The Tight Five with Jim Tucker: Will Genia, the pain behind the Super Rugby saga and Chris Feauai-Sautia ready to roll ... again
JIM Tucker has a crack at the hits and misses of the week in rugby union, including the Will Genia link to a Queensland Reds return.
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THE Courier-Mail rugby writer Jim Tucker has a crack at hits and misses of the week in rugby union in his The Tight Five column
1. WHERE THERE’S A WILL ...
WE’VE had plenty of reaction this week to the story about Wallaby legend Will Genia and a possible link with the Queensland Reds.
The champion halfback is eager to find his way home and to the club he graced for 116 games.
On the face of it, it’s a wonderful feel good story for one of the Reds favourite sons to return to the club for 2018-19.
He’s still the best halfback in Australia and being 29 doesn’t even come into it.
Now the issues.
French club Stade Francais have just won their first big piece of European silverware with Genia prominent.
They will be reluctant to release the halfback with a year still to run on his contract.
The Reds signed Nick Frisby to a three-year deal earlier this season with the idea that Genia was gone for good.
The Reds are handcuffed to a degree but shouting their love for a Genia return to the ARU is the starting point if they want him.
If Genia wants out of Europe to come home, it’s not really the Australian Rugby Union’s job or that of the Reds to extricate him from a contract.
That should be up to Genia’s manager unless he’s built an easy trapdoor option out of the final year of the deal.
Super Rugby in Australia should be a showcase of the best Aussie players.
If Genia can be extracted, the ARU should get him home and move the pieces around so Genia and Frisby are both playing Super Rugby next year.
2. SUPER RUGBY SAGA
THE words of former Wallaby Morgan Turinui about the mental health issues that could be triggered by the drawn-out Super Rugby saga were striking.
The Melbourne Rebels backs coach was speaking from the heart.
Coming on top of the tearful post-match interview from Western Force captain Matt Hodgson recently, it shows that the decision is more than about dollars and cents.
Players, coaches, families … good rugby people in Melbourne and Perth are being stressed-out by the axe hovering.
That’s why it is absolutely essential that the ARU is more transparent and actually gives some details when it meets the Rugby Union Players Association.
The chop will be endlessly depressing for the club that goes but drawing out the process is almost as tough.
Hodgson and Wallabies skipper Stephen Moore are both on the RUPA board which voted to support the Victorian Rugby Union’s call for the ARU to whistle up a special General Meeting. Overdue.
3. CHOP WILL BE MOST SEVERE FOR AUSTRALIA
THE Australian side which is axed may be the only side that disappears for good.
SA Rugby boss Mark Alexander is now on the record with his belief that the two South African sides heading for the axe will find a home in another overseas competition.
One option would be the PRO12 in Europe with clubs from Ireland, Italy, Scotland and Wales.
It wouldn’t be ideal for the Cheetahs and Southern Kings but at least they stay alive.
4. THE AUSSIE CONFERENCE IS ALIVE
THE five-tries scored by the Queensland Reds to beat the Rebels was a welcome show of firepower and ability to finally win a tight finish.
There are plenty of twists ahead in the Aussie Conference before we find the winner to host a quarter-final.
The 3-8 Reds are still in it but beating the Force on Friday, May 26 at Suncorp Stadium is essential. Or forget it.
The Brumbies face a tough game against the Kings late on Saturday night in Port Elizabeth while the Reds sit back and take notes during their bye week.
The Waratahs-Rebels arvo game on Sunday in Sydney is high stakes too.
Game on.
5. STOP-START COMEBACK
ONE face missing from the Reds all season has been former Wallaby Chris Feauai-Sautia.
After a lengthy rehabilitation from a knee reconstruction following his injury in Japan during the off-season, the powerhouse was ready to roll.
He did but for only around 30 minutes in the May 6 clash against Norths.
Feauai-Sautia scored a try and made several linebreaks in an eye-popping return at outside centre before he went off with a hamstring twinge.
Coach Elia Tuqiri hopes to get the big weapon back for the May 27 clash against Easts at Bottomley Park.
Reds prop Markus Vanzati may also be back to bolster the Magpies who were a chastened lot after big losses to Wests (63-36) and Norths (57-20).
There was an encouraging bounce-back to lead premiers Brothers before bowing 35-24 last weekend.
Tuqiri is one of Premier Rugby’s youngest coaches at 35 but reports suggest the grey hairs are growing quickly.
On Saturday, GPS-Easts at Ashgrove and Sunnybank’s bid to knock over Brothers at Oldmac Oval are feature games.
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