A round-up of other rugby news in brief...
Hernandez on way to Sharks
STADE FRANÇAIS team manager Ewen McKenzie has confirmed Juan Martin Hernandez is on his way to Super 14 side the Sharks.
Neither club have officially confirmed the transfer, but McKenzie revealed the Argentina outhalf will play for the South African outfit for the next 12 months.
“I think it’s pretty well documented he is going to play in South Africa for a year,” McKenzie said. “That’s the business of rugby – it’s big money and you have to balance your books. You have to make commercial decisions.”
Hernandez (26) is believed to have turned down a number of Top 14 clubs in favour of a move to the Southern Hemisphere, where McKenzie reckons the Pumas star will flourish.
“I think Super 14 rugby will be different,” added the former Australia frontrow forward. “It’s like a sprint race – it’s only three months – and I think he will appreciate that. He’ll get an off-season.”
France international Frederic Michalak spent a season with the Sharks before returning to Toulouse last year.
Drier the better for Rokocoko
JOE ROKOCOKO is hoping that playing on the drier pitches of South Africa will help improve his current slump in form when New Zealand face the Springboks in Bloemfontein tomorrow.
The Auckland winger will win his 56th cap after he was included in the starting line-up named by Graham Henry – one of two changes made by the coach, who has also picked Brendon Leonard.
It was a welcome selection for the 26-year-old, after a tough spell of form which has seen him touch down just twice since the 2007 World Cup, the second of which came against Italy just under four weeks ago.
“Bloemfontein is a good place to play running rugby,” he said. “Wayne Smith (assistant coach) was reminding me how good the track is.
“It is ideal for running rugby, even more so for the wingers. The backs are enjoying some good, hard running and hopefully we can do well.”
Two Kiwi sides seek Super spot
TWO NEW Zealand groups have lodged their interest to establish the 15th Super rugby team to join the Southern Hemisphere competition in 2011, but the New Zealand Rugby Union (NZRU) has cast doubt on their viability.
Hawkes Bay had applied, while a bid had also been received on behalf of the Taranaki region, the NZRU said in a statement.
Hawkes Bay and Taranaki field teams in the country’s top-flight domestic rugby competition, the Air New Zealand Cup, which will be cut from 14 teams to 10 next year for cost reasons.
