Payto & Panda: men and women combine in sevens first, Wallaby’s possible Parra move, Fisher’s on the money
IN a sevens first, Sydney will host a fully integrated tournament with our golden girls to be the headline attraction on Australia Day weekend. We have all the latest rugby news here!
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THEY’LL share the main stage with the men in the Sydney Sevens — on the Australia Day long weekend — in 2018 but after a disappointing tournament this year, the Aussie women’s sevens team says they’ll be trying to block out the hype and hoopla.
Tickets went on sale this week for the third Sydney Sevens, which will undergo sizeable change next year. The tournament is shifting forward a week to 26-28, and for the first time ever in the World Sevens series, the tournament will be fully integrated across all three days.
Unlike this year’s event, where the men played on days two and three, and the women played on days one and two (and played quarter-finals on a back oval), men’s and women’s tournaments will all be played on Allianz Stadium from Friday to Sunday. The dress-up theme is “Go Extraordinary”.
Flying high after their Olympic gold medal, the Aussie women were star attractions this year but were gutted to be knocked out in the semi-finals.
“That hype of playing on home soil got to us a bit,” Aussie co-captain Shan Parry said.
“But this time we have to go back and look at that experience, and how we felt after losing (the semi-final) and not making that final. This is our second chance, our do-over.”
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Parry said the team would learn from its mistakes by “maybe not getting as involved in the crowd and the hype as much as we did” and sticking to basics.
The Australian men’s team will go into Sydney looking to continue a run of good efforts at the tournament, and on the back of recent success.
Australia were beaten on the bell in the 2016 final, and armed with a team of green rookies, finished above expectations in fourth this year.
That mob of rookies went through the entire season showing great promise. That potential was realised two weeks ago when they won the Munich Oktoberfest sevens, beating Fiji in the final.
“That’s immense,” Holland says. “The belief that you get from going through and winning, you know you’ve been there, done it and can do it again. Especially coming at the start of the year, we will try to keep those good results coming now. It’s all about consistency.”
Holland, who is due to make his return at the Central Coast sevens in two weeks after a year out with a ruptured achilles tendon, said the Aussie men’s program was building nicely and would look to use the Sydney Sevens lift once again to prove they can match it with the world’s best.
“Those young guys got a lot of minutes last year, due to injury and so on, and they stepped up. It has put us in good stead.”
FISHER’S ON THE MONEY
RESPECTED Brumbies coach Laurie Fisher called for the ARU to pour money into state academies in August and with Australian rugby losing more and more of its best schoolboy talent each year, his proposal makes more sense with every passing day.
Following a similar path taken by Angus Crichton, Aussie schoolboys backrower Charlie Rorke has signed with the Canberra Raiders on a two-year deal.
And the Riverview student is far from alone. We hear several others from the Aussie schools team are league targets, including fullback Ben Donaldson, winger Albert Hopoate and injured centre Billy Smith.
WALLABY VACANCY: Fisher in line to replace Ledesma
And that’s not even mentioning Aussie schoolboy players being poached by New Zealand.
The problem appears to be what rugby can offer to kids in that 17-19 “gap-year” zone - the ones looking to get a full-time footy career started immediately.
League will give $30-40,000, all the gear and a full-time training environment alongside the big boys.
Cash-strapped Super Rugby franchises can only offer spots in junior teams and part-time training programs, with the possibility of a Super Rugby contract down the line.
In many ways, that’s understandable. There are only 35 contracts at a club.
But this is the rugby grey zone that pushes Crichton, and others, down the league route. And these aren’t league kids on scholarships at union schools. Rorke’s family is heavily tied to Gordon.
States are financially skint so Australian rugby needs to seriously consider using some of the Force savings to fund an academy intake at each state, where a rookie can earn rent money and train full-time with the big boys. For the price of one $150,000 mid-tier player, four or more rising prospects could be secured.
Banking on them coming back from league is not a wise tactic. If he proves to be a superstar by 20, league won’t be letting go.
SYDNEY TEAMS ON NRC CHOPPING BLOCK
The struggles of the NSW teams in the NRC has prompted NSW Rugby to begin seriously contemplating ramping up involvement and cutting back to two teams for 2018, we understand.
Owned and run by clubs, NSW started with four teams in NRC’s first year but the Sydney Stars were dropped after a single season. There are now three teams — the Rays, the Greater Sydney Rams and the NSW Country Eagles — but the connections and alliances to grade clubs have chopped and changed with each season, for owners and particularly for players.
We hear NSW Rugby are looking at escalating their involvement, along the same two-team model as the QRU, who have Brisbane City and Queensland Country both based at Ballymore.
The Reds squad is divided up and around 50% of both squads are uncontracted club players.
NSW are contemplating the same split: NSW Country and a Sydney team. But with keeping a presence in western Sydney important — physically and symbolically — what look the Sydney team takes could be politically tricky.
Watch this space.
LONGBOTTOM A WIZARD
His hot-stepping try in Munich went viral but exciting new Aussie sevens player Maurice Longbottom will only get better, according to Aussie sevens skipper Lewis Holland.
Longbottom was a league and oztag whiz before being spotted carving up in the Ella 7s and invited in to train with the Aussie squad.
“He’s done well, he’s worked on his fitness and his strength and picked up the game of sevens well,” Holland said.
“He’s a very evasive player. He will fit well into our squad and he is definitely something we need, he brings a bit of flair and he’ll just keep getting better with games under his belt.”
WALLABY’S CLOUDY FUTURE
Curtis Rona off to Parra? That was the rumour flying around this week but the feeling inside rugby circles is that unless you’re talking about the Two Blues, it’s not on the money.
Rona has plenty of suitors in both league and union and needing a replacement for Semi Radradra, the Eels emerged strongly this week.
But the Waratahs are very keen, and the Brumbies and Rebels are also in the mix as well.
Rugby types say Rona has enjoyed his elevation to Wallaby-world and are confident he will stay in the 15-man code.
Pocket-rocket flanker Tom Connor has been so good this year for the Sydney Rays that coach Julian Huxley sang his praises in a big way last weekend after another strong effort against Brisbane City.
“A number of people have spoken about it, he has almost been player of the tournament or find of the tournament or however you want to put it,” Huxley said.
Huxley will have to do without Connor this weekend, though, with the Warringah flanker taking leave to go and play in the Tribe 7s team in the Byron Bay sevens.
Connor has played for Australia in sevens in several development tours but has yet to crack a full-time gig. Outstanding club and NRC form must be strengthening his claims.
BOOSTING OUR COUNTRY STOCKS
The Australian Stockman Rugby program does great work in youth development for footy players from the bush, and the team is gearing up for a massive tour of New Zealand and Argentina later thus month.
A group of 25 players from regional Australia, coached by Chris Roche and Tony Melrose, will play two games in Auckland and three in Argentina. They’ll be having a tour launch at the Mill Hill Hotel in Brisbane at midday on the day of the third Bledisloe Cup game. It’s a charitable organisation that always needs a bit of help, so check our www.stockmansports.org.
Originally published as Payto & Panda: men and women combine in sevens first, Wallaby’s possible Parra move, Fisher’s on the money
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