Sharpe 'not finished yet'

[travelling_gerry]

NICK TAYLOR AUCKLAND, The West Australian
October 20, 2011, 6:26 am

Western Force captain Nathan Sharpe makes his 100th appearance for the Wallabies at Eden Park tomorrow night and insists he has plenty left in the tank.

Sharpe has another year at the Western Force and with the Australian Rugby Union, and with a British Lions tour on the horizon, there may be plenty more to come for the big second-rower.

"I feel as if I'm playing as well as I ever have," said Sharpe as Australia prepared for the third-place play-off against Wales.

"I've still got another year with the Force and I'll make a decision following that. I still feel very, very good and I'm enjoying my rugby.

"Well before I got near 100 I guess I just wanted to be a bloke in the team that everyone wanted to play with, who would get the job done.

"All I've tried to do is make the most of my opportunities when I got them.

"Hopefully when I hang the boots up guys that have played with me will remember me for that."

Sharpe, 33, becomes just the fifth Australian and only the 21st player in the history of the game to reach 100 caps. He is behind only scrum-half George Gregan (139), flanker George Smith (110), fly-half Stephen Larkham (102) and winger David Campese (101).

Sharpe made his debut nine years ago against France.

He missed out on the two early pool games against Italy and Ireland and the two Bledisloe Cup clashes with New Zealand, and looked like being stranded on 99 Tests when Wallabies coach Robbie Deans again ignored him for the semifinal against the All Blacks.

It was decision described by his former Wallabies and Force teammate Brendan Cannon as illogical.

Sharpe was also dropped by Deans three years ago, but he has taken it all in his stride.

"I just took the attitude that I was going to work my arse off and if I got the opportunity then I'd try and make the most of it," he said. "When you get knocked to the canvas, it's how you get back up.

"If you're serious about what you're doing and you have a passion for it then that's the only way forward."

Sharpe said that every player and member of the coaching staff had to take a long hard look at this World Cup campaign.

"After Friday, everyone right across the board has to look at where we could have gone better, how we could have gone better and then move forward," he said.

He said the bronze-medal play-off was an opportunity for the Wallabies to put together their best performance of the tournament.

Deans described Sharpe as a "class act, a good bloke to have in the group".

"He's got a huge amount of respect from his peers and he's a master of the line-out, not only in game but in preparation," he said.

http://au.news.yahoo.com/thewest/spo...-finished-yet/

[jono]

Is say he's been In career best form these last 3 years
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[Tazzmania]

Gee it will be great to have him at the Force past 2012, he will then move to truely legendly status with us, if he has not already done so.

Good on you Sharpie, show gen y there still something left in the older folk and some of us much older than yourself.

[GIGS20]

Looking around the locks we have on offer at the moment, there's not a lot in the cupboard, Horwill is young and World Class, but at international level it's hard to find another Australian lock under 28 who I'd put in the gold jersey with absolute confidence. Simmons looked like he had some promise, but I'm not convinced any more, Wykes might be OK but is a bit small for international duties and shows potential to be another dean Mumm (ok pretty harsh call I know, but he needs to prove himself before you can be confident) none of the talks at the Brumbies are worth a cracker and the Rebels are full of foreigners.

We might well need Sharpie to line up for the NEXT World Cup

[James]

Yeah we need Sharpie to soldier on. I can't believe how despairingly close we came to picking up Peter Kimlin. He would have been great for the . Each extra year we keep Sharpe is another year that the likes of Luke Jones, Greg Peterson, Phoenix Battye, Rob Simmons, Hugh Pyle, etc have to develop. Hopefully Will Caldwell will make a comeback from his Crohn's Disease at some point.

[GIGS20]

Yeah, Caldwell was the only credible other name I could come up with for the future and his health might put a lid on that completely.

I bloody hope Wykesey is listening to every syllable Sharpie breathes and working his arse of for the sake of the Wallabies......he might be our only option in a couple of years time!

[James]

I'd prefer to look at Wykesy as a 6. Not a bad lock option though. We'd need a different line-out caller.

[GIGS20]

I'd prefer to look at Wykesy as a 6. Not a bad lock option though. We'd need a different line-out caller.

Yeah, I was thinking that as I wrote the first post, kinda why I said he was in danger of becoming a Dean Mumm, who was never big enough to be effective as an international lock.

[James]

Exactly. Dean Mumm doesn't even want to become Dean Mumm.

[jargan83]

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[Burgs]

Well said Jargs...

[jargan83]

Hmmmmm how random. Must have left phone unlocked when I put it in my pocket this morning


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[jono]

That's a carton!
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[normie]

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possibly right.

[jargan83]

possibly right.

I think my original opinion was a bit hasty