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Just read this on Rugby Heaven...
Tim Clarke
Tuesday, February 6, 2007
One game into his second season as Western Force skipper, Wallabies lock Nathan Sharpe has hinted he may move overseas to finish his rugby career after his stint in Perth.
Sharpe, 28, is in his second year of a three-year contract to play in Western Australia, leading the side in their inaugural, wooden spoon, season last year.
Yet to have captained the side to victory in front of the enthusiastic WA support, Sharpe has hinted for the first time he is considering leaving Australia after the World Cup and one further season in the Force blue.
"I'm going to have to look at it after the World Cup. How my body is going and how I'm feeling mentally," Sharpe told the rugbyexclusive.com website.
"I'm off contract in 2008 and that will be the first time that I will seriously consider moving off-shore. It will become a line-ball decision as to what I do.
"That's something that I'll re-assess after the World Cup and go from there. I'm starting to put the feelers out and see how things shape up."
Sharpe's signing and subsequent award of the captaincy for the Force's historic first year was a recruiting and marketing coup for Australia's fourth franchise, and despite just one win in 14 attempts, the former Queenslander continues to be positive.
"I'm loving playing at the moment and that's a pretty good sign," said Sharpe.
"I think I've got to take it year by year. I guess I'll have to see how I'm playing and if I'm enjoying the game, but 2008 presents a huge amount of options for me to look at.
"It's pretty exciting. To be in that situation is always a bit daunting, but definitely for me, obviously, the World Cup is the point where I know I'm going."
Meanwhile, Sharpe has reignited age-old trans-Tasman rivalries by claiming Australian teams in Super 14 should take a leaf out of the New Zealand side's tactics - and cheat more.
The Force's opening night 8-7 loss to the Highlanders at Subiaco was peppered with handling errors brought on by extreme pressure at the breakdown.
Bemoaning a lack of tactical nous, Sharpe said coping with Kiwi expertise at slowing down the ball was a lesson the Force's talented but unfamiliar backline would have to cope with.
"There is general disappointment at how we played against the Highlanders. You can expect a big turnaround," Sharpe said.
"We showed glimpses of what we are capable of in attack, but we need to be better at the breakdown.
"The New Zealand teams are good at cheating (at the breakdown) and maybe we have to apply the same approach.
"We sent too many players in and then we were short on numbers. When they slow your ball down it's hard to attack."
The Force take on the Stormers at Newlands this weekend.