMO: Dean Richards

Bristol Bears v Saracens

Form: Bristol Bears have slipped to four straight defeats in Premiership Rugby since beating London Irish 40-36 at Ashton Gate on 24 September. The Bears’ 14-50 loss at home to Exeter in Round Five ended a four-game winning run at Ashton Gate in Premiership Rugby. Saracens have dropped only one possible league point in Premiership Rugby this season and that was in scoring only one try in their narrow victory at Exeter in Round Seven. Saracens have lost only once away from home in Premiership Rugby since February: 7-54 at Gloucester in Round 26 last season. Saracens have lost just two of their last 11 clashes with Bristol in Premiership Rugby, both at Ashton Gate in April 2019 and August 2020. Saracens record at Ashton Gate is won two, lost two.

Prediction: Saracens by 5

The teams:

Bristol: 15 Luke Morahan, 14 Deago Bailey, 13 Joe Jenkins, 12 Sam Bedlow, 11 Gabriel Ibitoye, 10 Callum Sheedy, 9 Will Porter, 8 Fitz Harding, 7 Jake Heenan (c), 6 Magnus Bradbury, 5 Joe Batley, 4 Ed Holmes, 3 Jay Tyack, 2 Bryan Byrne, 1 Yann Thomas
Replacements: 16 Harry Thacker, 17 Jake Woolmore, 18 Jonathan Benz-Salomon, 19. John Hawkins, 20 Dan Thomas, 21 Andy Uren, 22 Ioan Lloyd, 23 Jack Bates

Saracens: 15 Max Malins, 14 Alex Lewington, 13 Elliot Daly, 12 Alex Lozowski, 11 Sean Maitland, 10 Alex Goode, 9 Ivan van Zyl, 8 Jackson Wray, 7 Ben Earl (c), 6 Andy Christie, 5 Hugh Tizard, 4 Callum Hunter-Hill, 3 Marco Riccioni, 2 Theo Dan, 1 Robin Hislop
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Replacements: 16 Ethan Lewis, 17 James Flynn, 18 Alec Clarey, 19 Andrew Kitchener, 20 Toby Knight, 21 Gareth Simpson, 22 Josh Hallett, 23 Tom Howe

Venue: Ashton Gate
Kick-off: 17:00 GMT
Referee: Jack Makepeace
Assistant referees: Mike Hudson, Peter Allan
TMO: Adam Leal

Foot Mercato report this evening that Toulouse defender Issa Diop is scheduled to be in London tomorrow to undergo a medical with West Ham United ahead of signing a 5-year deal.

A €25m agreement has been reached between the two clubs.

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All Blacks head coach Ian Foster is conscious that his side cannot “copy and paste” their approach from their successful win against Wales for the upcoming clash against Scotland.

Foster’s men put on a show in Cardiff to beat Wales 55-23 last weekend as the All Blacks showed hints of the team they once were.

There were excellent performances across the park for the New Zealanders, with the most capped back, Aaron Smith, rolling back the years in a vintage performance.

Fresh week, fresh approach

However, Foster knows each game requires a different approach and mindset in preparation as the All Blacks gear up for a Test at Murrayfield.

“I think it’s about not trying to copy and paste anything. It’s about [understanding] the buildup for each Test is different – different conditions, different opposition and different pressure points,” Foster said.

“The danger is when you try and copy and paste a formula. We can’t use [last] week’s formula for [this] week. We’ve got to rebuild from zero on Tuesday, then hoe into it and find a real meaning in the preparation.

“That’s our goal. Sometimes we judge great performances by scorelines, but also great performances can come just by solving problems on the park and that’s what I think we’re getting a little bit better at.”

Foster was delighted by the patience of his side, and he believes the only reason the outside backs did not get as much ball was down to the slippery conditions.

“It was the nature of the conditions,” he noted. “It was very slippery … I quite like that stat in that sort of game because sometimes we overplay in those conditions because we just want to play. I kind of like the patience.”

Depth at 12

Jordie Barrett put in another solid performance at inside centre, a position that briefly seemed a concern for the All Blacks. Foster admits it is difficult to find a selection balance between building depth and fielding the best option.

“It’s a juggling act,” Foster claimed. “At what stage do you put all your eggs in one basket and at what stage do you build depth? I guess that’s the art of selection. Frankly, be it Jordie, or be it Davey [Havili] or be it maybe even an ALB at 12, they’re quality players and we expect them to do a job.

“Whilst it’s not about chopping and changing all the time, it is about building. We’ve done a lot of work on combinations this year and a few other options up our sleeve is going to be good for us.”

The All Blacks will look for another win to continue building momentum towards next year’s World Cup, and Scotland will be a tricky fixture at Murrayfield. Following the Test this weekend, the All Blacks will play England in their final match of the Autumn Nations Series.

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Lyon-based paper Le Progrès are reporting that club captain Nabil Fékir has an offer from Manchester United, but do not go into much detail at all about it.

The way that they frame it in this morning’s piece seems to be as if the Red Devils have made an offer to the player, rather than that any bid has been made or negotiations are occurring with Lyon.

The newspaper also quotes a source very close to the situation about why talks with Liverpool broke down:

“Liverpool decided to lower the price for Nabil by €5m, hiding behind a cartilage problem of the player’s knee, which was an old story and is not at all preventing him from playing in the World Cup.”

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