Who’s hot and who’s not!

Adam Kyriacou
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It’s time for our Monday wrap of who has their name in lights and who is making the headlines for all the wrong reasons after the weekend.

THEY’RE ON FIRE!

Sam Cane: Things have come full circle for the New Zealand openside flanker after it was revealed by the world champions’ head coach, Steve Hansen, that the 27-year-old will captain the team in their Rugby Championship opener against Argentina in Buenos Aires on Saturday. This, after first-choice captain Kieran Read and his deputy, Sam Whitelock, were rested for the match. It should be an emotional day for Cane when he takes to the field as his world was in turmoil last year when he broke his neck in the same tournament when they faced the Boks in Pretoria.

Fiji: John McKee’s charges kicked off their preparations for this year’s Rugby World Cup in Japan with an emphatic 27-10 victory over the Maori All Blacks in Suva. The result is a momentous one for the Pacific Islanders as it is their first win against the Maori All Blacks in 62 years with their last triumph in this fixture registered at Carisbrook in Dunedin in 1957. Saturday’s win sets Fiji up nicely ahead of the return match in Rotorua this week and also sounds a warning to their World Cup pool rivals – Australia, Wales, Georgia and Uruguay – ahead of 2019’s global showpiece.

Beauden Barrett and Blues: Is this the missing piece of the jigsaw at the Blues? Barrett’s new four-year contract with New Zealand Rugby will see him swap the Hurricanes for the Blues from next season. As part of Barrett’s new contract, he will take an extended break away from the game at the end of 2019 and start up with the Blues midway through next year’s Super Rugby campaign. He also has an option to take a short playing break in Japan some time over the next four years with any trip abroad to be negotiated with NZR and the Blues. Sounds like a dream deal.

Major League Rugby draw: Former England international Steffon Armitage became the latest player to try his hand in the USA after it was announced he’s joining the San Diego Legion. The former Toulon and Pau back-row labelled Major League Rugby “the fastest growing rugby competition in the world” as he looks forward to a new chapter in his career. He will join Ben Foden, Joe Pietersen and Mathieu Bastereaud across the pond next season and it will be intriguing to see how the competition continues to grow if players of this ilk follow the quartet’s lead.

Ospreys boost: One of the longest running contract sagas in recent memory finally ended last week when it was announced that Alun Wyn Jones would be staying in Wales with the Ospreys until 2021. The 134-times capped international has been a rock for both region and country over recent years and at 33 years of age it seems likely he will see out his playing career as a one-club man. That could see him reach 300 fixtures for the Ospreys where he should be well managed, with one last shot at the British & Irish Lions also now very much on the cards in 2021.

Nasi Manu: Without doubt the good news story of the week was that of Manu being included in Tonga’s training squad ahead of the Rugby World Cup. The 30-year-old missed the entire PRO14 season for Italian club, Benetton, after being diagnosed with testicular cancer in 2018 and he has made a remarkable recovery to be included in his national side. On the back of Christian Lealiifano’s inclusion in the Wallabies squad, this inspirational pair have shown courage and drive to get themselves within touching distance of rugby’s biggest stage this year. Incredible.

COLD AS ICE!

Exile continues: Much like in South Africa and to a lesser extent New Zealand, Australian Super Rugby franchises will be concerned at the ongoing exodus from their sides. The drain to Japan continued this past week as three more Wallabies announced their departures. They are Bernard Foley, Quade Cooper and Will Genia, while other players elsewhere seem to have sabbaticals built in as standard these days. What does all this mean? Will Super Rugby’s quality dip as a consequence? One thing is for sure, the in-form Jaguares are in a strong position moving forward.

Jonathan Sexton setback: Another injury setback hit the Ireland fly-half this week as it was reported he is out for between four to six weeks with a dislocated thumb. While he should return in time for their opening Rugby World Cup warm-up match, against Italy in Dublin next month, both player and coaches will be frustrated at this latest in what’s becoming a long list of blows. One positive is the timing however as he won’t miss any international games.

Maori All Blacks: Although Fiji deserve plenty of credit for delivering an outstanding performance in Suva, more was expected from Clayton McMillan’s troops, who were under the cosh from the outset and trailed 12-0 at half-time. With the incredible depth in New Zealand’s playing ranks, any representative team from that country are expected to be competitive at all times but the Maori All Blacks battled to build momentum and a much better performance is expected of them when the teams resume hostilities in Rotorua this weekend. We shall see if they improve.

Hendré Stassen: The Stade Français second-row is set for a lengthy spell on the sidelines after it was revealed that he has been suspended temporarily after testing positive for a banned substance. According to a club statement, the 21-year-old former South African U20 player, who joined the Paris giants from the Bulls last year, failed a random drugs test after Stade Francais’s Top 14 encounter against Montpellier at the Altrad Stadium on Sunday, May 19.

Wallaby robbed in Johannesburg: It was disappointing to read that Australia tighthead prop Taniela Tupou had his phone stolen on a street in the South African city over the weekend. Apparently the front-row contingent of the Wallabies were returning to the team hotel after a meal when Tupou had his phone snatched before the robber managed a quick getaway in a waiting car. Tupou did his best but could not stop the man. At least he wasn’t hurt.

Blues