RUGBY:THE QUEENSLAND Reds were rewarded for winning the Super Rugby title with 15 players called up to the national squad as Australia seek to take their momentum all the way to this year's World Cup. A day after their 18-13 win over the seven-time champion Crusaders in Brisbane, the Reds provided almost 40 percent of the Wallabies' 40-man roster for this week's test against Samoa and the Tri-Nations series.
“That’s fair reward for a great performance,” Wallabies coach Robbie Deans said yesterday. “We haven’t had a lot of recent success at Super Rugby level. It was a great effort and we hope to run off that. There’s a big overlap of people, inevitably there will be some carry-over.”
The Reds secured their first elite southern hemisphere provincial rugby championship in the professional era two days ago to become the first Australian winner since 2004. Queensland had finished in the bottom three in the six seasons prior to 2009 and suffered a record 92-3 defeat to South Africa’s Bulls four years ago, the biggest losing margin in the competition’s 16 seasons.
Reds scrumhalf Will Genia dashed 65 metres for the match- winning try to break a 13-13 tie with 12 minutes left at Suncorp Stadium. Winger Digby Ioane went on a solo run for the Reds’ other try and Quade Cooper kicked eight points. Dan Carter scored all of the Crusaders’ points.
Carter was among 13 Crusaders players chosen in New Zealand’s 30-man squad for the Tri-Nations and a Test against Fiji on July 22nd. Highlanders lock Jarrad Hoeata was the only newcomer to the All Blacks roster.
Genia, who was named Australia’s Super Rugby Player of the Year last month, said he and his team-mates would try to infuse their title-winning confidence in the Wallabies squad. “It’s just all about self-belief,” Genia told reporters. “Look at the Reds, who would have thought two years ago we would have won that title, or even last year, or even the start of the year. If we can take that belief in there to the core group it will go a long way towards hoping to be successful.”
Australia are scheduled to name their 30-man squad for the World Cup in New Zealand on August 18th. Only once has the same country produced the Super Rugby and World Cup champion in the same year, when the Bulls took the 2007 provincial title and the Springboks won the Webb Ellis Cup in France.
Before opening their campaign for a third World Cup victory, the Wallabies will try to break their Bledisloe Cup and Tri-Nations droughts as they take on New Zealand and South Africa home and away.
“We haven’t won the Bledisloe Cup since 2002, we haven’t won the Tri-Nations since 2001 and we want to win both of them and we want to go to New Zealand with more momentum,” John O’Neill, chief executive officer of the Australian Rugby Union, said.
Reds flanker Beau Robinson, hooker James Hanson and New South Wales Waratahs lock Sitaleki Timani were the three rookies in the Wallabies squad.
AUSTRALIA SQUAD: Ben Alexander, Adam Ashley-Cooper, Kurtley Beale, Luke Burgess, Quade Cooper, Ben Daley, Rod Davies, Dave Dennis, Rocky Elsom, Anthony Faingaa, Saia Faingaa, Will Genia, Mark Gerrard, Matt Giteau, James Hanson, Scott Higginbotham, Matt Hodgson, James Horwill, Digby Ioane, Sekope Kepu, Salesi Maafu, Pat McCabe, Ben McCalman, Stephen Moore, Luke Morahan, Dean Mumm, James OConnor, Wycliff Palu, Nick Phipps, David Pocock, Tatafu Polota Nau, Beau Robinson, Benn Robinson, Radike Samo, Nathan Sharpe, Rob Simmons, James Slipper, Sitaleki Timani, Lachie Turner, Dan Vickerman.
ALL BLACKS SQUAD: Mils Muliaina, Israel Dagg, Isaia Toeava, Hosea Gear, Zac Guildford, Richard Kahui, Conrad Smith, Sonny Bill Williams, Maa Nonu, Dan Carter, Colin Slade, Jimmy Cowan, Andy Ellis, Piri Weepu, Kieran Read, Richie McCaw (captain), Jerome Kaino, Adam Thomson, Liam Messam, Brad Thorn, Ali Williams, Sam Whitelock, Jarrad Hoeata, Ben Franks, Owen Franks, John Afoa, Tony Woodcock, Keven Mealamu, Corey Flynn, Andrew Hore.
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