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England outcast Ben Te'o is back in NRL for the first time since 2014

(Photo by Lynne Cameron/Getty Images)
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England World Cup outcast Ben Te’o is back in rugby league for the remainder of the 2020 season in Australian. The midfielder’s career at Test level in union was shattered by the fallout from an alleged altercation in Italy with Mike Brown during a pre-World Cup training camp.

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Despite being a regular under Eddie Jones and also featuring for the Lions in their drawn Test series versus the All Blacks in 2017, Te’o was cut loose by England for the finals and he spent some month at Toulon in the Top 14 before linking up with the Sunwolves ahead of the 2020 Super Rugby season. 

However, with that tournament cancelled due to the coronavirus outbreak and the Sunwolves now defunct as they won’t be returning to Super Rugby in 2021, Te’o has filled the gap on his schedule by answering an SOS from Brisbane.

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Former All Blacks star Dan Carter has joined the Blues for the all-New Zealand Super Rugby tournament

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Former All Blacks star Dan Carter has joined the Blues for the all-New Zealand Super Rugby tournament

Broncos coach Anthony Seibold was looking for reinforcements after hooker Jake Turpin (leg) joined some big names on the sidelines ahead of Thursday’s clash with Sydney Roosters. Turpin is believed to have suffered a leg fracture and could be out for up to six weeks.

He joined captain Alex Glenn (lacerated leg), David Fifita (knee), Tevita Pangai (suspension) and Jack Bird (knee) on the sidelines.

Te’o, 33, has been linked to the Broncos since being spotted training in Brisbane after his Japanese Super Rugby club Sunwolves were sidelined in March due to the coronavirus. Seibold reached out to ex-England player – who last played NRL in 2014 – with the Sunwolves not involved in the Super Rugby relaunch in July.

Former Queensland State of Origin forward Te’o returns to Red Hill after playing 75 games for Brisbane from 2009 to 2012. Overall he played 152 NRL games, also featuring at West Tigers and South Sydney where he won a premiership in 2014 before making a code switch.

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He played 16 Tests for England, twice for the British and Irish Lions and he also played one league Test for Samoa in 2008. “It’s crazy how things work out but I’m just excited to get back playing rugby league and rip in with the boys and really work hard,” Te’o said in a statement. “The club had a spot open and need some boys and I’m ready to come and help out and play my role for the Broncos.”

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NoLongerARuck 51 minutes ago
Nations Championship: 'The data shows the north has finally caught up with the south'

The Six Nations produced so many compelling games and so much of action packed moments that you can only conclude that its the best international comp out there at the moment except for a world cup. If Wales improve it will be even better especially given the strides Italy have made in recent times. The Rugby Championship is now taking a hiatus in a year it really should be building toward something better which is terrible considering the competition was so tight last year. The Nations Champs promises much but one gets the feeling that the 6 Nations teams will not be at their peak given its at the end of their long season. In terms of rugby quality and entertainment Id rather watch the 6 Nations over everything else other than a world cup right now. The North arguably offers more in terms of entertainment than the South at club level as well. The Prem, the Champs Cup, URC and Top 14 all feature plenty of scoring and different playing styles while Super Rugby seems to be the same thing game in game out. While the South tries to speed up the game artificially with new trials and law variations the North has shown you can do it with good refereeing which penalises cynical play harshly and encourages positive actions on the field. In terms of entertainment the North wins. In terms of winning? They are making strides but until they win another world cup or get a team to rank number 1 again for an extended time again they cant really say they are better than the South.

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