Sunday Snippets

Sunday Snippets

Link’s time up: Ewen McKenzie’s time as head coach of the Wallabies has come to a premature end, after he resigned from his post in the immediate aftermath of yesterday’s nail-biting 29-28 defeat at the hands of the World Champions, the All Blacks, After two weeks of upheaval and turmoil within the Australian camp, with rumours abound of McKenzie engaging in an affair with the now also resigned former Business Manager, Di Patston, the former Wallaby has called time on his reign at the helm. Add to that the controversy surrounding star player Kurtley Beale in recent weeks and one begins to understand the severe media scrutiny and pressure McKenzie has come under. Those two factors seem to be the primary drivers behind McKenzie’s decision, with Australian Rugby Union CEO Bill Pulver, stating that the man affectionately known as Link, felt he had lost the respect of both the players in the dressing room and the overall coaching staff. After 22 tests in charge, McKenzie leaves his post in acrimonious circumstances and at a brutal time for Australian Rugby. Just 10 months out from a Rugby World Cup in England, Bill Pulver and his colleagues must now find an adequate replacement, a replacement they hope to have in place by this Friday.



Tuilagi worry for England; England head coach Stuart Lancaster will this morning be waking up with a severe injury headache, as news emerges of a troublesome groin injury to star midfielder Manu Tuilagi. Tuilagi, who came off midway through the opening half of Leicester’s crucial win over group rivals Ulster, is now in a race against time to prove his fitness ahead of England’s impending tests in November, against the All Blacks amongst others. Tigers boss Richard Cockerill confirmed the knock is a recurrence of a similar injury from earlier in the season and while he failed to specify a time period for Tuilagi’s absence, he expects it to be beyond the week to two week category. On the previous occasion he suffered a groin injury this term, the powerhouse centre sat out three weeks of Aviva Premiership action. Should Tuilagi fail to prove his fitness ahead of the New Zealand test at Twickenham, the door may well be open for in-form Bath centre Jonathan Joseph.

Ryan Sheady


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