Weighty issues, Nonu no-go and Beale's back: Super Rugby talking points - Capital Sports
Connect with us

Hi, what are you looking for?

Features

Weighty issues, Nonu no-go and Beale’s back: Super Rugby talking points

Australia’s Quade Cooper (C), who has 70 Test and 119 Super Rugby caps, will join the Rebels in mid-November for the start of their 2019 pre-season campaign

SYDNEY, Australia, Feb 21 – Five talking points ahead of Super Rugby’s second round of matches this weekend:

– The biggest loser –

Queensland Reds coach Brad Thorn has hailed Feao Fotuaika as a “feel-good story” after naming the big prop to make his debut against the Highlanders in Dunedin on Friday.

The 25-year-old shed a colossal 16 kilos in pre-season to earn a crack at Super Rugby after being told he must lose weight.

“Feao is a feel-good story. He was out of shape and on the verge of giving up the game,” said Thorn.

“We identified him playing club rugby last year and his transformation since has been something to admire.

“Feao has dropped 16 kilos in the pre-season and his scrummaging is now very dominant.”

He joins a heavyweight pack loaded with five Wallabies — Brandon Paenga-Amosa, Taniela Tupou, Izack Rodda, Lukhan Salakaia-Loto and Caleb Timu.

– Don’t bet on Nonu –

Advertisement. Scroll to continue reading.

Ma’a Nonu may have ambitions to rejoin the All Blacks at this year’s World Cup but bookies are not convinced.

Ma’a Nonu is a two-time World Cup-winner with New Zealand. © AFP / Fiona GOODALL

The two-time World Cup winner has returned to Super Rugby after three years in France and played in the narrow Auckland Blues loss to Canterbury Crusaders last weekend.

But the blockbusting centre will be 37 when this year’s tournament rolls around and New Zealand’s TAB bookmakers rate him a 20-1 outsider to pull on the famous black jersey again.

Winger Rieko Ioane is the shortest-price player — at an unbackable 1-10 — to make the team.

And Nonu’s dream suffered a further blow Thursday when the Blues left him out of the 23-man squad to play Coastal Sharks in Durban on Saturday.

– Bad boy Beale’s back –

Controversial Kurtley Beale will return to the NSW Waratahs starting line-up at number 12 against the Sunwolves in Tokyo after breaking his silence over two videos showing him in the presence of an unknown white powder.

Australia centre Kurtley Beale will start for the Waratahs against the Sunwolves. © AFP / GEOFF CADDICK

Beale has apologised after footage from three years ago showed him laughing as a man snorted the powder — the latest in a string of misdemeanours during the Wallaby’s career.

Beale, who was dropped by the Wallabies for the final Test of 2018 for disciplinary reasons, conceded the videos — which surfaced online last month — had been “a bad look” for the game.

“I apologised at the time and now my full focus is on the Waratahs and adding my bit to hopefully a successful campaign,” he said.

Beale’s captain Michael Hooper and coach Daryl Gibson will both hit half-century milestones in Saturday’s match.

Advertisement. Scroll to continue reading.

Hooper will mark his 50th game as captain, while Gibson will bring up the landmark as head coach.

– Lions wary of wounded Stormers –

The Golden Lions are expecting a chastened Western Stormers side to hit back hard when the two face off in the South African derby in Cape Town on Saturday.

The Newlands-based Stormers were stampeded 40-3 by the Northern Bulls at Loftus Versfeld last weekend, while the buoyant Lions celebrated a first ever victory in Argentina 25-16 against the Jaguares.

“We’re expecting a backlash,” said Lions attack coach Neil de Bruin this week. “Playing against them in Cape Town is always difficult, but they’ll be up for it even more.

“There’s a lot of pride in rugby and they’ll be going all out to prove last weekend’s performance was a mis-step. We’re going to have to be at our best. We’re under no illusions that it’s going to be a very difficult match.”

– All Blacks rest plan has problems –

The All Blacks’ plan to nurse top players through the rigours of Super Rugby to protect them for the World Cup is already facing problems after just one round.

The New Zealand Herald reported that rugby chiefs wanted All Blacks to play no more than 60 minutes in the first three rounds to ease them through the often brutal all-Kiwi derbies.

Advertisement. Scroll to continue reading.

But 16 of the 26 All Blacks who played in the first round exceeded the quota, including Waikato Chiefs lock Brodie Retallick who had to leave the field after suffering a head knock in the 67th minute.

New Zealand Rugby are also insisting Super Rugby clubs don’t play their internationals for more than five consecutive matches and give them at least two games off, creating a dilemma.

“Players want to play, and they want to do the right thing for their teammates, so they are often reluctant to limit their minutes or leave the field,” the Herald said.

Advertisement

More on Capital Sports

Football

NAIROBI, Kenya, Oct 27 – DStv and GOtv subscribers are in for a treat of the world’s best football this week as the 2020-21...

Football

NAIROBI, Kenya, May 25 – There is light at the end of the tunnel. After failed promises over the last three years since its...

Football

NAIROBI, Kenya, Sep 6 – Gentrix Shikangwa scored with two minutes left as Vihiga Queens sailed to the final of the CECAFA regional qualifiers...

NFL

NAIROBI, Kenya, Aug 13 – Kenya’s history making Daniel Adongo, the first Kenyan to play in America’s National Football League (NFL), is now living...

© 2024 Capital Digital Media. Capital Group Limited. All Rights Reserved