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Thursday 17 October, 2013 |
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GENIA TO PLAY 50 GAMES FOR AUSTRALIA, BETHAM TO DEBUT AGAINST ALL BLACKS |
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Qantas Wallabies scrumhalf Will Genia will become just the 39th player to reach the prestigious 50-game milestone for Australia in Saturday night’s third Bledisloe Cup Test against New Zealand at Forsyth Barr Stadium.
It’s a deserving honour for the talented Queensland Reds playmaker as he joins Qantas Wallabies greats George Gregan (139) and Nick Farr Jones (63) as only the third Australian scrumhalf to accomplish the milestone.
Saturday night will also be a special occasion for NSW Waratahs winger Peter Betham as he makes his Test debut for Australia in one of the four changes made to the starting line-up which recently scored seven tries in a convincing 54-17 victory over Argentina.
His selection caps of a stellar year for the 24-year-old flyer and follows the midweek withdrawal of fellow outside backs Joe Tomane and Chris Feauai-Sautia due to minor hamstring injuries.
ACT Brumbies playmaker Matt Toomua has also earned his third starting appearance for Australia and will replace injured teammate Christian Leali’ifano (ankle) in the number 12 jersey.
The unavailability of Scott Fardy (eye) has resulted in a re-shuffle of the team’s backrow with Ben McCalman earning a promotion from the bench to No.8, meaning vice-captain Ben Mowen will shift to the side of the scrum at blindside flanker.
On the bench, NSW Waratahs backrower Dave Dennis and versatile Queensland Reds back Mike Harris are both in line to receive their first opportunities in the green and gold jersey for 2013.
Qantas Wallabies coach Ewen McKenzie congratulated Genia and Betham on their respective milestones.
“Will has been an amazing servant of Australian Rugby for a long time now so it’s extremely pleasing for him to reach 50 games, a huge career milestone in any player’s career,” McKenzie said.
“He has an incredible drive to see Australia succeed at this level and you’ll no doubt see that in his performance against the All Blacks on Saturday night.
“I think I speak for everyone when I congratulate Will on reaching the prestigious 50-game honour.
“It will also be a hugely memorable occasion for Peter, who gets the opportunity to experience his first taste of Test Rugby in what will be a very hostile environment against a talented New Zealand team.
“The reality of Rugby is that most players get an opportunity at the misfortune of one of their teammates, but it’s about what each individual does with that opportunity that counts the most.
“That doesn’t just apply to Peter but to a number of guys who are receiving a chance this week. There is no better way to make your mark than by playing well against the All Blacks.”
McKenzie said his squad was also looking forward to the challenge of a third Test against the All Blacks, who are aiming to win a record 30th consecutive game on home soil in New Zealand.
“The All Blacks are the most consistent team in world Rugby and their record proves just how formidable they are when playing at home in front of their fans,” he said.
“History indicates that playing the All Blacks is a significant challenge, but you want to be measuring yourself against the best performing teams in the world and we are very much looking forward to that on Saturday night.
“It was pleasing to see us take a step in the right direction against Argentina, but the test for us now is to produce that form week-in and week-out.
“At this level you need to back-up, play consistently and find solutions to win every game, which has been a large focus for us heading into this match.”
Betham will become the 12th player to debut for Australia in 2013, joining:
Scott Fardy, Chris Feauai-Sautia, Israel Folau, Bernard Foley, Tevita Kuridrani, Christian Leali’ifano, Jesse Mogg, Ben Mowen, Scott Sio, Matt Toomua, and Nic White.
The Qantas Wallabies side to play New Zealand in the third Bledisloe Cup Test at Forsyth Barr Stadium on Saturday 19 October is:
1. James Slipper (Queensland Reds) 2. Stephen Moore (ACT Brumbies) 3. Ben Alexander (ACT Brumbies) 4. Rob Simmons (Queensland Reds) 5. James Horwill (c – Queensland Reds) 6. Ben Mowen (vc - ACT Brumbies) 7. Michael Hooper (NSW Waratahs) 8. Ben McCalman (Western Force) 9. Will Genia (Queensland Reds)* 10. Quade Cooper (Queensland Reds) 11. Peter Betham (NSW Waratahs)** 12. Matt Toomua (ACT Brumbies) 13. Tevita Kuridrani (ACT Brumbies) 14. Adam Ashley-Cooper (NSW Waratahs) 15. Israel Folau (NSW Waratahs)
16. Saia Fainga’a (Queensland Reds) 17. Benn Robinson (NSW Waratahs) 18. Sekope Kepu (NSW Waratahs) 19. Sitaleki Timani (NSW Waratahs) 20. Dave Dennis (NSW Waratahs) 21. Nic White (ACT Brumbies) 22. Mike Harris (Queensland Reds) 23. Bernard Foley (NSW Waratahs) *50 games for Australia
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NSW Rugby Union Media Release
Wednesday August 14, 2013
Sydney Uni and Newington to stage 150-year rugby re-enactment
Sydney University Rugby Club will celebrate 150 years of Australian rugby with a historic re-enactment at Saturday’s Bledisloe Cup match.
The exhibition match against Newington will be played under the rugby laws of 1863 and will take place at half-time during Saturday’s first Bledisloe Cup Test match at ANZ Stadium.
The spectacle will be tribute to the groundwork laid by both teams for the growth of Australian and trans-Tasman rugby. Founded in 1863, Sydney University Rugby Club is Australia’s oldest rugby club and this year celebrates its sesquicentenary, a feat only achieved by seven northern hemisphere clubs.
Their opponent in the exhibition match, Newington College this year celebrates the 150th anniversary of the school’s establishment, with rugby played there for over a century. The match against the Students is a repeat of Newington’s first official rugby match.
Event organiser Steve Anthony will be one of the exhibition umpires and says he hopes the spectacle will be enjoyable. “We hope it’s entertaining and also educational.”
Anthony conducted a similar re-enactment in 1974 when NSW rugby celebrated its century. “I think people find it interesting to see how things were different in the past and how they evolved, hopefully we will be able to demonstrate it in a way that amuses people.
“What we’re going to do during the six-and-a-half minutes is show how the game has evolved over the 20 years between 1863 and 1883, when the modern style really started to evolve.”
Back in the nineteenth century, Anthony says the game more closely resembled soccer, although there were still traces of modern day rugby.
“The things that were similar were the offside in general play and that you couldn’t pass the ball forward. It was really more like soccer was in those days, rather than as rugby is now.
To illustrate the game’s development during the period that followed, the exhibition match will feature the introduction of referees and ‘the running backline’, mapping the sport’s progression towards the modern game, and all explained throughout by an announcer.
Reflective of the game back in 1883, the re-enactment teams will each feature 20 players, 13 forwards and seven backs. Players will be wearing hooped jerseys and ‘longs’, trousers that finished midway between the knee and ankle. They will use a leather ball and create a divot on halfway to hoick it to their opposition for the kick-off.
A strong feature of nineteenth century rugby, scrums could last as long as ten minutes, as teams tried to drive through their opposition with the ball on the ground. During a maul, players were able to hack the player below the knees, while he was in possession.
Tries were nonexistent and were known as ‘run ins’, their only benefit being to give the player a shot at goal. A goal was worth one point, with the teams changing ends as a result. The first team to score two points won the game. If no team had scored two points in five days, the match was declared a draw.
Penalty goals didn’t exist until 1890 and players who kicked the ball out were jeered, with players having to ‘touch’ the ball down in the field of play to regain possession from the stoppage. It was one of the options to get the ball back into play that resulted in the modern game’s lineout.
In the absence of referees, the management of the early game fell to the captains, as Anthony explained. “The captains would agree on the rules before the game started and they managed to control the game between them during the course of the match. It was assumed the game was played in a sporting spirit.”
Taking place in the middle of one of rugby’s fiercest rugby rivalries, the exhibition will serve as a reminder of the sporting spirit that still remains one of rugby’s core values.
Tickets for Saturday’s Bledisloe Cup match between Australia and New Zealand at Sydney’s ANZ Stadium are available from Ticketek, priced from $45 for juniors and $200 for a family of four. The Wallabies team for this first match of the 2013 Rugby Championship will be named on Thursday afternoon.
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