Great news Sharpie. You're da man!!!!
Great news Sharpie. You're da man!!!!
You're a good man Sharpie... a fantastic man! Good choice and we won't let you down! I'm glad you listened to us when we begged you to stay but ignored the Reds! ;)
Better dead then red in my opinion ;)
Sharpe signs up to save battered Force
Wayne Smith | March 05, 2008 The Australian
FORMER Wallabies captain Nathan Sharpe admitted a desire to ensure the "true nature" of the Western Force shone through to the public played a role in his decision to re-sign with the Perth club until the 2011 World Cup.
The Force's reputation has taken a battering this year, first when two players were fined heavily for mistreating quokkas during a team bonding exercise on Rottnest Island and then, more severely, when former Wallabies halfback Matt Henjak lost his contract after breaking team-mate Haig Sare's jaw in an incident at a Fremantle bar.
Sharpe, who has captained the Force since its inaugural Super rugby appearance in 2006, insists those incidents do not accurately portray the club and he wants to be part of the process of restoring its reputation.
"It's disappointing for all guys at the Force that as result of a couple of isolated incidents we've been painted in this light," Sharpe said. "I want to spend the next few years to have the true nature of this team come across and not just in results on the field but also off it."
Off the field, nothing much has happened since the Force's return from South Africa on the weekend, although chief executive Mitch Hardy said yesterday that a lot of Henjak-related matters could not be talked through with the players at the time because they were on tour.
On the field, the Force has done virtually everything it could do to win back lost fans, pushing last year's finalists, the Sharks, to the limit before defeating the Cheetahs and Lions.
The good news is that the Force will play its only home game of the opening six rounds on Sunday at Subiaco Oval. The bad news is that it is against Robbie Deans' crack Crusaders side. At least both sides will be equally jet-lagged, with the Crusaders also having just crossed the Indian Ocean on the first leg of their journey back to Christchurch.
Sharpe revealed he had consulted with Stirling Mortlock before making his decision to play out the remainder of his career in Australia, knowing the Wallabies' skipper was weighing up the same question of whether to stay in this country or accept a big money offer overseas. But he did not take up the offer Deans made to all Wallabies coming off contract to talk things through with him if they wanted.
As one of only three World Cup survivors to have captained Australia in a Test, Sharpe would at least have to be on Deans' short list to lead the Wallabies this year but the 30-year-old claimed he had given no thought to whether he might be assigned the role.
"I don't know what Robbie Deans thinks of me. I might be playing club rugby for Rockingham," Sharpe said.
And while he was delighted that a fourth Bledisloe Cup Test officially had been added to the Wallabies' program following confirmation of the November match in Hong Kong, Sharpe conceded the task of winning back the giant cup had suddenly been made significantly harder.
Instead of having to beat New Zealand in two out of three Tests, the Wallabies will have to win three out of four - and there aren't many, make that any, nations with a 75 per cent winning record against the All Blacks.
"It's going to be tougher but I'd love to be involved with something like that," he said. "Players of my size and speed don't get to play sevens a lot, but this is my chance to finally play in Hong Kong."
* Bulls centre JP Nel and prop Jaco Engels will miss Friday's South African derby at home to the Lions after being suspended. Engels was suspended for three matches for punching Sharks captain Johann Muller during the Bulls' 29-15 home loss in Pretoria last Saturday.
Nel was given a one-match ban for a dangerous spear tackle on Sharks fullback Frans Steyn in the same match. The suspensions multiply the problems facing the defending champion after losing captain Victor Matfield during the off-season.
World Cup-winning Springbok lock Bakkies Botha has yet to appear this season while world player of the year Bryan Habana has missed the Bulls' past two matches with injury.
Trust our mate Wayne to recite the SMH litany of :force: is evil before announcing the biggest signing in Aussie rugby this year!Quote:
Originally Posted by KenyaQuin
he sounds almost surprised that we haven't had an all in brawl at a local brewery or something!Quote:
Originally Posted by KenyaQuin
Oh yeah, bring it on.....The whole Rocko rugby club would love to see that one!Quote:
Originally Posted by KenyaQuin
Where's that Henjak bloke when you need him?Quote:
Originally Posted by GIGS20
At the new Lark Hill clubhouse?Quote:
Originally Posted by GIGS20
Why do they always have to put such negative spins on such beautiful things. :(
Because they are sad people who live in a tea cup and need to make a storm in it!
*sigh* I know it's their job but... come on... a little good news never hurt anyone from time to time.