RUGBY NEWS ROUND-UP:SHANE JENNINGS is due to depart for Australia to train with the ACT Brumbies and a rugby league franchise, during their pre-season, to ensure he returns in peak condition when his suspension ends on January 6th.
Leinster’s contacts in Australia through head coach Michael Cheika and Alan Gaffney have obviously provided Jennings with the opportunity. This is not an official move, nor will he be playing any matches which would contravene ERC rules.
The Leinster vice-captain and five times capped international flanker was surprisingly found guilty of an act of bad sportsmanship in contravention of Law 10.4 (l) in that he made contact with the eye area of London Irish’s Nick Kennedy in the Heineken Cup round one game on October 10th.
Cheika has highly critical of the 12-week suspension, upheld on appeal, but with Jennings also ruled out of this month’s international window, when he looked certain to feature, along with rounds three and four of the Heineken Cup in December and Magners League action until the New Year, training in Australia was seen as a decent outlet for the 28 year-old.
Despite the incident being considered a low end offence, the 12- week minimum for contact with the eye area was put in place after Springbok Schalk Burger and Italian captain Sergio Parisse received eight-week suspensions for more blatant acts last summer.
This is not the first time an Irish player has switched hemispheres during a suspension. In 1998 Peter Clohessy signed a short-term contract with then Super 12 franchise the Queensland Reds following a 26-week ban for stamping on France’s Olivier Roumat in a Six Nations international in Paris.
Meanwhile, Cameron Jowitt has joined Super 14 outfit the New South Wales Waratahs. Released by Leinster last season, the 26-year-old Kiwi played for Northland in the New Zealand provincial championship recently but due to Australian ancestry he will not be considered a foreign player. Despite playing most of his rugby in Ireland on the blindside flank, Jowitt has been signed as a lock.
Veteran flanker George Smith will return to the Australia pack for tomorrow’s international against England at Twickenham after missing last week’s match against the All Blacks.
Smith, who is fifth on the all-time list of capped players, replaces David Pocock for what will be his 107th cap.
“We were looking to give George this one,” Australia’s assistant coach Jim Williams told reporters. “Poe played outstandingly in Tokyo but we monitor wellbeing week to week.”
The Wallabies have also re-jigged their midfield with Digby Ioane and Quade Cooper paired at centre. Ioane, 24, who returned from a shoulder injury to play against the All Blacks on the wing, will switch to centre alongside state colleague Cooper. The two Queensland Reds players have just 12 caps between them.
“Tuesday (against Gloucester) was influential for us in terms of Quade’s selection. He just showed how he is coming of age and he has been rewarded for that,” said Smith.
Ioane’s shift means Drew Mitchell, scorer of two tries against Gloucester on Tuesday, returns to the wing after he missed out on the Tokyo match.
Only eight of the Australia side who beat England 28-14 last year will feature on Saturday against an England team with just four survivors.
“We do have a group that’s not that experienced in terms of Test caps – it’s not as if we’ve left a lot at home who could play. This is our best group and England’s best group,” said Walabies coach Robbie Deans. “It’s going to be a ferocious contest.”
AUSTRALIA(v England, tomorrow, Twickenham, 2.30): A Ashley-Cooper; P Hynes, D Ioane, Q Cooper, D Mitchell; M Giteau, W Genia; B Robinson. S Moore, B Alexander, J Horwill, M Chisholm, R Elsom (capt), G Smith, W Palu. Replacements:T Polota Nau, M Dunning, D Mumm, D Pocock, L Burgess, R Cross, J O'Connor.
