Planet Rugby

Rugby News from around the world

Islanders get boost

The newly formed Pacific Islanders Rugby Alliance (PIRA) have announced they are in the process of signing a sponsorship deal that would be a tremendous boost to the Pacific Islanders team, due to face South Africa, Australia and New Zealand in test matches later this year.

PIRA chief executive Charlie Charters suggested it is just a matter of attending to some minor details before confirming a sponsorship package believed to be worth $161,000. He would not name the sponsor until the deal was concluded.

He admitted: "We are not in a position to name the company as we are in the final stages of negotiating the contract."

The deal would facilitate PIRA in making payments to players who line out for the composite team, drawn from Samoa, Tonga and Fiji.

The announcement is expected later this week, following which PIRA are expected to confirm further deals, including kit sponsorship and an official airline contract.

The 30-man Islanders squad will be announced after the test match between Fiji and Samoa on June 12th in Suva. The squad will be selected by the national coaches of Fiji (Wayne Pivac), Samoa (Michael Jones) and Tonga (Willie Ofahengaue). Pivac will coach the team, which will play tests on consecutive Saturdays against Australia (July 3rd), New Zealand (July 10th) and South Africa (July 17th).

Jones takes Samoa job

Legendary All Blacks flanker Michael Jones has taken over control of the Samoa national side - he was born on the Pacific Island - succeeding John Boe. Known as the Ice Man, he was one of the sport's all-time great players, lining out for the All Blacks in 55 test matches.

He was a star of the New Zealand 1987 World Cup triumph, having switched allegiance from Samoa in 1986, playing just one test for the latter. He enjoyed the distinction of scoring the opening try in two World Cups (1987 and 1991) and was famous for making himself unavailable for Sunday matches because of his Christian faith, having sworn an oath by his father's deathbed he would never engage in sport on the Sabbath.

He made his debut in the inaugural World Cup and went on to play 74 games for the All Blacks, including 55 tests - he scored 13 tries - a number that was limited by his religious conviction as well as a number of injuries, including a serious knee injury sustained in 1989 that threatened his career and sidelined him for over a year.

Despite not being selected for the 1995 World Cup because of the number of Sunday games and the emergence of a young Josh Kronfeld, Jones would continue turning out for New Zealand for the next couple of seasons, helping the All Blacks to Tri-Nations titles and clean sweeps in 1996 and 1997, eventually making his last appearance in the 1998 competition.

He retired from all forms of rugby at the end of the 1999 season after helping Auckland to the NPC title, but in April 2001, three years after quitting Test rugby, Jones took up an offer to assist Boe in coaching Manu Samoa.

Last of the expats

This is the final week for recounting the exploits of Irish-born players who have lined out for other nations. The first contribution comes from Frank Fennell. He points out that he played along with fellow Bective Rangers men John Dooly and Gary Purcell for Austria (two games against Hungary) during 1983-84.

"I joined Vienna Celtic in 1979 - one year after its founding - and played until 1984, following 10 seasons between UCD and Bective."

Eoin O'Brien relates: "Eoin Costigan (played three years on the SCT with St Gerard's) is as far as I know a current Spanish international. He played under-20s and then firsts in Greystones before emigrating to Spain four years ago."

O'Brien says another former team-mate, Barry O'Sullivan, was selected in the second row for Luxembourg a couple of years ago "but celebrated his call-up a little too heavily on the eve of his international debut, slept in the next morning and missed the match".

We received another email suggesting Colm Kennelly, a brother of the poet Brendan, has the unique distinction of having scored a winning point in an All-Ireland final in Gaelic football and a winning conversion in an international rugby match, playing for Bermuda against Jamaica.

The next nugget of information was supplied by the honorary secretary at Lansdowne, Michael Daly. He writes: "Dickie Cooke, after he left Lansdowne with a Leinster Senior Cup medal in 1972 (Mick Quinn was his youthful outhalf), moved to the States, where he won several caps for the USA Eagles."

Our final contribution comes from Emmet McCormack, who has been living and working in Norway for the past year. "Bergen has two rugby clubs, BRK (Bergen Rugby Klubb) and BSI, a student and university-affiliated team (I'm the captain for the latter this season), and is about the strongest rugby-playing region in Norway.

"One of the lads who plays for BRK is Irish and plays for the national side. I don't know how many times (he's been capped) but his name is William Wilson and he's from Co Antrim."

Uncanny likenesses

This column acknowledges the contributions of a couple of people with too much time on their hands who sent in the following suggestions.

Jimmy Nail of Auf Wiedersehen Pet (also Crocodile Shoes) and Rupert Moon (late of Wales and Llanelli Scarlets).

Another contributor suggests Guy Easterby and Homer Simpson; Guy Easterby and Kevin Maggs; Kevin Maggs and Homer Simpson; Ronan O'Gara and Ralf Schumacher; and Serge Betsen and Seal.

Smokeless Tabacco

Finally, thanks to all those who expressed concern about whether Stade Francais flanker Patrick Tabacco would be allowed into the bars and clubs of Limerick following Saturday's Heineken Cup quarter-final at Thomond Park.