Saturday Round-Up

Larkham gets the nod: Former Wallabies flyhalf Stephen Larkham will link up with Michael Cheika as part of the Australian coaching ticket, just in time for the 2015 World Cup. Larkham, who amassed over a century of appearances in the famous Green and Gold jersey, has long been sought after by Cheika and apparently rejected a similar offer for the recent end of year tour of Europe. However, it seems as though Larkham couldn't resist the temptation to be part of another World Cup event in some manner, with his new role predominantly consisting of caring for the Wallabies attack, a job many can only dream of with the wealth of talent Australia possess in that department. While the former flyhalf will take over responsibility for attack on the national front, he will also remain as head coach of the Brumbies, to whom he is contracted until the close of the 2017 season. By tapping into the likes of Larkham, along with Nathan Grey who toured with the Wallabies in November, Cheika is looking to bring an added dimension fo experience to his ticket, in the hopes it can see them over the line when they make their way to England to take on the hosts and Wales in the group stages.

Heinz worry: Crusaders fans are waking to some troublesome news this morning, as reports emerge that scrum half Willi Heinz could miss the entirety of the Super Rugby Season, having suffered a broken leg. Heinz, who picked up the injury midway through the first half of a pre-season warm up loss at the hands of the Highlanders, could spend as long as 6 months on the sidelines, depending on the diagnosis from experts. With Heinz out of action, that leaves head coach Todd Blackadder under serious pressure to sign a replacement halfback before the opening Super Rugby clash with the Melbourne Rebels on February 13th. Heinz’s injury could well mean an early return from Japan for Andy Ellis, who is currently plying his trade with the Kobelco Steelers and was expected to miss the opening two rounds of action. Elsewhere on the injury front, Blackadder will also be without new signing Jone Macilai, after the Fijian born winger left the field with a suspected broken arm.

Ryan Sheady