Payto & Panda: Wallabies hopeful Pete Samu being held to ransom by New Zealand Rugby
PETE Samu looks set to be denied a chance to make his Wallabies debut in June after Rugby Australia rejected a cash-grab demand of over $50,000 by New Zealand Rugby.
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- Days before the first Test, infighting plagues Australian rugby
- The league link that can deliver Wallabies NZ star Pete Samu
PETE Samu looks set to be denied a chance to make his Wallabies debut in June after Rugby Australia rejected a cash-grab demand of over $50,000 by New Zealand Rugby to release the Crusaders flanker.
After a day of heated negotiations with their NZR counterparts, RA officials were standing firm on the fact they will not pay the massive sum to secure Samu’s release.
RA has not walked away from the table entirely but there appears to be little chance of Samu playing in June unless NZR back down on the demand for money.
It is understood World Rugby chairman Bill Beaumont has even been drawn into the trans-Tasman dispute.
NZR all-but conceded it was seeking financial compensation after announcing on they had “put a proposal to Rugby Australia early today, that would allow Pete Samu to be available for selection in June and for the Rugby Championship”.
“Rugby Australia is currently contemplating this proposal,” NZR Head of Professional Rugby Chris Lendrum said.
RA sought a release from NZR for Samu under World Rugby regulation nine and argued, as per normal practice, it should be a simple matter of the Kiwis releasing the 26-year-old to play for his country for free.
After signing with the Brumbies this week, Samu has subsequently spoken to Michael Cheika and expressed his desire to play for the Wallabies in June.
RA officials are arguing NZR is not abiding by the “spirit” of Reg Nine, as it is stressed in the preamble of the World Rugby document.
NZR believe it has the right to deny Samu’s release because he holds dual eligibility, despite the player not wanting to play for New Zealand or the All Blacks not being interested in picking him either.
The sticking point is the fact Samu has a contract with Tasman from August to October.
But it is understood RA offered to only select Samu for June and let him return to Tasman in August.
That compromise was not accepted by NZR, which insisted on only releasing Samu if RA agreed to their “proposal” for June and the Rugby Championship inclusive.
The tactics of NZR have got little support in New Zealand, where the public and leading media figures have supported Samu’s release.
Even Crusaders coach Scott Robertson and CEO Hamish Riach went against head office and threw strong support behind their flanker playing for the Wallabies.
“He’s Australian, he’s committed to the Brumbies next year, the Wallabies want him and he’s clearly going to play international rugby for the Wallabies at some point,” Riach told Radio Sport in New Zealand.
“So we’re quite happy for that to be sooner rather than later.”
Robertson said: “He’s going to be a Wallaby at some stage isn’t he? If that’s in June, good on him. He’s an Australian who wants to play for Australia. He’s good enough to be a Wallaby.”
Shute Shield, NRC to clash for the final time
THE last weekend of the Shute Shield and the opening weekend of the National Rugby Championships are set to clash for a second straight year — but it will be the last time, according to Sydney Rugby boss David Begg.
A draft NRC draw is circulating and the opening round is down for September 1, the same weekend as the Shute Shield grand final.
That will mean players from the Grand Final teams won’t be able to play in the NRC, although it is understood the new Sydney team — which is soon to be announced — has the bye in the opening round.
NSW Country will be affected, however.
The clash is far from ideal, given the Shute Shield final has drawn huge crowds in recent years and that the NRC also needs to be promoted as a big deal; particularly the NRC’s potential strategic importance in the future as the framework for a possible national comp.
But the problem has arisen again due to the Shute Shield starting a week later this year, on April 7. Competition organisers didn’t want to begin on the Easter long weekend a week prior.
The NRC can’t start a week later due to the fact it would — after players took mandatory leave — cut a week off the Super Rugby franchises’ pre-season programs before Christmas.
Begg, who also sits on the NSW Rugby board, said the clash would be the last of its sort, however.
After much consultation with NSW Rugby boss Andrew Hore, the Shute Shield competition has committed to starting a week earlier in 2019 and finishing in August.
“We have worked hard to ensure we have alignment in the future,” Begg said.
“Both competitions have great value to us, and we see both competitions as
complementary to each other. They’re both incredibly valuable pathways to NSW and Australian rugby and we’re seeing that now with players coming up in the Wallabies who’ve emerged in the Shute Shield and then the NRC.”
Semi poised to slot into Fiji sevens team
Semi Radradra could make a spectacular impact at Twickenham for a second weekend in a row after being spotted training with the Fijian Sevens team ahead of the London sevens this weekend.
The former Eels star was in monstrous form at outside centre for the Barbarians last weekend as they thumped England 63-45.
But Radradra, who now plays for Toulon, is set to follow in Jarryd Hayne’s footsteps and make a last-minute cameo in the champion sevens team too. It would be a return to the sevens team for big Semi, who played for Fiji prior to switching to rugby league.
Radradra is hoping to play in the World Cup next year and that’s a alarm-bell ringer for the Wallabies. We are in the same pool.
Unwanted Wallaby Timani on the move
Lopeti Timani was announced as a new signing for La Rochelle on the same day his name was left off the Wallabies’ squad list for the Irish series.
And if there was any doubt about the fact Timani is now out of favour with Cheika, the big 12-cap backrower has been granted an early release to head to France after the Super Rugby season ends.
The speed is understandable, given the Rebels are expected to come back under the RA salary cap in 2019.
But what seems odd is that Timani — who played six Tests for the Wallabies last year — wasn’t considered as an experienced, short-term solution in the back row for the first Irish Test.
Same with Scott Higginbotham.
It is likely Ned Hanigan will return for the second Test but for the first Test Michael Cheika only has Lukhan Tui and uncapped Caleb Timu in his squad for No.6.
Undercover Twitter operation swiftly rumbled
The incredible expose of Philadelphia 76ers Brian Colangelo allegedly having a few anonymous “burner” Twitter accounts, which he used to criticise players, brought back memories in Australian rugby of one official who had a few fake accounts going at one point. One pitched himself as an truth-telling insider and there were a few other accounts. It may surprise the official to know his identity was known after about a fortnight.
Sunwolves fans feast on opposition mascots
Sunwolves fans don’t muck around. Before the Moondogs play a rival on any given weekend, if their opponent has an edible mascot, their supporters are encouraged to eat said animal and post pictures.
This week they’ve been chowing down on Brumbies (horse) meat. That’s commitment.
Wallabies selection goes old school
A NUMBER of new Wallabies squad members found out news of selection the old way this week, when Cheika read out their names live on Fox Sports’ Kick & Chase program.
It was a throwback to a time all team announcements were made live, so players found out the same time as fans.
NSW coach Daryl Gibson enjoyed the strategy, recalling his own story of listening to the radio in New Zealand to learn of his debut selection for the All Blacks in 1999.
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