Rugby Confidential: World Rugby making headway on global league

RUPA’S religious review creating plenty of interest, north warming to Rugby Nations Concept and Quadzilla quickly on the move. It’s all in Rugby Confidential.

There are plenty of interested parties in RUPA’s review of how players can express their religious beliefs, which has come in the wake of the sacking of Israel Folau (pictured).

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THE Rugby Union Players’ Association (RUPA) announcement that it will conduct a review into how players can express their religious beliefs has received almost as much interest behind the scenes as Israel Folau’s sacking.

While the timetable for the review has not been finalised, Rugby Confidential understands that RUPA has been inundated with requests for people who want to be involved in the process.

In addition to high-profile past and present players, leading sports administrators, a variety of business and community leaders, as well as leaders representing a range of different religions all want their say into the most divisive issue the sport has dealt with in decades.

There are plenty of interested parties in RUPA’s review of how players can express their religious beliefs, which has come in the wake of the sacking of Israel Folau (pictured).

But while it is understood RUPA wants to hear and canvass as many different views as possible, ultimately it wants the review to be driven by the players, because they are the ones who have been most impacted by the fallout.

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WORLD Rugby officials are finally make some headway in their push to convince the northern hemisphere to support the Rugby Nations Concept.

While Australia and the other southern hemisphere countries are all in favour of the new global league, there’s been strong opposition from north of the equator.

But sources have told Rugby Confidential that two of the sceptical nations, England and France, are coming on board after World Rugby added an extra $1.8 billion to the original offer to lift the total pool to $11 billion.

The sticking point remains the promotion and relegation system which Scotland and Italy are the most opposed to.

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QUADZILLA only operates on one speed — flat out — so it’s no surprise Australia’s fastest man is in a hurry to make his mark in Sevens after ditching athletics.

Just two days after Trae Williams announced he was switching sports, he’s being sent to Europe to join the national men’s team for the final two legs of the World Series.

Sprinter Trae ‘Quadzilla’ Williams has made the switch to sevens rugby. Picture: Getty Images

It’s too late for the speedster to get a run at Twickenham this weekend or the final round in Paris but head coach Tim Walsh wanted his new recruit to familiarise himself with the team set-up as quickly as possibly.

Currently seventh on the standings, with only the top four qualifying automatically for next year’s Tokyo Olympics, Australia need to win the Oceania regional qualifying event in Fiji in November, or a final repechage, to book a place to Japan.

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EMERGING Waratahs’ prop Cody Walker has lost count of how many times he gets mixed up with his NRL namesake who plays for the Rabbitohs.

But there’s a good reason for the case of mistaken identity. Not only do they share the same name but they’re from the same family, with both their fathers from the Bundjalung Nation.

Emerging Waratahs prop Cody Walker. Picture: Getty Images

“Funny enough, we’re related, so a lot of people have mistaken me for Cody,” the 21-year-old said at this week’s launch of the first Waratahs indigenous jersey.

“I think we look the same, Cody’s doing well, and it’s good to see him doing well.”