Tuesday, September 11, 2012
Tuesday, September 4, 2012
Gill firms as Wallabies chance
Queensland flanker Liam Gill is aiming to force his way into the Wallabies squad for the Rugby Championship after making an unusual cross-code switch as a junior.
The son of former St George and Gold Coast rugby league player Peter Gill was introduced to contact sport on the gridiron of Portland, Oregon, where he lived for four years during his childhood.
But after starting his athletic development as an American football running back and line-backer from ages seven to 11, Gill has long since ditched the helmet and pads for the Reds' number seven jersey.
There's no doubt the 20-year-old has taken a left-field path to Robbie Deans' training camp in Sydney this week.
Born in Melbourne before moving to the US for his father's work, Gill returned to play junior rugby in Adelaide.
Now he's determined to take the next big step in his career and learn all he can from star David Pocock in camp and push for selection in the final squad.
"He's (Pocock) set the benchmark and he's arguably the best in the world so you'd be crazy not to try and understand what he does," said Gill, who is happy with his new code but still keeping a keen eye on mates back in America who are now playing college football.
"It's more excitement to find out you're even considered a part of this set up (Wallabies train-on squad) ... It's a big onslaught of information then they throw you in the deep end and get you out there and do it and it's a good way to learn.
"Just take it on board and learn the hard way and pick up on the vibe of the other blokes and how they go about things."
As a 17-year-old, Gill was the youngest player to represent Australia at an IRB Junior World Championship.
He's shown enormous leadership potential as a youngster as well, captaining Australia's under-20s team this year.
AAP
Tags: sport, rugby-union, super-rugby, sydney-2000, australia First posted July 25, 2012 15:28:33Friday, June 1, 2012
Beale still a chance of facing Wales
Utility back Kurtley Beale may yet play a part in Australia's June Tests against Wales if his shoulder injury recovers in time, the Wallabies said on Tuesday.
Beale, who was injured in the Melbourne Rebels' loss to the Hurricanes in their Super Rugby match over the weekend, had surgery to clean out floating cartilage in his shoulder on Monday.
He was nonetheless expected to rejoin the Wallabies training squad after the team's match against Scotland on June 5, a Wallabies spokesman said.
"Then it's a matter of how he pulls up ... He could come back in time to be involved in the Wales series," he said of the three-match series that starts in Brisbane on June 9.
Beale's injury saw coach Robbie Deans rush Quade Cooper back into the squad, despite the mercurial fly half playing less than two full matches of rugby for Queensland as he battles back from a serious knee injury he sustained at the World Cup in New Zealand last year.
Cooper's Reds team-mate and utility back Ben Lucas has also been drafted into the training camp in Sydney this week ahead of the Scotland Test in Newcastle.
The Wallabies play Wales in Melbourne on June 16 and Sydney on June 23.
Skipper James Horwill is a certainty to miss the four Tests against Scotland and Wales, meaning lock Nathan Sharpe could win a 102nd cap while flanker David Pocock should be elevated to the captaincy.
Reuters
Tags: rugby-union, sport, australia First posted May 29, 2012 20:56:01Thursday, May 10, 2012
Mitchell a chance for Tahs return
New South Wales winger Drew Mitchell is a "50-50" chance to make a miraculous recovery from injury, allaying fears he might never play again.
The Waratahs depart for South Africa for matches against the Stormers and Cheetahs on Saturday, and Mitchell only needs to pass one more fitness test on Friday to convince coach Michael Foley he's ready for an earlier-than-expected return from an ankle injury.
Mitchell was expected to miss the entire Super Rugby season and the June Test matches against Scotland and Wales with the ongoing problem but is now on the verge of a comeback after recovering well from the first of two fitness tests.
On Friday, the Waratahs medical team will try out his conditioning and ability to change direction at high speed before giving him the green light to tour and be available for the second match against the Cheetahs on May 26 in Bloemfontein.
"There's a good chance, I would say 50-50," Foley said.
"He ran yesterday and he's pulled up out of that pretty well. We've decided we want to give him one more test which is one step further up and that will be tomorrow.
"He healed a lot better than what was first thought. We had great advice from some of the leading people in Australia and he took a bit of time.
"He did all the right exercises he was given and it's just turned for the better, which is great because there was a chance at one point that he might not play again."
The Waratahs play the Bulls at Sydney Football Stadium on Friday night.
AAP
Tags: rugby-union, super-rugby, sport, sydney-2000 First posted May 10, 2012 14:05:40Monday, June 6, 2011
Blues let chance slip against Chiefs
A third successive defeat for the Blues drops them from second to third in the overall standings and left them just two points ahead of the Crusaders in the race for the top spot in the New Zealand conference.
The seven-times champion Crusaders, who had a bye this week, host the Blues, who have won three Super rugby titles, in Timaru in the penultimate round of the regular season next week.
The Chiefs, already well out of the play-off race, scored their only try through evergreen centre Tana Umaga in the first half and had marginally the better kicker in Stephen Donald, who made four of seven kicks for 11 points.
The Blues hit back in the second period with a try from Jared Payne but never had nearly enough possession to get their backs going as the Chiefs turned the screw at the set piece and ran back every loose kick.
Blues fly half Luke McAlister kicked two penalties in the first 10 minutes, the second a booming effort from five metres inside his own half, but then missed five successive kicks before being replaced 10 minutes from time.
"Really disappointing, the Chiefs really came out to play and pressured us tonight and deserved the win," Blues skipper Jerome Kaino said.
"You can't really play the territory game without the ball. We couldn't really get anything going."
Umaga rolled back the years to help the Chiefs to a 7-6 lead at the break, the highlight coming when the 38-year-old former All Black captain burrowed his way through defenders to ground the ball on the line and finish off a move he had started with a line break.
Donald, vying for the back-up position to All Blacks fly half Dan Carter for the World Cup with McAlister, kicked his first penalty in three attempts to extend the lead to 10-6 soon after the break.
The Blues struck back almost immediately from an attacking scrum, quick hands in the backline allowing outside centre Payne to scythe through the defence to put the home side ahead by a point.
Their lead lasted just six minutes until another Donald penalty put the Chiefs back in front and, with the Blues struggling to get any forward momentum going on a greasy pitch, he added the coup de grace with his third two minutes from time.
"We're stoked, the boys really dug deep, it was pretty difficult conditions but we got the win," Chiefs captain Mils Muliaina said.
"It would be nice to finish the season tonight."
Chiefs: 16 (T Umaga try; S Donald conversion, 3 penalty goals)
Blues: 11 (J Payne try; L McAlister 2 penalty goals)
- Reuters
Tags: sport, rugby-union, super-14, new-zealand First posted June 4, 2011 19:21:00