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 Notebook Henry pleads for Northern Hemisphere Super 12
Posted: Sunday October 24, 1999 06:48 PM
LONDON (AP) -- Welsh coach Graham Henry would like to see a Super 12 type club competition in Europe. The New Zealander, who has been behind a big turnaround in the fortunes of the Welsh team since he took over a year ago, is calling for an overhaul of international rugby competitions so that his players can continue their improvement. "We really do need a proper development program," Henry said after Wales' 24-9 loss to Australia in the World Cup quarterfinal. "We need less rugby but a program which offers more intensive rugby than we are playing at the moment if we are to progress." Under the present system, the top Welsh club teams dominate their own domestic competitions and don't get to play the best in England, Scotland, Ireland and France unless they are drawn together in European cup competitions. A Super 12 competition would guarantee games against the best and, that Henry argues, is bound to strengthen Welsh rugby at international level. "We need some type of competition in the Northern Hemisphere which they have in the Southern Hemisphere," said Henry, who steered Wales to a 10-test unbeaten sequence before the World Cup group loss to Samoa. "Until young people play less rugby at such a high intensity and instead concentrate on skills and speed, you're not going to produce the players you need to compete at this level. "We have to try and fix those two areas. If we can do that, we'll improve at the top level as time goes on." Wales team manager David Pickering said the Welsh and other European countries needed to learn lessons from the south. "We've got to put our tribalism aside and look for the best possible competition we can get to improve standards in Ireland, Scotland and England as well as Wales," he said. Australian lock forward and team captain John Eales said Wales was a world class team but said Australia was more seasoned. "It isn't for me to give advice to Wales but we're very fortunate in the Southern Hemisphere that we have the constant stream of hard games," the 29-year-old Aussie skipper said. "We play two games a year against New Zealand and South Africa in the Tri Nations, we play England on a home and away basis and there are other sides we play. "We have a constant stream of hard football and as a result we constantly develop as a team. It doesn't hurt to pit yourself against the best teams on a regular basis."
Gonzalo anyone?Clubs from England and France are keen to persuade Argentina's ace kicker Gonzalo Quesada to leave his executive position with a cosmetic company and turn pro."I am definitely interested," said the fly half whose accuracy helped Argentina reach the quarterfinal of the World Cup for the first time at the fourth attempt. "I would prefer not to say which clubs have approached me but they are top clubs in England and France. "They came in for me after the opening World Cup game against Wales. It was all very quick and I need to think carefully about my future."
Nice drop of de BeerFrancois Pienaar, who captained South Africa to its World Cup triumph four years ago thanks to a dramatic extra-time drop goal by Joel Stransky in the final, didn't think record five in Sunday's quarterfinal victory over England."The drop-kick is the only attack you can't defend against," said Pienaar, giving his expert analysis of the game on ITV. "He has had roller-coaster ride. I haven't seen a kicking display like that before in my whole life and I don't think we will for a long time." De Beer has played all four World Cup games in place of South Africa's leading flyhalf Henry Honiball, who is recovering from a hamstring injury. He kicked five drop goals, five penalties and two conversions for a personal tally of 34 points in South Africa's 44-21 victory at the Stade de France to take his total for the championship to 76.
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