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Michael Hooper, Matt Toomua to hold talks with top Kiwi players about trans-Tasman future next week
Wallabies veterans Michael Hooper and Matt Toomua are set to meet with some of New Zealand’s top players next week to explore scenarios for trans-Tasman fixtures to be held later this year.
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According to the Sydney Morning Herald, Hooper, who captained Australia to last year’s World Cup in Japan, and Toomua will be joined by Rugby Union Players Association president Damien Fitzpatrick on a call with their Kiwi counterparts.
In the absence of the suspended Super Rugby, the possibility of combining the two nations’ domestic competitions featuring their Super Rugby franchises is expected to be discussed.
RUPA boss Justin Harrison told the Herald that he has been talking with New Zealand Rugby Players Association chief executive Rob Nichol regarding such a prospect.
“I’ve been talking with Rob about the potential for a competition between the two countries and their view is very encouraging about wanting to reach out and have senior player interaction,” Harrison told the Herald.
“We are scheduling a call for next week so Hoops, Toomua, Fitzy and other players from our side can talk with senior New Zealand players to start to develop a framework around player desires for involvement.
“We’d all like to present something that has support from the playing groups and feel this is a good way to start that.”
After SANZAAR halted Super Rugby after seven rounds of action in March due to the coronavirus pandemic, both Rugby Australia and New Zealand Rugby have been working on starting respective domestic competitions in the coming months.
According to the Herald, a start date for a competition featuring all four Australian franchises and the Western Force is expected to get underway in July, while revelations were made on Friday about a potential New Zealand competition featuring up to eight professional teams being played nationwide.
https://twitter.com/RugbyPass/status/1256063510380867584
The formation of an Australasian Super Rugby competition could provide a much-needed boost to the coffers of both governing bodies on either side of the ditch.
NZR yesterday posted a loss of NZ$7.4m for 2019, while RA announced a A$9.4m loss in that same timeframe last month.
Comments on RugbyPass
Pls get it into your thick arrogant heads that the final was played by two Southern Hemisphere teams. The best against the best and that Argentina was just unlucky otherwise non of the Northetn Hemisphere teams would have seen the light of day.
124 Go to commentsAs long as New Zealand youth are involved in sport they are passionate for, and are well supported, it’s all good. I love league as well as rugby. NRL clubs have long since scouted the First 15 competitions, the NH and Japan scout super rugby and NPC. It’s a miracle there’s any players left for the all blacks to pick from.
4 Go to commentsI'm a Bok fan, so I don't say this lightly, but he is one of my all time favourite players. I am really going to miss watching him play. Thanks for many great memories. You are a true legend of the game.
3 Go to commentsBest way to deal with all of this is to play another game.
124 Go to commentsIt’s 12-15 games Luke. Ringrose has barely played in 2024 and Henshaw and Keenan have also been out for spells in the same time period. There are always injuries and for younger players to play with the likes of Barrett will be great for them. It’s just looking for negatives where there are none.
5 Go to commentsAndy Goode pushing his own agenda with very dubious considerations on refereeing performances. Luke Pearce speaking a bit of French doesn’t make him a good and adequate referee for the Champions Cup final; his latest refereeing performance in particular was not so great.
4 Go to commentsJordie knows that he has to earn the right to put on the jersey, whatever that jersey might be.
5 Go to commentsThe best outside centre in the world at one point. He will be greatly missed.
3 Go to commentsYip his great for the big moments when needed as a safa really enjoy watching him
4 Go to commentsOne that will start to come up from now on is penalties for back pushes during kick chase scrambles. Very difficult to detect. In Croke Park if you replay the Hendy NH try, you will see Furbank push Porter in the back, who collides with Larmour knocking the ball across into Hendy’s path to dot down. A more significant example was in the RWC QTR final where Arendse pushes Fickou into two other French players for the ball to spill into Arendse’s path for him to gather and run in to score SAs first try. Not cheating if you are not caught and very difficult to spot but with kicking becoming so critical I feel its an area that will referreeed/TMO-ed more.
4 Go to commentsWhat a pathetic little twit Andy Goode is, as if we care what he thinks…..😂
124 Go to commentsFoxy has been a wonderful player for the Scarlets and Wales.
3 Go to commentsNika the Georgian is the best referee in the world at the moment. Luckily we will be spared the shite SH refs and Barnes will hopefully remain retired given how shite and embarrassing he was at the RWC.
4 Go to commentsThis is the most exciting game of the summer imo, as we really won’t know in advance how both teams are going to play. - Will Robertson just reproduce his Crusaders tactics from last year, or will there be a conscious effort to borrow from the Hurricanes and Blues, and from the aspects of the ABs world cup strategy that worked well? - England under Borthwick have put in some good performances playing attacking rugby, and some good performances playing kick-oriented defensive rugby. Will Borthwick try to merge them together into a single all-court game, or will he continue switching between different approaches depending on the strengths and weaknesses of the opposition?
1 Go to commentsI’m predicting an aggregate points difference of no more than +/-10pts across both matches this series.
1 Go to commentsI’m predicting an aggregate points difference of no more than +/-10pts across both matches this series.
9 Go to commentsFinals are always tense affairs for the players so I do not expect this to be a spectacle of running rugby unfortunately.
4 Go to commentsBulls***': Ex-England international calls out Eben Etzebeth… Not to his face but from very far away… after he’d left. Checked to make sure he wasn’t in the building.
124 Go to commentsHopefully this will mean a new Auckland league team to support in the west. Big Warriors fan but it’s very, very stale on that front and I’d like the option of another team if it was to watch league again. League needs to step up BIG time if its to get anywhere, another AK team and something from the capitol or south is a must for the game.
4 Go to commentsGood, deep interview, nice job Frankie!
1 Go to comments