Kepu, Naiyarovoro and Houston

Super Rugby: Prop Sekope Kepu signs new deal with Waratahs

2 hours agoby SAM WORTHINGTONSource: FOX SPORTS
THE news just keeps getting better for Daryl Gibson.

Already boosted by the return of one-Test Wallaby winger Taqele Naiyaravoro, the Waratahs coach will next year be able to call on the services of world class prop Sekope Kepu.

The 30-year-old tight-head has signed a new three-year deal with the Waratahs in a deal that will keep him in Australian rugby through to the 2019 Rugby World Cup.

Kepu moved to Bordeaux after the 2015 World Cup but didn’t settle and was released by the French club for family reasons.

Kepu will join the Wallabies camp in Brisbane on Sunday ahead of the June 11 Test series opener against England at Suncorp Stadium.

And in 2017, the Sydney-born tight-head will resume an outstanding NSW career which stands at 97 caps ....

http://www.foxsports.com.au/rugby/su...0a635542b1d95e



With Sekope Kepu and Taqele Naiyarovoro returning to the Waratahs and Leroy Houston returning to the Reds it looks as though the gap between the haves and have nots is going to stay for a while yet. With the Waratahs, Reds and Brumbies all getting an extra couple of million dollats above the salary cap to sign Wallaby after Wallaby and Melbourne getting propped up with an extra 2 to 6 million a year, where is the talent equalisation going to come from? I doubt very much the ARU will start telling players they have to play for the Force with out there being some sort of restriction of trade blow up from RUPA. So what are they actually going to do to help us short term? There really doesn't seem much that can be done in the immediate future to balance out the talent. I hope im wrong but has the ARU just pulled the ultimate bluff by assuming control of the professional football program of the Force?
The only way i can see us getting a deeper playing squad is to wait for the Super U/20s competition and the NRC to become more established and provide the deeper talent pool that is required for 5 teams. The ARU and Cheika are all beating the bring them home drums but in reality for every 10 players returning from overseas only 1 may make it onto our roster. It seems we will always be at the mercy of whats best for the big 3 over east before we get our fair share.
On another note, if Foley is shown the door at seasons end, i would like to see us target Adrian Thompson the current coach of the Aussie U/20s.
Having been in charge of the best U/20s in Australia for the last few years it would put him in prime position to recruit some of the diamonds in the rough that may have fallen off the radars of the other franchises. Thompsom would be ideal for the situation we are in where we have to develop a lot more talent from within. A proven development coach with connections to the best U/20s talent of the previous few years is what we need as the established Wallabies wont be coming our way, we need to recruit the best young talent we can and develop them here.