Nathan Sharpe asked to prolong farewell

[travelling_gerry]

• by: Bret Harris
• From:The Australian
• October 10, 201212:00AM

Robbie Deans wants Nathan Sharpe to put off his planned retirement to take the Wallabies through their tour of Europe. Source: Getty Images



NATHAN Sharpe has been asked to shelve his retirement plans one more time to lead the Wallabies on their end-of-year trip to Europe next month.

Wallabies coach Robbie Deans and ARU chief executive John O'Neill have asked Sharpe to continue his triumphant farewell tour.
Sharpe's leadership of the Wallabies in the absence of injured captains James Horwill, David Pocock and Will Genia has been remarkable.
Even if Horwill and Pocock recovered from their injuries to make the tour, they might not have enough match fitness to start in the Tests against France, England, Italy and Wales, which means Sharpe would probably retain the captaincy.
Ironically, Deans and Sharpe have not always seen eye to eye, but they have forged a wonderful coach-captain partnership.
Sharpe, 33, has planned to retire after playing his last game for the Western Force in the Super Rugby competition.
But with Dan Vickerman retired and Horwill injured, Sharpe played a key role in the Wallabies' three-Test whitewash of Six Nations champions Wales in June.
As a result, Deans asked Sharpe to make himself available for the Wallabies for the inaugural Rugby Championship.
In what has been described as the "captain's curse", Pocock sustained a serious knee injury in the Wallabies' loss to the All Blacks in Sydney.
Genia took over the captaincy, but he also sustained a bad knee injury in the Wallabies' come-from-behind win against the Springboks in Perth.
Many observers would have expected the Wallabies to fall apart without Genia, who was regarded as indispensable, but Sharpe held the team together to secure an important win.
The Wallabies had to come from behind again to beat Argentina on the Gold Coast the following week. Down by 13 points with about 20 minutes to go, Sharpe gathered the players around him and gave them a rousing pep talk, which inspired a great comeback.
It was clear after this game that Sharpe's intelligence and maturity were having a positive influence on a young Wallabies team that had been decimated by injuries.
The decision by Deans and O'Neill to persuade Sharpe to continue has been vindicated by the Wallabies' results in the Rugby Championship.
The Wallabies were soundly beaten by the Springboks in Pretoria, but their 25-19 win over Argentina in Rosario last Sunday was one of the most courageous by any Australian team.
The injury-ravaged Wallabies had made a gruelling 20-hour trek from Johannesburg to Rosario to play a formidable opponent in an hostile environment where Australian teams had been ambushed in the past.
Yet they prevailed and Sharpe played a big part in the victory with his outstanding leadership and general play.

http://www.theaustralian.com.au/spor...-1226492365358

[.X.]

"Ironically, Deans and Sharpe have not always seen eye to eye"

Can someone explain to me what makes Robbie Deans such a good coach?

Twice Robbie Deans dumped Sharpie. Now he cant live without him?

[sittingbison]

Deans is as cunning as a fox who is Professor of cunning at Oxford University. It was all a cunning plan (so cunning it out cunninged cunningness) to get the best out of Sharpie.

And he is inscrutable. Who knows what's going on in that devilishly fiendish razor sharp but cool and calculating intelligence. All and sundry think he's a simple stoic stolid stubborn Cantabrian lol
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[SNOB]

Go Sharpie! Go out on a winning tour and bring back a bit of respectability to the Wallabys.

[GIGS20]

Bugger that! Play for the Wobblies next year, I'm sure Hodgeo won't mind giving up the captaincy for you!

[jono]

He might have to.
Mining seems to be dying in the arse
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[WFDom]

Well deserved. Proudly steering a dodgy ship through rough seas at the moment!

Go get a grand slam Sharpie!
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[Sheikh]

Erm, we're playing France, England, Italy and Wales - can't do a Grand Slam, only a clean sweep.

[hertryk]

He wasn't "good enough" for the semi finals against the All Blacks..WT???? Deans you are a first class PLONKER!!! !!!!
(I would love to know what Sharpie is ACTUALLY thinking in that picture...!!! ) Sharpie you will always be a legend, mentor, and first class guy... !!! Pity there aren't more of you in the game... !! Go get 'em my man...

[Happy]

and while you're at it Sharpie, delay your retirement from the as well

[eleypinkbit]

Hopefully Sharpie will have as many One Last Time tours as John Farnham has!

[SNOB]

Erm, we're playing France, England, Italy and Wales - can't do a Grand Slam, only a clean sweep.

True but any 3 wins at the moment would probably count as a grand slam.

[PerthGirl]

Sharpie should have been chosen as Wallabies Captain right from the start instead of Rocky Elsom

[sittingbison]

True but any wins at the moment would probably count as a grand slam.

Fixed. Free of charge


(spot the subtle difference lol)

[Sheikh]

True but any 3 wins at the moment would probably count as a grand slam.

Italy should be a gimme, and neither England nor France are doing well at the moment, so 3 wins should be the absolute minimum!