Fallen teammate Lachlan Ward to be honoured by Warringah Rats before Shute Shield decider

THE inside word on the Shute Shield grand final, the Western Force court case, the Wallabies in New Zealand and more. IT’S ALL IN PAYTO & PANDA.

Lachlan Ward tragically died during a Rats match earlier this year.

THE last thing Warringah players will see before they run on to North Sydney Oval for the Shute Shield grand final is a framed photo of fallen clubmate Lachlan Ward.

The photo of Ward, with his arms raised running out of a tunnel to play, will be next to his retired No.5 jersey, and the Rats players will mirror the raised arm as they run on and will have his “LW” initials written on their wrist-tapes when they take on defending champions Northern Suburbs.

Ward tragically died earlier this year after collapsing on the field during a fifth grade match.

Lachlan Ward tragically died during a Rats match earlier this year.

His brother Sam will be playing for the Rats in the decider, wearing Lachlan’s boots.

It will be an emotional afternoon for the club, but they’ve shown throughout the year that they’re capable of containing that and turning out quality performances.

The match will be watched in front of a big crowd and also broadcast live on Channel Seven from 3pm.

FORCE FINDS ALLY IN COURT

Force supporters during a rally at the Force HQ.

A SURPRISE revelation into the legal appeal of the Western Force has emerged; the judge presiding over the case used to work for the Rugby Union Players’ Association.

Justice David Hammerschlag allowed the Force appeal of the ARU’s arbitration win to go ahead and after hearing both sides, said he was hopeful of making a decision next week.

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Given that RUPA has been a staunch advocate of retaining the Force, it could appear as though Hammerschlag could have a conflict of interest in the case but the ARU’s legal team was well aware of his history and did not object to his involvement.

South African-born Hammerschlag was asked by the Lawyers Weekly website a decade ago who he supported in the rugby and cricket.

“Australia and Australia on both counts,” he said, adding that he had “in the last number of years, been retained by the rugby union players association, and have done most of their legal work”.

STUDENTS ACTING LIKE STUDENTS

MEMBERS of Sydney University’s rugby club caused significant carnage at a restaurant in Sydney Tower during a drunken night out recently.

The club is now gathering money to compensate the venue, with thousands of dollars worth of damage done.

Sydney University Football Club executive GM David Haigh said an internal investigation is now underway to find all the culprits and take action.

“This was not an official event organised by SUFC, rather it was a private function attended by a number of SUFC’s players,” Haigh told Macquarie Radio in a statement.

“SUFC takes any allegations of poor conduct by our players seriously, regardless of whether they were representing the club or not. For this reason, SUFC stepped in immediately and is working with the venue to rectify and compensate any and all costs as a result of damage incurred during the function.

“The venue organisers strongly appreciate SUFC’s decision to step in and help, even though it was not an official event organised by SUFC.

“SUFC is conducting its own investigation into the conduct of its players and will discipline them accordingly.”

AUSSIE IN LINE TO WEAR ALL BLACK

AUSSIE-raised Crusaders prop Mike Alaalatoa is on track to becoming an All Black, according to Super Rugby-winning coach Scott Robertson.

We caught up with Robertson in Christchurch this week as the Wallabies trained on his patch ahead of the second Bledisloe Cup Test in Dunedin.

The reputations of Australian rugby players have taken a battering this year but one man who doesn’t buy that theory is Robertson, whose powerhouse Crusaders’ team lost just one game in their surge to a Super Rugby title this year.

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Robertson had three Aussies in his squad - Alaalatoa, Pete Samu and Digby Ioane - and last year he had Waratahs lock Dave McDuling in his Canterbury team as well.

“We’ve had a few Aussie battlers come through the old red and black jersey, and they’re great for our team,” Robertson told us.

“What we find is they are so hardworking and their thirst for knowledge is just huge, and they add in their own way. They can take the piss out of themselves, which is good. It saves us doing it for them.

“They’ve really added to our environment. It’s funny when they go back and talk to Aussie media, just how respectful and genuine they are about our joint and it’s quite heartfelt, they say they felt very welcomed.”

Alaalatoa is seriously going places, said Robertson.

Allan Alaalatoa (left) chats to his brother Mike.

The brother of Wallabies prop Allan, “Mikey” had a stint at the Waratahs but then went to NZ in 2015 after he couldn’t get a start at any Aussie franchise.

He played almost every game for the Saders this year off the bench.

“He has every possibility of being an All Black, the way he’s going and continuing his growth,” Robertson said.

“He is just getting stronger and stronger. His scrummaging ability is top shelf and you just have to remember he is packing down against Joe Moody and Wyatt Crockett every week at training, and there is no one harder to pack down against.”

Talk of Campbell Magnay joining the Crusaders is off the mark, though.

“No, Campbell hasn’t crossed our desk mate,” Robertson said.

WALLABIES IN HIDING

THERE were some local grumbles about Australia preparing in Christchurch - and not Dunedin - this week, with Kiwi media inferring there was some sort of hiding going on.

Turns out the Australians were all-but packed off to Christchurch by SANZAAR due to there only being one hotel able to house a whole rugby squad in little-old Dunedin. Normally that’s enough for visiting teams playing the Highlanders but with the All Blacks having the first pick, the Wallabies were given three options: two in Christchurch and one in Queenstown.

Asked about it at a press conference, Cheika said: “I don’t see any drama, we’ll be there this afternoon so I’m sure that if anyone wants to give us some atmosphere, they’ll come by the hotel and let us know.”

KIWI GIANT BRUSHES AUSSIES

Kiwi and NBA star Steven Adams.

THE Wallabies’ NBA fans had a big thrill this week in Christchurch when New Zealand’s big basketball star Steven Adams stayed in their hotel.

Adams was in town with Oklahoma coach Billy Donovan doing clinics, and posing up for a pics, the 2.13m Kiwi centre even had 2.04m Adam Coleman well and truly covered for height.

Adams, who is set to watch the second Test in Dunedin, hasn’t got much time for Aussies apparently.

He told a US reporter a few years back he hasn’t got over the Trevor Chappell underarm ball.

WALLABY DOC

THERE is a familiar face on the sidelines for the Wallabies, with much-experienced doctor Nathan Gibbs now on the Australian rugby team’s staff.

Gibbs has been a prominent medico in Australian sport for several decades, having been the team doc for the NSW Blues, the Kangaroos, the Sydney Swans, along with Souths and Manly.

Originally published as Fallen teammate Lachlan Ward to be honoured by Warringah Rats before Shute Shield decider