https://www.theaustralian.com.au/spo...03d6c819f53614
Well-travelled Chris Alcock has signed a two-year deal with *Andrew Forrest and the Western Force, and the Indo Pacific Rugby Championship appears to have lured its highest-profile player yet with Springboks centre Jaque Fourie poised to join.
Fourie, one of the mainstays of South Africa’s World Cup-winning side in 2007, had announced his retirement but, at 34, is understood to have been lured back into the game by the prospect of playing in Forrest’s IPRC. It is believed he is waiting for the appropriate paperwork *before confirming.
There are also reports from South Africa that former Springbok No 8 Ryan Kankowski is weighing up an IPRC offer.
But 29-year-old Alcock is a definite recruit and will arrive back in Perth next month from Kamaishi Seawaves, the Japanese club he joined after playing for the Brumbies in 2017. Alcock played 25 Super Rugby games for the Waratahs and 30 for the Force but saved his best rugby for the Brumbies last year.
With David Pocock away, *Alcock was able to command the No 7 jersey for virtually the entire season and emerged as one of the Brumbies’ best players. Had the Brumbies known that Pocock would require surgery on his return and would miss several early matches, it is unlikely the Canberra club would have allowed Alcock to leave for Japan without putting up a fight for him.
Piece by piece, Forrest’s Minderoo team is assembling the spine of a formidable Force outfit.
Prop Kieran Longbottom has confirmed he is returning to Perth and will join Marcel Brache and Peter Grant in a Force squad that will play a number of matches this year in prepration for the Force’s participation in this year’s National Rugby Championhip.
Alcock said: “I’m really excited to be coming back to WA and playing in front of the Sea of Blue.
“When I was last at the Force (2016), I felt the community really got behind us, so it’s a great opportunity to show how much that meant to me to come back and help rugby in the West continue to grow.”
The IPRC competition is set to kick off next February but it still has not been given a formal sign-off by Rugby Australia. Later today, RA’s deputy-chairman Brett Robinson and *RA general manager of professional rugby Anthony French will meet in Perth with the Minderoo team.
Even though Robinson recently guaranteed Forrest that players contracted to the Western Force would be eligible for Wallabies selection, it is understood this still does not go far enough.
Forrest hopes eligibility will be spread to all Australians based in all six IPRC clubs. But it is hardly likely RA will bow to this demand.
The Queensland Reds have suffered a blow with the loss of winger Izaia Perese for six weeks with a partially torn ACL.
The 20-year-old flyer, taken on the Wallabies spring tour for the past two years, has been in scintillating form for Queensland in the pre-season and the injury, sustained in Thursday’s trial against Fiji, could not have come at a worse time. The Reds begin their season against the Melbourne Rebels at AAMI Park on Friday.
The Rebels are coming back to full strength. Only Wallabies winger Marika Koroibete (knee) and centre Billy Meakes (ankle) are unavailable for the season-opener.
Wallabies Test halfback Will Genia has been cleared to play against the Reds after recovering from a hairline fracture of the spine and will partner Jack *Debreczeni in the halves.