Payto & Panda: Axed Penrith Emus consider legal action against Shute Shield organisers

THE heartbroken Penrith club could turn on Shute Shield organisers, Crusaders watch NRL training, and a Melbourne Rebel shows club his marketing skills.

PENRITH officials have met with lawyers and are considering taking legal action against Sydney Rugby Union after being kicked out of the Shute Shield.

Up to 120 players attended a meeting at the clubhouse on Tuesday, and many broke down in tears after being told they’ll no longer have teams playing in Sydney’s club rugby competition.

Players and their families urged the Penrith Emus board to do whatever was necessary to have them reinstated, prompting club president Jim Hook to sit down with lawyers on Thursday.

“We’re taking some advice, that’s appropriate in our circumstances,” Hook said.

Penrith Emus have been axed from the Shute Shield.

“I’ve been in a lot of meetings, and Tuesday night’s was the toughest I’ve been involved in.

“We had a lot of people hurting, asking us to fix this.

“There are some really good people here, and rugby is their life, their social fabric, and now it’s been taken away from them.”

The SRU made the decision to axe Penrith on Monday, four rounds into the competition, citing a number of failures in club operations including financial and with player safety.

Penrith dispute these, and their lawyers are now analysing the merits of court action.

“It will have to be the right decision for the right reasons,” Hook said.

WALLABIES GO WEST

MEANWHILE, in a timely show of support for rugby in western Sydney, the Wallabies will again set up camp in the region ahead of the first Bledisloe Cup match in August.

Michael Cheika’s squad went into camp at Panthers in Penrith last year and trained at Panthers Stadium, and the entire squad attended a gala day at Nepean Park, the home of the Emus.

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The Wallabies will do their bit to keep the fan fires burning by going into camp in Parramatta on August 12, and there is another western Sydney junior gala day planned in the region, with a venue TBC.

CRUSADERS PLUCK CHOOKS

THE Crusaders were interested observers at the Roosters training on Tuesday at Moore Park.

The reigning Super Rugby champions stayed in Australia after beating the Brumbies in Canberra last weekend and ahead of their clash with the Rebels on Friday.

Crusaders coach Scott Robertson has spent time with the Roosters in Sydney before, when he observed the defence work done by Trent Robinson and the Chooks at the end of 2016.

The Waratahs once had a joint training session with the Roosters when Michael Cheika was coaching at NSW.

MEAKES BRINGS THE FORCE TO REBELS

AS they say on Stars Wars Day, May the 4th be with you.

But if you’re Rebels centre Billy Meakes, it’s May the 4th tickets be with you.

Meakes has been doing his bit to promote the Melbourne outfit by giving away two tickets to Rebels’ home games via a challenge on his Instagram page.

The kicker? The Wallaby back paid for all the tickets himself at the start of the year, putting him in the running for Australian rugby’s best bloke of the year.

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“We do so many commercial engagements and stuff like that, I thought it’d be nice to give away something to regular fans,” Meakes

“It’s one thing to tell them to come to a game and get involved but some people may not be know how to even get started with that, so I thought I’d grab two tickets to every home game and give them away.”

Meakes has already done a tag your favourite sibling round, and one recognising volunteers in footy. This week is a theme close to Meakes’ heart - International Star Wars day.

A big fan, you ask? Let’s just say Meakes’ dog is named Leia.

“My mum is a big Star Wars fan so I was brought up on it,” Meakes said.

Meakes’ call-out to was tag a mate and which Star Wars character they resemble, and he was kind enough to get the ball rolling with his Rebels teammates.

Chewbacca is Geoff Parling - “big and hairy”; Yoda is Will Genia - “been around for ever, very wise”; Han Solo is Tom English - “everyone loves him”; Darth Vader is Adam Coleman - “pretty angry”; Matt Philip is Jar-Jar Binks - “big frame but goofy” and “the little fella” Henry Hutchison is the resident Ewok.

“The coaching staff are the First Order, too,” Meakes said.

Guess that means you’re Luke Skywalker? “Naturally”.

Melbourne Rebels and Wallabies centre Billy Meakes celebrating international Star Wars day.

Little gestures like Meakes’ giveaway show why the Rebels are now humming along nicely.

On-field has slipped after a red-hot start but this week the Melburnians announced a new major sponsor in Legacy Property and Investment Group, and they’ve got a new deal with Renault as well.

The clash with the Crusaders at AAMI Park has seen them sell out their corporate suites for the first time since 2012.

“It’s a tough game coming after a tough tour but for us it is sort of a good thing,” Meakes said.

“It is another test for us. We have a chance to play the titleholders and see where we are at, we’re back at home, Willy G is back, everyone is pumped.”

RUGBY’S DOSSIER

SANZAAR have prepared a “blue sky thinking” document for all member countries to chew over at their next board meeting in London later this month. It games out several theories and formats for Super Rugby and Rugby Championship up to 2030 - expansion, contraction, staying the same - but the consensus is the document is pretty useless without knowing what broadcasters will pay for any them.

The best SANZAAR can do at this stage is guess.

The more important documents being prepared are the ones each country have commissioned asking what is in THEIR best interest.

Rugby Australia have engaged Nielsen consultant Michael Tange to look hard at the options for the game in this country, and crucially, the likely behaviours and attitudes of the broadcasters.

Let’s hope that RA have learned the lesson of the last broadcast deal, and the folly of SANZAAR rush to expand prior to that. In 2014, former boss Bill Pulver told us a memorable line that one would hope will never be heard again:

“We don’t always make decisions exclusively for the good of Australian rugby. On occasion you make decisions for the good of all rugby.”

GOOD GUY BACK ON HIS FEET

GREAT to see James “Chucky” Stannard taking his first steps back in boots and onto a training field this week. Stannard, who suffered a fractured skull in an alleged cowards punch, was out helping the Australian women’s sevens team’s kickers at Moore Park.

Stannard hopes to be able to get back into some light running soon.

CODE-HOPPER

CHLOE Dalton, a Rio gold medallist and the reigning Aussie women’s sevens player of the year, has switched to AFL.

Dalton took an indefinite break from the Australian sevens program at the end of last year to finish her physio degree and lead a normal life, and she decided a few weeks back she would not return.

Chloe Dalton is playing VFLW for the Blues this season.

Instead, Dalton has signed with Carlton and will play women’s VFL this winter in a bid to learn the game and play AFLW next season. That part shouldn’t be a problem - Dalton is a skilled and tough athlete who also kicked for the Aussie sevens team.

Dalton hasn’t ruled out a return to sevens but is focusing on the Sherrin for the immediate future.

It’s a big shame but it must be remembered rugby poached Dalton from basketball back in 2013.

Rio reserve Brooke Walker, who was released by the Aussie program, is also pursuing an AFLW future.

INNOVATIONS ON HOLD?

THERE is still come confusion about whether the Western Force will be able to use all of their law innovations on Friday night against the Fiji Warriors in Perth.

In supersonic time considering their usual glacial pace, World Rugby this week hurriedly approved the seven-point “power try” trial, but stayed quiet on the rolling 12 subs, one minute scrums and no delay lineouts.

They are exhibition matches but given the Force are playing major teams like the Crusaders, Rebels, Tonga, Samoa and the Fiji Warriors (their home-based side) and RA refs are doing the games, all rules have to be legit.

There is some doubt that the rolling subs tweak will be approved by World Rugby.

Our Fiji snouts tell us the Warriors were happy to play under the rules, seeing them as PR, but not all World Series Rugby rivals have officially signed off.

VALE TO ONE OF RUGBY’S NICE GUYS

ONE of the great Wallaby heroes passed away this week in the shape of Bruce Taafe - one of the “Magnificent Seven”.

Taafe was a Sydney-raised hooker who chose a rugby career over a future in high-level cricket, and he made his debut for the Wallabies in 1969.

But injury and a brave moral stand ensured Taafe wouldn’t play for Australia again until 1972.

In the 1971 tour of Australia by South Africa, Taafe was one of seven Wallabies players who withdrew from selection for the Test series due to their opposition to apartheid.

Bruce Taafe in 1970.

Now, the stance is celebrated but at the time the “Rugby Seven” were basically told they’d never play for Australia again, and the public backlash was no kinder.

The much-protested Boks tour rallied anti-apartheid support, though, and Gough Whitlam later suspended all sporting contact.

Taafe and the “Rugby Seven” later became known as “Magnificent Seven” and the group were ​later ​honoured by South African President Nelson Mandela, who bestowed on them the Medal of Freedom, for their role in ending apartheid.

Taafe was 73.

ROCKING THE CASTLE

RUGBY Australia boss Raelene Castle will be appearing on FoxSports’ Kick & Chase show next week. She’ll be discussing the recent controversies surrounding Israel Folau and Nick Phipps.

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Originally published as Payto & Panda: Axed Penrith Emus consider legal action against Shute Shield organisers