Tahs hunt African players

[lara93]

Tahs hunt African players

By Bret Harris in Cape Town
August 21, 2008

NEW South Wales will scour the playing fields of South Africa in an attempt to find replacements for departing Australia forwards Dan Vickerman and Rocky Elsom.

The Australian Rugby Union's decision to allow Australia's four Super 14 teams to recruit two foreign players each means the Waratahs can look to countries such as South Africa for ready-made replacements.
http://www.foxsports.com.au/story/0,...-23217,00.html

[Flamethrower]

NSW. Heartland of Australian Rugby.

[BLR]

Oh no, now NSW are undoing all the brilliant work that the AFL did in South Africa to grow the game world wide!

[James]

If the Waratahs weren't so bloody useless in letting young talent like Jared Waerea Hargreaves go to league- as they last year told him it would take 3 years to get a full contract. They wouldn't have to go to South Africa. They blame the Force for taking 'their' talent but it seems they do a better job of just scaring it away.

[slomo]

what a great youth policy they've got in NSW................

[waratahjesus]

how did we let him go? hargraves was open for a contract, league offered more money, you guys could have singed him! the reds or brumbies could have, he chose to go for the money, he will be back!
recruiting from south africa, it worked with dan vic and rathbone, as long a its someone young who has a chance of playing for the wallabys who cares!
the only thing i dont wanna see is 30 year old past there prime players getting a couple of years at the expense of younger players!

[GIGS20]

he chose to go for the money, he will be back!

Of course he'll be back, he knows damn well the easiest way to get a Waratahs contract is to play NRL football!

[waratahjesus]

if he was really greedy he would have singed fro the reds so perth would have offered him a few million to move west!

[GIGS20]

But it's apparent he wants to play for the 'Tahs, he has signed NRL. I reckon it's the lure of the big money up north. He'll play a couple of years of league, become the next big thing in NSW rugby and then leave after a few seasons to play for Leinster. That's the succession plan isn't it?

[waratahjesus]

i dont think there is anything wrong with people playing a couple of years of league to get there defence and so forth in order!
barnes is testiment to the league training working, i rekon the aru should buy a league team and use it as part of the training system!

[AndyS]

Only the S14 and NRL teams enable a player to train professionally, so unless a player is spotted for S14 at school the quickest way to reach his potential would be to play NRL. I have no problem with that, so long as there is no ARU top-up when they come back to Union. If they can swing a S14 contract on the strength of what they've shown playing League then fine, but they should not get a free pass into the Wallabies without demonstrating that they have the goods (attitude, as well as talent).

[waratahjesus]

i think the fan thing of wanting attitude and respect to a code is a thing of the past, i would love it to, but rugby is slowly catching other sports were putting a winning team on the pitch means more than being loyal or developing home grown talent.

i honestly think the schoolboy rugby system is quite good at recognising talent, the australian schoolboys teams usually have alot of people that go on to play professional sport, i think using the nrl under 20's comp as a way to develop those players is fine, it would be fantastic to see an aru logo on the front of a under 20's nrl jersey as a sponsor, then get the players back at 20/21 when they have there bodies and front on defence under control and bring them back into super rugby. would work fantastically!

[AndyS]

Proposing it would certainly put the heebies up the NRL boys!

I wasn't talking about loyalty or the like though, I was thinking more of other non-playing issues like how they fit into the team (and for the moment at least, there would still be differences between the respective team environments), how they train, how enthusiastically they pursue the differences between the codes, the attitude to fans that they bring with them, how they adapt to frequent international travel and the separation from family, etc etc...

[waratahjesus]

i think professional sport is slowly becoming the same though, the waratahs train on and off with the roosters now, they share facilities and coaching techniques, i dont think besides the speciality positions training that there would be much difference between the day to day training and so forth.
attitude = dollars in professional sport though!

[Moses]

Of course he'll be back, he knows damn well the easiest way to get a Waratahs contract is to play NRL football!

worked for Cross.. oh, he doesn't play for the Tahs.