Rugby Confidential: French rugby contract clause could rule Joseph Manu out of historic British & Irish Lions match
High-profile rugby convert Joseph Manu could be sensationally blocked from facing the British and Irish Lions, as Australian rugby is set to welcome back a familiar face - at a shock destination.
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A contractual clause could prevent Joseph Manu playing for the combined Australia-New Zealand team against the British & Irish Lions in Adelaide.
While the former NRL star is keen to feature in the match, we understand his rich contract with French club Racing 92 will be registered and official on July 1, which is 11 days before the combined AU/NZ team faces the Lions at Adelaide Oval.
French clubs are notoriously strict in releasing their players for Test matches outside Regulation Nine windows, so the idea of allowing Manu a game in Australia against the tourists and risk injury before he begins his Top 14 tenure is unlikely.
But the odds of Michael Hooper tackling the Lions are shortening by the day.
Joe Schmidt’s great mate Ian Foster has been appointed as one of the coaches of the combined Australian and New Zealand team to face the Lions on July 12, a week before the opening Test.
While none of the other coaches or players have yet been named, Foster will mainly be in charge of any New Zealand players in Japan who get selected for the match.
Pressed on who he would like to see picked, Foster nominated Richie Mo’unga and Aaron Smith and casually dropped Hooper’s name in the mix as well.
Smith and Hooper both play for Japanese club Toyota Verblitz, the same side Foster coaches. Manu also plays for Verblitz while Mo’unga plies his trade with Toshiba Brave Lupus, who just happened to beat Verblit last weekend.
“I don’t want to share it too early, because clearly this is a rugby Australia selected team of which I’ll obviously help from this part of the world,” Foster said.
“From the New Zealand perspective, it’s making sure that it’s experienced enough and strong enough to be really competitive. It’s not a festival game, it’s a chance to put on a new jersey that no one’s worn before and to play in a very special series.”
FOSTER THE WALLABIES COACH?
FOSTER was identified as a possible candidate for the Wallabies’ coaching job when Eddie Jones quit after overseeing the disastrous 2023 World Cup campaign.
He didn’t throw his hat in the ring, opting instead to take a club job in Japan while Schmidt took the role instead. Asked why he didn’t reconsider applying for the position when Schmidt steps down later this year, Foster said he had the wrong twang.
“I think it’s probably time for an Aussie coach, my accent’s not quite right,” he said.
“But I think in your own backyard you’ve got some good coaches developing there and I think that’s the likely place to be looking.”
WALLABY SET FOR RETURN
THE Waratahs and Wallabies are on the verge of another signing coup, with former Australian lock Matt Philip set to return next year and wear the blue jersey.
Philip has played 31 Tests for Australia, including the 2019 World Cup, and his impending signing means he would be eligible for the 2027 home World Cup, and potentially even this year’s Lions series.
The 31-year-old, who played for Western Force and Melbourne Rebels before joining Japanese club Yokohoma Canon Eagles last year, will be a handy acquisition for NSW who are short of Test quality second-rowers.
In previous years, players who have signed with Rugby Australia for the following year have been considered for Wallabies selection, which puts Philip in the frame for the Lions and this year’s Rugby Championship should there be a spate of injuries.
NO HOME YET
THE Wallabies are still waiting for confirmation on where they will play their Spring Tour matches against France and Italy.
There’s still no official confirmation but our snouts in Europe say the French – flying high after winning the Six Nations – are so confident they can fill any stadium they play that they want to tackle the Wallabies at the Stade de France in Paris.
But the struggling Italians are going the other direction, so are looking at playing the Wallabies at Stadio Friuli, the 25,000-seat home of Northern Italian soccer club Udinese.
WILSON TO LEAD REDS
HE may be the incumbent Wallabies captain, but Harry Wilson has never skippered the Queensland Reds.
That changes this Saturday when Wilson leads the Reds out for first time in their clash against the Highlanders.
Queensland coach Les Kiss has preferred captaincy options Liam Wright, Tate McDermott and Fraser McReight in recent seasons. But with Wright and McReight injured, and McDermott being rested, Wilson becomes Queensland’s 128th captain.
The 25-year-old backrower is also one of several Reds to sign contract extensions at the club, alongside McReight, McDermott, Lukhan Salakaia-Loto, Matt Faessler and Hunter Paisami as they aim to emulate the 2011 side and win Super Rugby.
“We all love playing here, and a lot of us have been here for quite a few years now, and you know when we’re heading in the right direction,” Wilson told Rugby Confidential.
“There is genuine belief at this organisation we can achieve something special, and the coaching staff we have, we all feel like we’re becoming better football players, we all feel as if we’re improving each session, and we now know we’ve got a good core group staying together, and hopefully we can have a few more re-signings in the future too because we love playing here.
“We love playing for Queensland. We love training at Ballymore, playing at Suncorp Stadium, and you really want to be part of success.
“You see that 2011 team, that’s what’s inspired a lot of us, and a lot of them were all our heroes, and just to have the ability to one day be able to hopefully have a sold-out Suncorp Stadium and a premiership like that would be so special, so that’s definitely driving a lot of us.”
REPLACEMENT LOCKED IN
The replacement team for the Melbourne Rebels’ fixture against the Lions has been confirmed with a First Nations & Pasifika XV to play the tourists at Melbourne’s Marvel Stadium on July 22, between the first and second Tests.
SUAALII IMPRESSES
Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii has surpassed every other player in media hype and demand that’s ever been coached by Dan McKellar.
And that’s saying something, given the calibre of player McKellar has had under his wing at the Brumbies and Leicester.
“He’s certainly topped the list there in terms of players that bring a whole lot of interest, I’ve coached some high-profile players, I’ve had Handre Pollard, he’s won two World Cups, over at Leicester and other players there, Joseph seems to attract plenty of attention which is good for the game, good for the Waratahs,” NSW boss McKellar said.
“It’s obviously a challenge for Joseph. He’s a 21-year-old young man so we’ve got to make sure that we protect him there as well.”
Highlighting Suaalii’s market appeal, he was a special guest of Louis Vuitton, alongside All Blacks great Dan Carter, at the Australian Grand Prix in Melbourne last weekend.
SUPER RUGBY SURGE
Crowds are flocking back to Super Rugby Pacific in big numbers, as high scores and thrilling finishes recapture the attention of union fans.
After five rounds, statistics show that the average attendance is up 34 per cent on last season, a tremendous
It’s rumoured that television ratings are also up. Although Stan Sport don’t release figures, we hear the Reds versus Waratahs match drew more than 500,000 viewers last Saturday when it was shown on Nine’s main channel.
This remains highest scoring season of all time, with an average of 62.4 points per game, while the average margin of victory (9.6 points) is the fifth smallest in history.
Incredibly, 44 per cent of matches so far have been decided by four points or less.
CHEEKY THIEF
There is an Aucklander currently enjoying a luxury massage table that belongs to the Brumbies.
While travelling to Hamilton for the match against the Chiefs in round three, the table went missing at Auckland airport.
Frustrated Brumbies physios had to borrow tables from the hotel they were staying at during the week.
We’re sure it’s now getting decent use in some Kiwi’s lounge room.
LEVI RETURNS
Australian Sevens superstar Madison Levi has been cleared to make her return to the international stage at next week’s Hong Kong Sevens.
World Rugby Sevens Player of the Year, Levi has been out of action since fracturing her thumb in January but has been named in a revamped Australian squad for the March 28-30 event at Hong Kong’s brand new Kai Tak Stadium.
“We are fielding our youngest team in our history, our least number of total caps since 2015 (series began in 2012) and our most disruptive preparation ever,” Australian women’s coach Tim Walsh said: ”As we are heading into China, we are embracing ancient Chinese wisdom to prepare ourselves for the challenges ahead. ‘True Gold does not fear the flame’ is our mantra.“
Teenager Hadley Tonga has been recalled to the Aussie men’s team for Hong Kong.
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