Rugby Union - by Craig Hill

It is not a monetary issue … Rocky is just thinking about life. I can categorically say that Rocky said that the offer which is on the table is fine.

He is just evaluating a number of things, including the possibility of having a break and then coming back.
He would continue to play rugby, but maybe in Europe or the UK and then come back after a year. We talked that through.

Cash is not the only issue....There's a fair bit more going on. And I'm just waiting for the ARU's reaction to where I am going to play, or what I'm going to do.
They haven't given me a deadline as such.

...But I suppose it is good for the both of us that we do it sooner rather than later.
I imagine if it goes longer than this week they'll probably slap one [a deadline] on, primarily because there are a number of guys in a similar boat, and they [the ARU] are being very tight with their budget.

I would prefer to stay here, but the big thing is their reaction.

I have a lot of time for Rocky. He is a nice young man, and he really had his head screwed on right. He has a lot of leadership ability

I just told him to come back to us and let me know what he wanted to do. In the next couple of months, he'll make up his mind.

...But he's playing here until the end of the year, and will be going on the [Wallabies] tour.
I'm sure we will retain him, if he decides not to have a break. If he wants to have a break, I think we can also accommodate him and bring him back after he's had his time away

I've had lots of chats with him about his future at the Waratahs and we've made it quite clear that we want him to stay, so there's no ambiguity there.

I'm not aware of any football motivation, the money in Europe is very attractive and maybe that's a part of it, I don't know.
I haven't had a chance to speak to him, but I'll have a chat to him when I see him next.

Current Global Legend and Brilliant Hunk (official title) Stephen Larkham has given evidence at an inquest into a fire that raged through DuskDevi's head when she saw him take his shirt off...

Former Brumbies and Wallabies flyhalf, Stephen Larkham, has given evidence at an inquest into a fire that damaged his home over two years ago.

Two houses were destroyed and two others, including Larkham's, were damaged when the fire broke out at the old Canberra Brickworks at Yarralumla on December 29, 2005.

It is still not known what caused the blaze but it is believed the fire was deliberately lit at the Brickworks, which were directly behind Larkham's property.

Larkham told the ACT Coroners Court, the body corporate had complained to the ACT Government about the length of grass and bushes at the Brickworks before the fire broke out.

The court heard Larkham and his family had to move out of their home for almost a year while it was repaired.

Larkham's evidence was brought forward because he will soon move to Japan to begin a three year contract with a Tokyo based rugby team.
Further evidence will be heard next month.

Stephen Larkham recently charmed the Melbourne rugby audience at the Weary Dunlop Lunch when he provided some background on several of his test coaches.
The former Wallabies five-eighth described Eddie Jones as "perhaps the best technical coach I ever had".

He added: "His understanding of the facets of the game were excellent. I think where he went wrong was when he started to get involved in other areas of the Australian Rugby Union, like contracting players and the running of the game. He kind of got sidetracked."

Larkham praised the man-management skills of 1999 World Cup-winning coach Rod Macqueen.
"He looked at the big picture. But he had a lot of ideas, too. Way-out ideas. We listened to them but we didn't use too many of them."

Western Force playmaker Matt Giteau has signed a two-year contract extension with the Australian Rugby Union until the 2011 World Cup in New Zealand.

As part of the deal, the 25-year-old has agreed to stay with the Western Force, but he does have the option to consider offers from other Australian Super 14 sides before the provincial component of his contract kicks in for 2010 and 2011.

"I'm still at a relatively young age and feel my best Rugby is still ahead of me," Giteau said. "So it's really exciting to secure my future at a time when a few of the long-serving guys like George Gregan and Stephen Larkham have gone and so many new players are coming through."

He added: "The 2011 Rugby World Cup was definitely important in this decision. There was also a feeling that if I do want to play at my best then I need to play in the best competitions.

"Super 14, Tri Nations and the World Cup as a member of the Wallabies fit that bill for me, so it was easy in the end to say that I want to stay in Australia."

George Smith is due to become just the fifth Brumbies player to play 100 games for the club when he pulls on the jersey against the Cheetahs in the Super 14 on Friday.

The 27-year-old flanker will join a select group of players to reach the milestone that includes former Australia captain George Gregan (136 matches), Stephen Larkham (116), Jeremy Paul (112) and Bill Young (100).

"There have been some great names who have played 100 games," said Smith. "(They) were exceptional for the Brumbies and it's very humbling to be considered in that company."

He added: "The players who have reached 100 games for their club or state have always been very loyal and consistent.
"It's great to be reaching 100 games this week and hopefully it will be a memorable one."

Smith has missed just one Super Rugby match since making his Brumbies debut in 2000.
Along the way he won the 2002 John Eales Medal and received the Australian Super 14 Player of the Year award in both 2006 and 2007.

Smith put together a run of 66 consecutive matches for the Brumbies between 2000 and 2005 while being part of Australia's 2-1 series win over the British and Irish Lions in 2001 and in the Wallabies' losing side in the 2003 World Cup final against England.

From the brief discussions I've had with the neurosurgeon, no one has ever returned to that level in a contact sport, it could be quite dangerous.
The realisation is that I won't be playing footy again, and that's bitterly disappointing.

I've just got to move on and get back to normal, although I won't be able to play footy again.

I met the surgeon and it was never an option not to have [surgery]. There's nothing you can do about it.

I'm very fortunate to find the tumour and to find it now while I'm young and healthy... Hopefully, I'll get through the operation better than if I was older. It looks like it's benign but it can transform and get angry and nasty.

I'm fortunate that I have been playing rugby because going through life everyday there's no reason to get an MRI, you're not going to get knocked out.

I haven't asked for the worst-case scenario, but they're pretty confident they can get it out of me without hurting me.

Perhaps I could get into the property trade, development and that type of stuff... That's in good time, I've got a fair bit happening at the moment.

It was a huge shock when the doctor told me I have a tumour...It's obviously been with me for some time and I've never felt any sort of illness.

The challenge for me now is to get on with gathering the best advice from the specialists and neurosurgeons, dealing with it and recovering as quickly as I can.

It's devastating news for Hux..I think a lot of ... just disbelief when Jules got up in front of the team and made the announcement. It's amazing how well he's held himself together, I think. Everyone else in the team was more emotional than Jules.

Everyone feels just so much for him. He's just held in such high regard for what he's done over the last number of years.

He's just blossomed so much...And to have this sudden news ... it's not just jeopardising his rugby, it's something that is really jeopardising his health and it's just blown most of the guys away.

I think it's really too early to say at this point in time.

I think it's going to be a long process of recovery and I think at the moment we're not really talking about football, it's just a matter of ensuring that Julian's health returns.

It is very likely that an operation will be required to remove the tumour but we'll only know for certain once he undergoes some further testing and meets with specialists.

It's on the top of his brain and obviously effects the motor skills. As far as he feels, he doesn't feel ill or sick.

He was obviously still in a degree of shock, but he was strong, he was composed and he just wanted to tell his teammates that it was important for him to tell them first and break the news to them directly and he wished them all the best for the rest of the season.

Julian is a great bloke, an important and respected member of this team and of the Canberra community.

Our thoughts and prayers are with Julian and his family and we look forward to his full and speedy recovery.

Spectators and fans will witness a quicker and more exciting brand of rugby in 2008, following a decision by the South African, New Zealand and Australian Rugby Unions (SANZAR) to adopt a range of the Experimental Law Variations (ELVs) for the 2008 Super 14 competition.

...a more free-flowing, faster and exciting style of play.

...more tries were needed in the playoff matches to ensure the tournament remained an entertaining spectacle.

He's been doing a little bit of rehab but...I don't think that is a possibility.

Don't forget the club is paying an inordinate amount of money for him to take the risk of getting injured and getting no value...
Certainly, if I was his new employer I'd be saying no.

It is certainly a lot of injuries in one place and it is a challenge. We are only carrying 31 contracted players so it doesn't leave a lot of choice in selection...I can't recall it ever being too much worse.

We'll look at our contract guys and see what one or two of our academy guys can bring to the table.

That will certainly be a discussion point

We will catch up on a personal note (during Crusaders Brumbies matches), but won't be discussing any players' strengths and weaknesses...
After the Super 14 we will be happy to spill the beans and push the case of some of our players.

I was surprised by that (that he stayed with the Crusaders) and a little disappointed from an Australian perspective...

We would have liked to have him here to tell us how he would have liked to develop our players and the style he wants our players (the Wallabies) to play.

It is tough at times, you know – that expectation to win every game

It’s tough because you are not going to win every one of them. It’s just a matter of winning as many as you can and the right ones.

In a fairytale I would love to still be here in 2011 playing for the All Blacks. That would be a dream...

I come off contract at the end of the year and I suppose it is a matter of weighing up what I want to do. At this point I am just focusing on this campaign, and giving respect to the Crusaders jersey

I guess that is the thing about last year...we didn’t win the ones that mattered, which was tough....
But that’s the beauty of sport - things like that can happen and that's why people watch games.

Unfortunately it just happened at the wrong time.

I would give him another chance if the circumstances were right, no hesitation. He deserves the punishment, but still deserves to have a future as a footballer.

Matt is essentially a good kid. But it is true, there have been a number of alcohol- related incidents...And I did sense that he had an issue then (in 2005).
We sought to address the problem

We certainly want to have a look at addressing the issues that he obviously has got...But at this stage we will wait and see if one our of clubs goes forward with an approach to him.

I wouldn't rule it out (Henjak playing NRL) but we want to know how he is addressing his personal issues

It's unrealistic to expect that there won't be these types of incidents from time to time - young blokes in any code are going to make mistakes...but Clubs are realising that these matters need to be dealt with appropriately.

I think rugby league is doing a reasonable job on that front. The pleasing thing for us is that our clubs have got in and not only stepped up the education of younger players but also where necessary we have seen players penalised, contracts terminated...

The findings and recommendation were clear and well- informed. We are satisfied with this outcome.

Poor behaviour, and particularly when it relates to serial offenders, will not be tolerated. It is a privilege, not a right, to play the game at the professional level

A few of the boys today have given me the call to arms but my rehab's on a pretty regimented program and I'll be hopefully progressing as quickly as possible without pushing it too much...

The shoulder's on track, it's going very well but I don't think there's much reason for me to push it too much.
I would absolutely hate it if I pushed it and did some more damage.

There's no way I want to do that. I want to tick off all the boxes and by the time I'm ready to come back I'm very, very confident that my shoulder will be as good as new.

He's got a bit of class about him but obviously when you're playing in the centres ... coming from league there's a lot to learn...He's been very diligent in learning as much as he can.

The reality of it is when you're a centre in Rugby Union you're directing a lot of multi-phase stuff.
You're the eyes of the team...and hopefully communicating with the team as much as possible.

NOT even the presence of the Waratahs' new mascot, Tah Man, could relieve Test winger Lote Tuqiri's anxiety about being high above Sydney yesterday.

The unveiling of Tah Man, who will parade along the sideline at Waratahs matches this season, involved a group of players joining their mascot at the top of Sydney Tower. In blustery rain and high winds, Tah Man led Tuqiri and co onto the Skywalk.

The novelty of the fantastic views soon wore off, however, when an excited Tah Man, who boasts a voice similar to The Simpsons' Duff Man, began jumping around the small platform.

Tuqiri put a hand on Tah Man and provided him with some wise advice. "It was pretty hairy up there …

...it was cold and windy, and I had two hands on the railing the whole time," Tuqiri said after being helped back to solid ground.

"That's why I told Tah Man to calm down. Slow down. He was jumping up and down on the platform. Tah Man was going crazy up there. I said to Tah Man, 'Chill out. Chill out. Leave all that to the footy field'."

But Tuqiri said he would call upon Tah Man during the year to help him out with super-human advice, especially when he needed to psych up fellow backs.
In his role of back-line leader this season, Tuqiri will be expected to provide guidance and direction to one of the lesser experienced of the Super 14 attacks.

"Just as long as Tah Man stays in the suit, he will really get the players pumped," Tuqiri said. "The leadership I will handle my way.
I'm probably more of an action man than one who makes crazy speeches. But if someone needs a hand, I'm certainly happy to help them out."

According to Tah Man, the inspiration for his arrival to save the Waratahs was former Wallabies coach Dave Brockhoff.
"Brock put out the call that the Tahs needed something extra, something special in 2008. That something extra is Tah Man," Tah Man said with typical humility.

To have stability in that position is quite important, particularly for the success of the side, but because there is so much competition there at the moment, I think you've got to experiment to a certain extent

This is probably one good year to experiment but you can't leave it too late to get ready for the World Cup

...And then you've got exciting young talent like Kurtley Beale and Quade Cooper coming through

Berrick did a fantastic job for the amount of time he had training with the team. We do tend to play around certain players, around George [Gregan] and me, and, obviously, I wasn't playing....But a lot of things on the day didn't go our way.

Quarter-finals are always difficult games for Australia, and some of the refereeing decisions went against us. ...We were also a little shell-shocked by England. It was incredibly frustrating watching from the sideline, not being able to do anything about it.

I would trial a few players in positions before the next World Cup, and I would do that over next two years when you don't really think of the World Cup.
You only do that until about two years before

...And depending on [the future of] Stirling Mortlock, the outside-centre slot is, too. But I still see him as the No.1 outside-centre in the world. So if he is there, I would see him holding his spot

This will be a rebuilding year for Australia and the appointment of Robbie Deans will be quite significant...There will be a changing of the guard and a lot of new players coming through.
It will be interesting to see who Deans has his coaching team and what is the team make-up.

The 2011 World Cup is a long, long way off....If you don't get as many Tests as you would wish, don't give up.
Learn as much as you can in the next couple of years to get every chance for the World Cup.

Getting to play with youth … seeing young guys try and make it in Test footy, watching guys like Matt Giteau come from nowhere and succeed

The 50-year-old South Africa under-21 coach succeeds Jake White, who guided the Springboks to victory in the World Cup final against England in Paris in October.

"Peter has created history today by becoming the first black person to coach the Springboks," SARU president Regan Hoskins said overnight.

"He is a strong leader and a coach with a proven track record. We trust that the rugby fraternity will support him and the team as we embark on an exciting new phase of our proud rugby history."

White departed in acrimonious circumstances when he criticised the South African Rugby Union (SARU) for not allowing him time to consider staying on.

The SARU said White had already made it clear that he did not want to continue in the role.

De Villiers followed White's route to the job by also leading the under-21s to the IRB title in 2005.

He was chosen from a shortlist of four candidates that also included 1995 World Cup winner Chester Williams, Springbok backline coach Allister Coetzee and Bulls Super 14 coach Heyneke Meyer.

Meyer was the main rival to De Villiers.

He is the most successful South African provincial coach of the post-isolation era - and favourite for the job among players. Meyer received 77 percent of a vote among 258 members of the South African Rugby Players' Association (SARPA).

However De Villiers's promise as a coach who could increase the speed of transformation of a largely white team weighed just as strongly in his favour with SARU, Hoskins said.

"I want to be honest with South Africa and say that the appointment was not entirely made for rugby reasons," Hoskins said.

"We as an organisation have made the appointment and taken into account the issue of transformation very very seriously when we made it. I don't think that tarnishes Peter - I'm just being honest with our country."

De Villiers said: "You dream of being a Springbok player and if you can't be a player you dream of being a Springbok coach and that has become a reality for me now.

"I am very privileged to be in this position of taking over a great squad of players but this is where the hard work begins. To make wholesale changes would be stupid."

De Villiers comes to the job with more coaching experience than his predecessor White.

He coached amateur club rugby for 10 years before taking on a succession of roles with SARU.

He won the IRB Under-21 title in Argentina in 2005 and finished second to the hosts in France a year later and last year coached the Emerging Springbok side to the IRB Nations Cup title in Romania. He also had two seasons coaching the Falcons in the Currie Cup.

De Villiers's first test match in charge is against Wales in Bloemfontein on June 7.

...So it comes as some surprise to hear the skilful utility describe his heart-breaking knee injury in the tournament opener in France as a "blessing in disguise".

Despite being resigned to missing the start of the Super 14 at the time, Gerrard is now in peak shape, champing at the bit to play two Brumbies trials and grab the vacant fullback role.

The stunning recovery has come following a decision to bypass surgery and spend six weeks, non-stop, in a leg brace after tearing ligaments after one minute on the field and one touch against Japan.

It's allowed Gerrard to enjoy his best pre-season with the Brumbies and see him trim down to 100kg, down from 107kg this time last year when sent home from a Wallabies camp for being unfit.

"I'm raring to go," he told AAP. "The knee has held up really, really well.
"I've lost four or five kilos so I'm really looking forward to it. "I was so far behind the eight ball this time last year it wasn't funny.

"I've taken this injury as a blessing in disguise. I look back now and I know you can't be in that shape and be a professional footballer."

Although only 25, Gerrard enters the 2008 season as the Brumbies senior back following the retirements of George Gregan and Stephen Larkham and injuries to Stirling Mortlock and Clyde Rathbone.

Shoulder surgery to skipper Mortlock, sidelining him until round seven or eight, makes the backline a jigsaw puzzle for coach Laurie Fisher heading into the competition opener against the Crusaders in Christchurch on February 15.

Incumbent fullback Adam Ashley-Cooper is the likely replacement at outside centre, opening up No.15 for either Gerrard or Julian Huxley.

The decision, though, could well come down to how young playmaker Christian Lealiifano performs at five-eighth in trials against NSW (February 1) and Hurricanes (February 8).

Huxley prefers fullback and has played his best rugby at No.15 but proved himself a quality five-eighth while standing in for Larkham last year.

Gerrard has played just six of his 58 games for the Brumbies at fullback and was never considered for the role last year due to his lack of fitness, something that isn't an issue in 2008.

"I'd like to play 15," he said.

"You've got a free rein and more of a chance to spread your wings."

Liking what he's seen, Fisher says he needs Gerrard to deliver his best season for the new-look Brumbies but is none the wiser whether he'll deliver it wearing jersey 15 or 11.

"You know that Hux will be on the park, you know that Ashley-Cooper will be on the park, you that Gerrard will be on the park but where they'll be will depend a lot on how other blokes go and then what the best make-up is," he said.

It's always an honour to lead the Brumbies. To have the confidence of your team-mates to captain the side is very humbling.

It's disappointing not to have Stirlo (Mortlock) on the field for the first few games but our challenge is to set our season up in the initial weeks for when he returns.

We've had an excellent pre-season block so far and everyone is really excited about the beginning of the season.
The support we've received from our supporters already has been overwhelming and we can't wait for the season to start.

We have no hesitation in offering George the captaincy in Stirling's absence. George is a player who has always led the side by his actions, irrespective of whether he's captain or not.

We appreciate that this may not necessarily be a role that he is looking to occupy on a full-time basis but on the occasions that he has led both the Brumbies and the Wallabies he's done a first-class job

We knew that we had to be prepared for anything when playing against South Africa...even genitals aren't safe

I prefer Rugby to soccer. I enjoy the controlled violence of Rugby...except when they bite each other's ears off

For an 18-month suspension, I feel I probably should have torn it off. Then at least I could say, 'Look, I've returned to South Africa with the guy's ear.'

John Eales is a guy who can run, jump, catch, pass, tackle, kick goals, play a square cut on the cricket field and post around 11 seconds for the 100 metres.

It was just a bloody disaster. You're back behind the goal line thinking what the headlines in the paper the next day, will be. You're seeing photos of everyone in the team and the headline 'Woeful Wallabies'. It's not good.

I remember coming back from training one day and Simon Poidevin was talking to a priest. I thought...this was going to be some rough encounter because there's Poido getting the last rites before the test's even started

Rugby is a game for big buggers. if you're not a big bugger, you get hurt. I wasn't a big bugger but i was a fast bugger and therefore I avoided the big buggers.

Good big blokes are better than good little blokes. Then again, good little blokes are better than dud big blokes. And dud big blokes should play something other than Rugby

Ballroom dancing is a contact sport. Rugby is a collision sport

Four more years, boys.

Sort of desolate, decayed, the smell of - I don't want to dramatise it - but death, you know. That is what it feels like, no-man's-land, and it is not a nice place to be.

It doesn't matter whether it's cricket, rugby union, rugby league - we all hate England. It's time to get square and knock them off in Marseille."

Remember the look in the eyes of the Aussies and the Kiwis yesterday - I don't want to see that here.

You blindfold yourself and spin around for 10 times and then open your eyes and try to chase it down.

If we have to play against New Zealand, I'll explain it like this. To win, their 15 players have to have a diarrhoea and we will have to put snipers around the field shooting at them and then we have to play the best match of our lives.

I'd like to thank the press from the heart of my bottom

No leadership, no ideas. Not even enough imagination to thump someone in the line-up when the ref wasn't looking.

We've lost seven of our last eight matches. Only team that we've beaten was Western Samoa. Good job we didn't play the whole of Samoa.

Remember that rugby is a team game; all 14 of you make sure you pass the ball to Jonah.

In 1823, William Webb Ellis first picked up the ball in his arms and ran with it. And for the next 156 years forwards have been trying to work out why

Grandmother or tails, sir?

LOTE Tuqiri says it would be a crying shame if Chris Latham's move to England this year triggered an exodus of Wallabies to cashed-up overseas clubs.

Latham yesterday accepted a rich two-season deal with Worcester after rejecting Australian Rugby Union's incentive-based offer.
Many South African and New Zealand internationals, including All Blacks Dougie Howlett, Rico Gear, Luke McAlister, Carl Hayman and Chris Jack have opted for the money and moved abroad and Tuqiri hopes Australians don't follow suit.

"It (Latham's move) might start a trend," Tuqiri said.
"There's a few guys coming off contract and I don't know how their negotiations are going with the franchises and the ARU. It will be interesting.

"If people want to play hardball, I guess there is that option to go overseas.
"A few world-class players (including Wallabies captain Stirling Mortlock next season) are coming off contract and it will be interesting to see what happens.
"You don't want to see those guys go prematurely."

Tuqiri said new Wallabies coach Robbie Deans would face a difficult time replacing Latham after he presumably plays his last Test in September against the All Blacks in Brisbane.

"Latho's been a bloody great servant," he said.
"He always shows heart and passion and drive when it comes to pulling on that green and gold."

Tuqiri didn't doubt Latham could get better after watching the 2006 John Eales medallist excelled at the recent World Cup in France, despite missing the domestic campaign after a knee reconstruction.

"There are certainly some young guys coming through the ranks. I guess we'll pick up the slack somewhere," he said.
"But he's a massive loss. He showed in the World Cup, that he's one of the best No. 15s in the world."

Tuqiri has discussed an interest in playing fullback with the NSW Waratahs' new backs coach Todd Louden.
'I actually wouldn't mind," the star winger said.

"Playing in the back three . . . it's pretty much the same; you're sort of going across field and working as a pendulum and things like that.

"I'd obviously have to pick up my kicking skills, but I wouldn't mind having a crack at it."

NEW Wallaby coach Robbie Deans failed in a last-ditch bid to keep Chris Latham in Australian rugby because the fullback had no alternative but to finish his career in England.

"It was a final chat but Chris had made his call, no doubt a hard one, and one we now wish him well with," Howard said of Latham's deal with Worcester Warriors.

It was a dead-end of the ARU's own making months ago because the salary-cutting stamp of chief executive John O'Neill meant the offer to Latham was only ever modest.

O'Neill has a "financial stability" agenda – hosing down the player salary spiral which ran out of control with Lote Tuqiri.

The stench to it is that a player in regular trouble off the field gets the cookies when a 10-year Wallaby with an unblemished record of performance does not.

The ARU's judgment that he (Latham) will be a fading star in two years, as measured by a sizeable contract downgrade in its offer, clearly rankles with the 78-Test fullback.

Rugby has never been treated as a job by me...It's a passion of mine and now I get to share that a lot longer with my family in Europe.
The (ARU) offer was incentive based. I really didn't think I needed incentives to play rugby. I never have.

If I ever went home thinking rugby was a job, I'd quit. It's not the reason I'm quitting here – it's time to move on and get some fresh goals

This is definitely not to do with money. Obviously the (Worcester) money is good but had I been offered the same (ARU) amount I was on this year for the next few (2009-10) I certainly would have stayed...
So it is disappointing that no agreement was reached here. I'm not bitter, angry or disappointed. It's the facts of life and you get on with it

I firmly believe I'm yet to play some of my best, consistent rugby..I'm not an oldie at 32 and I know my body will hold up

Had I been offered the same amount of money I was on this year for the next few years I would definitely have stayed in Australia....So it has been pretty disappointing that we couldn't come to an agreement.
...but I believe in myself and I have a lot of good years left playing top- level rugby.

It's quite easy to label people at 32 and say they're getting old but I think in rugby years I'm very young. I know that I can improve.

Unfortunately, when people see dollars in the paper that's all they seem to read and forget about everything else which is disappointing because it has definitely never been about the money.

I can confirm that I have signed but the financial side of things that have been reported that's way out.

I've been able to work fairly hard on that since the World Cup and am obviously very confident now.
I did have last season out, but that's the only injury that's kept me out over a long period of time. I know my body can hold up.
Before I get to Worcester I want to put enough time into my fitness and make sure I get the skills right

He means so much to the team and the state..."We will be digging deep to find something to send him off on a high...
It's very sad, he's a guy that you just expect to be there year in, year out but people move on and we understand he's got to do what's best for his family and career.

It's going to feel fairly hollow for a while without him, he provides so much energy for our side...He might be one of the oldest blokes going around, but he is like a spring chicken every day at training for us!!

So many games we have played in which we were down and out he has got the ball, done something freakish and won us the game - you can't replace guys like that unfortunately

Wallabies great Stephen Larkham has implored Test skipper Stirling Mortlock to play on in Australia and not follow him to Japan after the playmaker finally sealed his future on Wednesday.

The 102-Test five-eighth was declared the biggest-name signing in the history of the Japanese game when he announced a career-ending three-year contract with Ricoh.

A second Brumbies back could challenge for that honour later this year with fears of Mortlock joining him in the land of the rising sun if the Australian Rugby Union falls well short of a massive contract on offer in Japan.

Mortlock has spoken of his desire to play on in Australia beyond 2008 but Brumbies coach Laurie Fisher said it all depended on whether the ARU came to the party financially.

"(Mortlock) says he wants to stay but there's more to it than wanting to stay, Latham wanted to stay and didn't get the offer he wanted," Fisher said.

While there are rumours Mortlock is eying such a move when his current deal expires this year, seasoned Wallabies lock Nathan Sharpe is set to spurn the big money overseas to stay with the Western Force.

I think particularly after the World Cup a lot of guys think about moving on...But I think you have to realise how special it is to play for your country and to play for the states here in Australia.

They are all very good set-ups, it's a comfortable lifestyle and you're looked after very well and that's not necessarily the case if you're move overseas and it's something you have to weigh up.

"For the sport in Australia you'd certainly like to see those guys (Mortlock and Sharpe) staying in Australia to offer some more expertise for a couple more years at least."

Larkham said he was close to signing with Kefu's Kubota club but chose Ricoh for family reasons with schools, training fields and shops all close to his new home.

I've always wanted to play rugby in Japan, and now get the chance to do so a little earlier than expected
My family is very excited by the opportunity to live in Tokyo and I am looking forward to playing for Ricoh.

I'm currently enjoying the longest rest of my rugby career and I'm feeling mentally and physically refreshed.

Stephen's decision is a huge coup for Japanese rugby and its growing fan base

Stephen Larkham on ARC


Please don't quote me on that last quote. My sources tell me it's pure fabrication.

....and this is why my anticipation is more on the anti side of things.

More of a dim scrum....

Although I am all for it...I don't believe this will last. Not because I'm psychic (I'm more cyclops than psychic...totally one-eyed when it comes to Rugby!...and that is always on the Larkham ball...)

...but because I belong to the grassroots level of Rugby. The ruck starts here...at junior level. At family level. At Club level. And Club level is already suffering thanks to ARU's greed.

Strong leadership is paramount to the success of our game and, to that end, there are times when tough decisions need to be taken.

...the ARC had already achieved some of its objectives by helping identify new talent and the ARU remained committed to trying to spread the game in Australia.

As custodians of the game I believe that we as a community need to look further into this competition than merely a financial balance sheet, and its true success cannot be fully measured at this early stage.

There are many long-term, important benefits of this competition that can not be recorded on a balance sheet. The players all bought into this concept and built teams and established cultures. It doesn't seem right for it to be that easily taken away. The decision to withdraw this competition is a big step backwards.

The review undertaken by the ARU senior management should have been more inclusive of the stakeholders including clubs, state unions and the players.

There is no pathway for Perth players. How does a club player in Perth get into a Super 14 team? The answer is easy. He doesn't.

What happens to players 23 to 40 who don't play much Super 14? Don't tell me 10 games of club rugby in Perth is all they play?

It's important from our point of view that the ARU outlines Victoria's place in the national footprint...The Rebels gave an enormous uplift for rugby in Victoria

We are looking at 2011 [for a Super side] … four years away. That is quite a long time...

We will meet with the states in the new year to see if we can design a new competition - affordable and of standard of football that is suitable...It won't be grandiose or anything of that nature. It will be interim.

Deans announced as Wallabies coach

The Australian Rugby Union has announced that Robbie Deans will coach the Wallabies for the next four years.

Deans becomes the first foreigner to coach the national side.

The appoinment of Deans comes as no surprise, as he was the firm favourite after being overlooked for the All Blacks job

... Deans will give up his coaching position at the Crusaders to step into Australia's national role.

The decision is likely to upset the Australian candidates; Ewen McKenzie, David Nucifora, Alan Jones, Laurie Fisher and John Muggleton.

Apart from losing out to a New Zealander, the Australians have been through a testing experience which included lodging their applications before the cut-off deadline, facing extensive interviews and being put in a holding pattern while Deans's All Black fate was decided.

Dean's appointment is seen by many as a masterstroke, but there are also plenty of Wallabies supporters who feel the role should have been reserved for an Australian.

George Gregan received the biggest cheer when his name was announced before kickoff and he did not disappoint in his debut for big-spending French second division club Toulon.

Coming off the bench in the second half, former Wallabies captain Gregan teamed sweetly in the halves with longtime All Blacks foe Andrew Mehrtens as Toulon thumped Beziers 41-7.

Mehrtens, 34, kicked 19 of their points while Gregan, in his first match since the World Cup quarter-final loss to England which ended his world record 139 cap Test career, produced a stellar display at scrum-half.

We are long time friends, and first played against each other 14 years ago...
George hasn't had too many training sessions with the boys yet but he played as if he had been there a long time

The red and black in the stands reminded me of the Canterbury colours, my old club in New Zealand.

I am not going to go over the top about this victory as we won our first match of last season 49-12 against Mont-de-Marsan...
The positive thing is that we are still missing some players with some of them being the best at their position in the world. (South Africa World Cup winning lock Victor Matfield and All Black Anton Oliver)

When I see this team with the young guys who came through the ranks in Toulon, I say to myself: how are we going to fit in the new arrivals.

Toulon, it is cheese and pudding: there are the stars and the young from the youth system.

Obviously, Australian rugby supporters and sponsors and players are looking for a rehabilitation of the game. My own view is that's not difficult,

If there are influential entities within the game … who believe that I can make a contribution, then I believe I'm obligated to think about it and say, 'Let's go to the next step,' whatever that next step is.

But I feel we're in such a state - and it's not a difficult problem to resolve … We don't have a problem with players, we just have a problem with method, and in that context I think what I've said today is that I'm interested in going to the next step.

Alan is a very smart man and I'm sure he has got some good ideas.
He came in and had a chat with us before one of our Test matches - he certainly keeps in contact with a lot of the players.

From what I remember, he also had some good ideas, was a bit of a lateral thinker and he offers probably a little bit different a coaching style to some of the coaches that are running around.

Alan Jones is desperate to coach Australia again, everyone knows that and he's been working for probably the last 12 years to try to get the position back so this might be his last throw of the dice

He'd struggle...The game's moved on so quickly and...at the World Cup the game changed quite significantly again and you've got to move with the little trends of the game and try to stay in front (of the trends of the game).

(the game's) changed enormously and will continue to change and if you've been out for as long as Alan you'd really struggle.

Eddie's one to talk about struggling...
I promised Eddie that if he didn't say anything nasty about me I wouldn't remind everybody that he lost 11 games for Queensland, the last one by the tune of 94 points to three for God's sake.

Who are these people to talk about coaching? This is a myth about the game changing. That's absolute nonsense.
I just think everyone pretends this is like mounting World War Five

At the end of the day this is not complicated, getting Australian rugby back on the rails.
There are 15 players and there's a football. A coach has got to determine what you do with the 15 players and what you do with the football.

One of the things you do is...you coach people to run into space and not into people. Our method and strategy has been bad.

They are very, very good players, the method is wrong, I think the coaching strategies are wrong and they've been wrong for years.

Alan Jones' got all the energy and skill and passion and leadership qualities...Age and time expired means nothing, it's who's best for the job.

My guess would be Alan would do it for nothing

We were in talks last week but then I was told by my agent that they (the Dragons) were not interested any more.
One minute we were talking, then the next minute the offer was gone. Undoubtedly it was because of my injury.

The cut off for the European tournament was the 18th of this month (October), so we really didn't have a lot of time when Edinburgh pulled out...
"During the World Cup and all that, you'd think there would be plenty of time but with injury and everything there was no time to get around.

Everything was just so rushed because Edinburgh pulled out so late, so now we're looking at other options and Japan comes up in June next year which certainly would be a bit easier for us at this stage.

I wanted to still be playing in a professional competition and potentially offering something to them in terms of a bit of expertise.

I suppose also being a bit closer to home would be good as well. We'd been ready to move over to Edinburgh for a couple of years but now I suppose the beauty of Japan is it's a little bit closer to home.

I'm certainly looking to train through this period, certainly up until April, which is the earliest they expect you over there

There's a fair bit to do around the house and spending time with the family is important to me as well, so we'll certainly spend the time in or around Canberra.

Plus Dusk has asked me to contribute to Rucks and Rolls and I'm really considering her offer.

Fullback Percy "pretty boy" Montgomery scored the majority of South Africa's points from penalties, landing three in the first half then another in the second term while centre Francois Steyn kicked one long-range goal after missing an earlier attempt.

England's points all came from the boot of flyhalf Jonny Wilkinson, who kicked a penalty in each half but missed two shots at drop goals, although they came closest to scoring a try through winger Mark Cueto only to have it disallowed by the video referee for putting a foot into touch.

I'm very happy, this gives me a lot of joy...We couldn't be first or second and it was a very difficult week [after losing the semi-final] but eventually the players got their heads around it and today we played a great match.

The best team won...They've beaten us twice so it's fair to say they're better than us.

...important advances this year with millions watching their progress in the World Cup.
Even an important football match was delayed to avoid a clash with a Pumas quarter-final match against Scotland.

Reducing the number of countries from 20 to 16 would be the end of rugby...We want Argentina, Fiji and the rest of the countries to have a chance to be on the stage.

"Two of the greatest teams in the world [Australia and New Zealand] have gone home in the quarter-finals.
"It's time to look and say where do we want to go? Do we want to go for more open rugby or will there just be a six or 10 country tournament?

"You know my answer, I want rugby to be for everyone, not just a few."

Australian Rugby Union chairman Peter McGrath has stood aside pending an investigation into a sponsor's complaint about his behaviour at the World Cup in France.

A meeting of available ARU board members was held in France last night where they accepted McGrath's offer to stand down until the matter had been resolved.

McGrath has "totally refuted'' a complaint from one of the ARU's major sponsors Bundaberg Rum that he was in an intoxicated state when he joined a group of sponsors' representatives on the eve of the Wallabies' quarter-final loss to England.

An ARU statement today said deputy chairman Peter Cosgrove would assume the position of acting chairman in McGrath's absence.

"This matter will be dealt with expeditiously and transparently by the ARU board,'' Cosgrove said.

The ARU said there would be no further comment until investigations had been completed.

ARU chief executive John O'Neill confirmed that a formal complaint had been lodged regarding an incident in Marseille.

McGrath, who is a lawyer, has conceded he had been drinking at the time but said he was shocked to be the subject of a complaint.

"I did not act inappropriately in any way,'' he told News Ltd. "I don't deny that I had a few drinks ... but I'm shocked that it's been perceived in this way.''

McGrath said he had never had his behaviour called into question because of alcohol in a 30-year association with both rugby codes as a player and administrator.

JAKE White is set to step down as South Africa's national rugby coach if the Springboks triumph in this Saturday's World Cup final against England.

White said the title of world champions had been his ultimate ambition ever since he took over three years ago and he was cool on the idea of being moved upstairs after the tournament.

“When I took over as coach, I said I really wanted to win the World Cup,” he said.
“That was part of my first speech to the guys in 2004 when I got the job. If this group wins, it is the most I can achieve.”

White has been a frequent target of sniping by provincial rugby administrators and has been come under fire from central government over the continued dearth of black players in the team

I don't think so. At this point I don't even want to think about it.”

If England came to me with a proposal to coach them one day, I'd be crazy not to accept it.
“There are a huge amount of similarities between England and South Africa.
We have both come through tough times and, apart from these last few weeks, they've really not done well since winning the World Cup.

...But England have got massive potential, some real stars and plenty of exciting young players coming through. And there is so much desire and passion in English rugby that I'd have to be tempted.”

I'll be honest, I want to stay in international rugby,
...Once you've coached in international rugby, you want to stay in it. It's in your blood. The message from my side is quite clear to any job that's available or could be available.

It would be very silly of me to start worrying about any future jobs now while the campaign is not finished but afterwards I would really love to be involved in international rugby.

Any international job would be something that excites me.

FORMER Wallabies coach Eddie Jones yesterday accused John "Knuckles" Connolly of bungling the World Cup campaign. Jones said the decision to sack George Gregan as skipper and hand Stirling Mortlock the captaincy had backfired.

Delivering a brutal assessment of the Wallabies' demise, Jones said claims the scrum had made massive advances since his axing two years ago were shown to lack substance in Marseille on Sunday.

"It has improved, but not that much, and there were repercussions elsewhere," Jones said. "At the scrum and the breakdown you would give England 8/10 and Australia 4/10."

But Jones argued that the other key element in the defeat was the removal of Gregan as on-field general.

"It was a mistake not having George as captain," said Jones, now right-hand man to South African coach Jake White....hence the *latter day sinner...
"The Wallabies definitely lacked leadership in that game (12-10 loss to England). They never got together to work out what to do, which George was always good at.

"He's been criticised as a halfback in recent times. Some of the stuff was right, some of it wrong. But you could never criticise his captaincy."

Jones said his comments were not an attack on Mortlock.

"It's hard to captain from the No. 13 position, and I don't think he was very experienced in that situation at the weekend," he said. "Quarter-finals, semi-finals and finals at a World Cup are life and death.

"It's not your normal Test footy. The intensity exacerbates strengths and weaknesses. I don't think it was Stirling's fault. It was a matter of circumstance.

"I've coached George and I know he would have been cognisant of the fact he wasn't the captain. It showed out that he didn't want to overrule the bloke in charge."

I got halfway through my blog yesterday and had to abandon - too sad. Like you, I thought we'd play Oz in the finals.
But really, how could the French lose? Didn't they have to win? What would have happened to the rest of the tournament if they'd lost? Would the French public have withdrawn in pain and shame? Would the whole event have turned sour and died?

Ten reasons why the All Blacks' 20-18 loss to France in the Rugby World Cup quarterfinals ain't that bad....

1.Richie McCaw's freshly cut hair put in a great performance.

2.They only won by two points.

3.Only one person lost $A5 million ($NZ5.89 million) by betting on us winning.

4.France could still lose the final.

5.We could have lost to Georgia.

6.Blue will never look as cool as black on a uniform.

7.What doesn't kill us can only make us stronger.

8.If it wasn't for the ref, it would have been different.

9.You can still drink your beer stockpile on New Year's Eve.

10.The French have never won an Oscar for best picture.

The hardest part for Stephen Larkham about ending his international career was that he didn't get a chance to have an impact on its conclusion.

The 102-test veteran only got to play 60 minutes of rugby in the 2007 World Cup, in Australia's opening 91-3 win over Japan, before he was sidelined with an injured right knee.

He had hoped to come back. But, even after Australia's 12-10 quarterfinal exit to England, he said wasn't sure if he'd have been fit if the Wallabies had advanced to the semifinals.

Right until the end though, he had confidence that his teammates, with old halfback partner George Gregan still out there, would get past England and he'd get another chance to play for Australia.

"I honestly thought we'd come back — work our way into the territory, get a penalty and win the game," he said. "It didn't happen.

And then the final whistle blew. I wasn't too bad. But when I went on the pitch, looking at the faces of a lot of guys and realizing I wouldn't play with them again — it was difficult.

"It was very emotional for me, knowing that I wouldn't play for Australia again."

Larkham made a beeline for Gregan, his teammate at the ACT Brumbies and Australia for more than a decade. Gregan's career was also finished, with a world record 139 test caps.

"After the match, I had to go up and give him a hug," Larkham said. "It was too much for me at the time — I can't even remember what was said."
With the English forwards completely dominating the breakdown, Australia missed Larkham's uncanny knack of squeezing through a gap in the defense or turning the opposition around with an unconventional kick.

Australia scored the only try, Lote Tuqiri's first since June, in the 33rd minute, but went down to four penalty goals from Jonny Wilkinson.

It was Wilkinson's dropped goal in extra time that gave England a 20-17 win over Australia in the 2003 World Cup final and ended Australia's reign as champion.

Four years before that, Larkham and Gregan had central roles in Australia's World Cup title.

Gregan did not want to talk about Saturday's game, saying "now's not really the time for washups, mate."

Larkham had plenty of praise, though, for his longtime teammate.

They played 79 tests together in the No. 9-No. 10 combination after Larkham shifted from fullback to flyhalf at the insistence of former Wallaby coach Rod Macqueen.

"He's been the rock behind my career," the 33-year-old Larkham said. "He was sort of my mentor when I first moved to five-eighth. He coached me through the early years and continued to coach me through the latter years."

Larkham said he needed to make a decision about his future, but thought he'd be playing club rugby somewhere. He hadn't decided, he said, "because there was no real 'Plan B' for this team.

Australia captain Stirling Mortlock said the bitter disappointment of a World Cup quarterfinal loss was that it coincided with the international retirements of Gregan and Larkham.

"Stephen and George have given so much, not just to Australian rugby, but the world of rugby for 14 years," Mortlock said. "For them to bow out in the quarterfinal, everyone involved in our preparation is extremely disappointed for them."