Wallabies Worried as Pocock OxBridge Bound

David Pocock is expected to decide within the next 10 days whether to take a sabbatical from Australian rugby in 2017 to study.

The Brumbies back-rower is locked in an Australian Rugby Union contract until the end of this season, but is said to be weighing up a year-long move overseas to pursue interests outside of the game.

Pocock, the Wallabies’ best player at the 2015 World Cup, is currently in discussions with Brumbies coach Stephen Larkham and chief executive Michael Jones. Wallabies coach Michael Cheika has also reportedly been in Canberra to discuss the 27-year-old’s future.

“We acknowledge he’s probably one of the best players in the world and we want him at the Brumbies,” Jones told ABC Radio on Wednesday. 

“The problem is, the demand and the interest in David has skyrocketed.

“We’ve sort of had the first offer to him and a counter-offer back ... so I would say a week or 10 days and we should have it wrapped up hopefully.”

While not ideal in the Brumbies’ minds, allowing Pocock to attend Oxford or Cambridge University for a year would still give him two full Super Rugby seasons to prepare for the 2019 World Cup.

As well as being pursued by cashed-up Japanese and French clubs, he is also being touted as a possible replacement for Liam Gill at the Queensland Reds after the flanker announced a new deal with Toulon from 2017.

Pocock is currently studying for a Bachelor of Ecological Agricultural Systems degree, however he has not confirmed whether he will continue in this direction next year.

Jones said Pocock had for some time indicated interests beyond rugby but his rise to prominence at last year’s World Cup got him re-energised and excited about the game again.

“So I think he’s got a bit of a conflict within himself about where he’s going and what he’s doing,” added Jones.

Pocock is set to play in Friday’s trial match against the Queensland Reds at Ballymore, after being rested from last weekend’s trial loss to the NSW Waratahs in Wagga Wagga.

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Burgess Sydney Return Against Roosters

Sam Burgess’s return to South Sydney and the NRL will kick off against arch-rivals the Sydney Roosters in front of a potential sell-out Sunday afternoon crowd at Allianz Stadium on 6 March.

In an effort to boost crowd numbers the NRL has announced a number of big Sunday afternoon games in Sydney, scheduled for the family-friendly 4pm timeslot.

“We have certainly made an effort to ensure that some of our best match-ups and blockbusters are in family-friendly timeslots,” the NRL’s head of football Todd Greenberg said.

“Whilst I don’t want to give too much away, we will have a number of strong Sydney derbies on Sundays through the opening rounds of the Telstra Premiership.”

The NRL will release the draw for the 2016 season this week, however the governing body has already confirmed a number of Sunday blockbusters for the 4pm timeslot.

The southern derby of the Sharks and Dragons will headline the second round in the harbour city, while the Dragons will take Souths to the SCG in round three and host Penrith in round four. The battle of the west will play out as Parramatta host Penrith in round five.

Crowd figures dropped to an average of 15,074 last season, their lowest figure since 2004. On average, they dropped more than 800 fans per match on 2014, and were almost 1,500 fans down than in 2005 on average.

Sydney clubs particularly struggled, with the Wests Tigers, Manly, Penrith and Cronulla all failing to average above 12,000 people per match.

Elsewhere, the Eels will reportedly host Brisbane in the first Thursday night match of the season, while the Cowboys look set to begin their premiership defence on a Saturday night to appease their regional supporter base.

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Todd Carney Suing Cronulla

Todd Carney is suing Cronulla for close to $3 million in what he calls a bid to protect fellow players.

The troubled former Australian playmaker was sacked by the NRL club in June last year after a lewd photo purporting to show him urinating in his own mouth emerged online.

Carney and his lawyers on Monday met with the Rugby League Players Association as he prepares to sue the club for unfair dismissal.

Earlier in the year he won a claim before the NRL Appeals Committee after he argued they denied him a chance to plead his case before the club board.

The former NSW State of Origin halfback said he learned of his sacking from team-mate Wade Graham before being given the chance to give his side of the story.

“I feel I was harshly done by. Some people don’t,” Carney told the Nine Network. “I want it to be cleaned up because I think one day the club might think back to what’s happened to me and it might help another player.”

Carney resumed his playing career in France with Super League club Catalans and last month signed a three-year contract extension. However he did not rule out a return to Australia, saying he still got goosebumps watching the game.

Carney has a lengthy rap sheet, having previously been sacked by Canberra and Sydney Roosters for alcohol-related issues. He was axed by the Raiders in 2008 after being accused of urinating on a patron in a nightclub while he was let go by the Roosters for breaching an alcohol ban in 2011, the year after guiding them to the premiership and winning the Dally M.

While he has a chequered past, his lawyer Julieanne Levick said Cronulla had not followed due process by allowing him a hearing.

“If they had acted reasonably in the first instance we wouldn’t be here now,” she said. “It would’ve been settled.”

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Reds Release James O'Connor

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James O’Connor has been released from the final year of his contract with the Queensland Reds due to personal welfare reasons.

The former Wallabies star had joined the Reds on a two-year deal ahead of the 2015 Super Rugby season but according to a club statement, O’Connor has been dealing with a number of “personal matters” which the Queensland Rugby Union, Australian Rugby Union and the Rugby Union Players’ Association have all been aware of since May.

“I came to the Reds with the intention of playing my best football in my home state and looking for a fresh start but I’ve struggled with some personal matters,” O’Connor said in the statement.

“The Reds are a wonderful team and organisation and I’m very disappointed I wasn’t able to achieve my full potential for my home state. I wish the Reds all the best for 2016 and beyond.”

Queensland Rugby Union chief executive Jim Carmichael said it was in the best interests of both parties that O’Connor part ways with the Reds. It paves the way for the 25-year-old to return to French glamour club Toulon, where he spent six months before joining the Reds earlier this year. 

Indeed, O’Connor has been repeatedly linked with a move back to Toulon all season long. In June, News Corp reported O’Connor had made an agreement with billionaire Toulon owner Mourad Boujellal to return to the club before he had even left for Queensland.

“James has experienced a difficult time personally since returning to Australia and we’ve been aware of that for some time,” Carmichael said. “Therefore, James will return to Europe where he feels the spotlight on him is less intense.

“In our discussions, we’ve agreed that should James return to Australia to play rugby in the future, the Reds will have the first and last rights to secure his services.”

O’Connor played just 13 games in a injury-wrecked year with the Reds, his troublesome knee holding him back from recapturing his best form. His return to Australian rugby was partly motivated by a bid to make the Wallabies’ World Cup squad but he was unsurprisingly overlooked by coach Michael Cheika.

“James’ willingness to be proactive and speak to the Reds and RUPA regarding matters that too often are suppressed until it is too late are testament to his development and maturing,” RUPA boss Ross Xenos said.

“James is a player of enormous talent and we all hope he will benefit from time and space out of the spotlight to return to Australian rugby in the future. In releasing James, the Reds have clearly shown their commitment to the welfare of their people and credit to them for their leadership and understanding.”

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