By Julie Stott at Wembley Stadium

AFP

Sonny Bill Williams ended weeks of speculation about his future Monday when he confirmed he will stay in New Zealand for another year and play his Super 15 rugby with the Waikato Chiefs.

Details of his contract are confidential but it does allow for the midfield back to continue his professional boxing career, the New Zealand Rugby Union (NZRU) said.

The rugby league convert had given a series of mixed signals about his future earlier in the year as rugby union and rugby league clubsaround the globe chased his signature.

"We?re delighted that Sonny has chosen to continue playing his rugby in New Zealand next year," NZRU general manager professional rugby Neil Sorensen said Monday.

"He?s a special player who creates some real excitement and interest in the game with his style of rugby. We?re looking forward to seeing him create some more excitement in a Chiefs, as well as an All Blacks, jersey next year."

After indicating earlier in the year he would stay in New Zealand, Williams later said he was "entitled to change his mind" and would not made a decision on his future until after the World Cup.

He also hinted if he stayed in New Zealand he could leave the Canterbury Crusaders and follow All Blacks assistant coach Wayne Smith who has taken up a contract with the Chiefs.

The 26-year-old Williams walked away from a world-record US$5 million offer from the French club Toulon to move home to New Zealand last year on a short-term contract, in the hope of making the All Blacks World Cup side.

But while he made the championship-winning squad, he was reported to be unhappy at having to play second fiddle to rival Ma'a Nonu and played only a brief cameo towards the end of the 8-7 win over France in the final.

Williams was the only member of the New Zealand World Cup squad who did not confirm his intentions for 2012 before the tournament, and he was the only player not to take part in the victory parades around the country.

Source: 

http://news.yahoo.com/rugby-star-sonny-bill-williams-stay-n-zealand-040238599.html

AAP

Super Rugby champions Queensland are expecting prized five-eighth Quade Cooper to return to action two weeks earlier than expected after successful knee surgery.

The enigmatic Wallabies playmaker was expected to miss the first eight weeks of the competition after going down with a torn anterior cruciate ligament early in the World Cup bronze medal play-off with Wales.

But Reds coach Ewen McKenzie said Cooper should return before the halfway mark of the 2012 Super Rugby season after receiving encouraging feedback following surgery in Brisbane on Thursday.

McKenzie said he would be targeting the round-seven clash on April 6 against the Brumbies as Cooper's long-awaited return.

That would mean Cooper would miss only the opening six games of the 18-round Super Rugby season - not eight as first feared.

McKenzie said Cooper had already been discharged from hospital and would commence rehabilitation "immediately".

"Quade's operation went smoothly with surgery results confirming the circumstances of his injury are typical to what you normally expect from a torn ACL," McKenzie said.

"We're confident he'll return in the quickest time possible and hopefully in time for the Brumbies in early April.

"There's no doubting Quade's professional approach to the game and he will work tirelessly with our medical staff to ensure he is back on the field sooner rather than later.

"That's just the type of person he is."

Cooper has worn the Reds No.10 jersey for 31 consecutive games and 52 of 53 matches since March 15, 2008.

But McKenzie said finding a replacement had not fazed him.

He will trial up to six potential candidates - Mike Harris, Jono Lance, Ben Lucas and Ben Tapuai as well as Dallan Murphy and Ulupano Seuteni from their extended playing squad.

The Reds' pre-season begins on November 7 with their Super Rugby season opener against the NSW Waratahs in Sydney on February 25.

"Recruitment and retention has been priority No.1 since I joined the Reds and we've developed a roster that can not only survive the loss of Quade, but thrive in his absence," McKenzie said.

"We used 37 players on our way to winning the Super Rugby competition last year and that collective effort is again going to be the focus of our success.

"The whole group needs to step up.

"It's disappointing to lose Quade but we have a number of capable players who can step in and excel in his absence."

Cooper was met by girlfriend Stephanie Rice outside hospital after his operation.

He said he won't rush his return to the Reds but is confident he can get back to his best.

"I'm sure it's not going to stop the way they (the Reds) will play," he told the Ten Network.

"I'll keep enjoying my football and giving it 100 per cent every time I'm out there."

Source: 

http://news.smh.com.au/breaking-news-sport/quade-cooper-back-by-round-six-say-reds-20111028-1mo4e.html

By ARU Media Unit

Former Qantas Wallabies skipper, Stirling Mortlock, has been listed amongst a host of stars to face Australia this November for the Barbarians at Twickenham on Saturday, November 26.

However, it is not just the players catching the headlines, with Rugby World Cup winning coach Graham Henry and his assistant Steve Hansen accepting invitations to coach the Barbarians.

The two Kiwis will be working together again with and taking charge of a Barbarian squad for the first time as the famous touring club prepares to take on the Tri-Nations' champions for the Killik & Co Cup

Barbarians' chairman John Spencer said, "This is a great coup for the Barbarians at this particular time. Having seen at first hand in New Zealand in recent weeks the high regard in which both Graham Henry and Steve Hansen are held by the rugby fraternity at large, capped by the All Blacks being crowned as world champions, we are absolutely delighted that they are coming to the UK to coach the Barbarians."

Joining Henry and Hansen in a star-studded line-up will be other headline names from the Rugby World Cup, including several of New Zealand's triumphant squad. Sonny Bill Williams and Keven Mealamu are scheduled to make their second Barbarians' appearance while the All Black debutants include Jerome Kaino, Piri Weepu and Adam Thomson.

Also returning to Barbarian colours are Jamie Roberts and Leigh Halfpenny from Wales and Bryan Habana and Victor Matfield from South Africa. The four last played together when the Barbarians beat New Zealand two years ago - and Habana left his imprint on a pulsating victory with a hat-trick of tries.

The new Barbarians feature a glittering cast of other big names from around the world including Danny Cipriani (England), Jason White (Scotland) and the Wales' trio of record cap-holder Stephen Jones and his namesakes Ryan and Adam Jones.

Barbarians' secretary Alan Evans said, "Advance ticket sales have already hit the 40,000 mark and as more and more star names are announced we are confident that the British rugby public will want to be at Twickenham to see whether Graham Henry and Steve Hansen can mastermind another victory over the Wallabies."

Tickets for the Killik & Co Cup match are now on sale via www.ticketmaster.co.uk, priced from £15 for children and £35 to £65 for adults.

To complete a mouthwatering day of top-class international rugby at the stadium, the Barbarians v Australia match will be followed at 5.00pm by a repeat of the 2010 Women's World Cup

final when England take on New Zealand. 

(Source:  http://www.rugby.com.au/wallabies/News/NewsArticle/tabid/1516/ArticleID/4850/Default.aspx)

WELLINGTON, (Reuters) :The intensity level at the rugby World Cup was ratcheted up a notch on Monday as the surviving eight teams began their preparations for the knockout phase, while England and New Zealand asked the public to ‘move on’. 

The quarter-finalists had settled their Auckland or Wellington bases, the venues for next weekend’s encounters, to take stock of the state of their squads and assess injuries from the final pool matches.

“Teams just have to adapt with injury and setbacks,” Australia’s coaching co-ordinator David Nucifora told reporters in Wellington.
“The games are played at high intensity. Even the ones against the lower ranked teams (in the pools) have been played at huge intensity so injuries will always be a part of it.”
The Wallabies’ quarter-final opponents South Africa will be sweating over the fitness of first-choice wingers JP Pietersen and Bryan Habana, while England have similar concerns over flyhalf Jonny Wilkinson and centre Mike Tindall.

Martin Johnson’s side, however, will definitely be without the attacking thrust of Delon Armitage for their match against France at Eden Park.
The utility back was banned for one game after he was found guilty of a dangerous high tackle on Scotland’s Chris Paterson on Saturday, though Johnson said he still had plenty of options in Mark Cueto and Matt Banahan.

Cueto, however, momentarily switched his focus to the public and English press on Monday, telling the media to “move on” after they continued to report details of the England team’s off-field antics in the deep south of New Zealand.
“There are two things that have happened but they are in the papers ever day… that’s down to you guys,” Cueto told reporters in Auckland. “Move on and start writing about other things; it was three weeks ago.”

INJURY TIME
New Zealand flyhalf Daniel Carter faced the media for the first time since he suffered a groin tear on Saturday that ruled him out of the World Cup.
The 29-year-old had been considered one of the pivotal members in an All Blacks side hoping to end a 24-year World Cup drought and newspapers, television and talk radio stations have spent the last 48 hours poring over the injury and its ramifications.
Wellington’s Dominion Post newspaper’s front page lead story on Monday was headlined “Can we do it without Dan?”, but Carter himself asked the country to stop worrying about whether the All Blacks could win the World Cup and just support them.

“It is pretty gut-wrenching and really disappointing but I have to get over it and think positively and help the guys in any way I can,” he told reporters at a packed media conference in Auckland.

“It’s important that the country get over it and move on and continues to support the All Black side. Now we’re in the playoffs, the support is even more important.”
Tournament organisers began their final push for ticket sales with the news they were less than NZ$6.5 million ($4.9 million) away from achieving their target of NZ$268.5 million.

Should they achieve that figure, organisers will make a NZ$39 million loss, which is being underwritten by the government and New Zealand Rugby Union.
Almost 1.1 million fans had attended the 40 pool matches, organisers said, with four of the final eight matches over the weekend sold out.
“This is an excellent place to be with eight major matches of the tournament yet to be completed,” organisers chief executive Martin Snedden said.
“I have no doubt we will reach our goal despite the major challenges we have faced, both with the tragic Christchurch earthquake and the difficult economic climate.” ($1 = NZ$1.308)

Today (Sunday) Fiji islanders play Wales at the 2011 Rugby World Cup and Sri Lankan fans who have had a liking for the Pacific Island style of play are going to cherish watching this encounter on television. True, it’s the British expat community which introduced the sport to the Sri Lankans in 1879. But over the years, the involvement of players from Fiji, Tonga and Samoa in domestic rugby tournaments has greatly influenced Sri Lanka’s style of play. Sri Lankans have eagerly copied their ran and pass style of rugby where ‘using the legs’ is preferred over brutal contact rugby.

Even this season, we saw players from Samoa, Fiji and Tonga don the jerseys of reputed A Division clubs. Angsta Sae (Samoa), Paula Alakata and A.Uaisele (both Tonga) were outstanding for Havelock Sports Club.

If one turns the pages of time, we can recall the feats of Jale Salu Salu, Apisi Nagata, Kiti Ratudrada, Bati Ponia, Filitoge Lameta, Thuruwa Opethi, Meli Nakuta, Mope Ravuvu and Manasanga Quoro which made Sri Lankan fans fall in love with the run and pass style of rugby these Pacific islanders produced.

Fiji and Samoa are in contention of World Cup quarter final berths. As much as the whole of the pacific islands are watching with interest, so are Sri Lankans whether they’ll make the final eight of the tournament. A sizable potion of Fiji’s foreign exchange comes from exporting the services of rugby players. Sri Lanka is one main country which buys this service. In 1986 the first rugby players from the Pacific Islands to arrive here were Nagata and Jalasi Radro. The duo’s exploits here sent the message back to Fiji that there was great passion here in Sri Lanka to play rugby and Fiji should take assignments in Sri Lanka seriously.

Nagata was in and out of Sri Lanka over a period about a decade and is still remembered fondly by the Sri Lankan rugby fraternity. There were also the likes of Radudradra and Ponia who helped Kandy SC scale the heights domestic rugby. Jale Salu Salu, who married a Sri Lankan, did the same for Havelocks Sports Club.

How can one forget the years spent here by Tulagaese Tawita (Laga), the Samoan domiciled in New Zealand, who played and coached in Sri Lanka. His daughter was born in Sri Lanka was named Ceylon.

Rugby has shoved to a side the skills with which one side steps and ‘foxes’ the opposition, only to trade that with the slap-bang approach to rugby union. As a result, players in the international scene rely heavily on body mass and weigh somewhere between 110 kgs-118 kgs. The beauty about these Pacific islanders is that they carry extra muscle, but have not sacrificed anything on leg power and foot work. The latter feature is something that Sri Lankans share in common with the islanders.

The three teams, Fiji, Tonga and Samoa, have struggled somewhat when it comes to 15-a-side rugby, but their exploits in rugby sevens, just like Sri Lanka, have made these nations proud. From the looks of it, Samoa seems to be a side far superior to its two neighbouring brothers, Fiji and Tonga and carries the hopes of these nations beyond the semi finals.

Whether they make the full journey at the World Cup or not is anyone’s guess, but that they’ll entertain a crowd, if given an opportunity has never been in doubt!