A round-up of other rugby news in brief
Connacht sign Highlanders number eight Naoupu
CONNACHT are poised to strengthen their squad with the signing of number eight George Naoupu from the Highlanders in New Zealand.
The 26 year-old is due to finalise a move to the Sportsground and should be in place to play for Connacht in their back-to-back Challenge Cup games against Worcester Warriors next month.
Connacht lead pool two of the competition thanks to wins over Olympus Madrid and away to Montpellier in France and with only the pool winners advancing to the quarter-finals, the games against Worcester will be crucial.
Naoupu has played Super 14 for the Highlanders for the past two seasons and will come to Connacht from the Hawkes Bay club.
He came up through Canterbury’s academy and can also play flanker or lock. He played for the New Zealand under-21s in 2004 and for the All-Blacks sevens.
Peel glad to resume with Jones
DWAYNE PEEL is relishing the chance to rekindle one of Welsh rugby’s most prolific half-back partnerships.
Peel and Stephen Jones will be reunited in a Wales starting line-up for the first time since February 2008 when Australia arrive at the Millennium Stadium on Saturday.
It is a combination launched almost 10 years ago with Llanelli.
Between them, they have now amassed 153 Welsh caps and toured three times with the British and Irish Lions.
“We haven’t played together for a while, so it will be good to get back to old ways,” said Peel, who plies his trade in England with Sale Sharks, while Jones is a Scarlets player once more following a stint at French club Clermont Auvergne.
“Obviously, I’ve known Stephen for a fair time. It would probably be about 1999 when we played together for the Scarlets for the first time.
“I was lucky enough to play with Stephen for about seven or eight years, so it’s good to get back and pass him a few balls again.
“We know what each other wants, and that becomes a habit. You know how each other likes certain passes, or whatever, and that’s important.
“It has become an instinctive understanding.
Cueto signs new deal with Sale
ENGLAND back Mark Cueto has signed a new four-year deal with Sale Sharks. It will make 29-year-old Cueto the longest serving player in Sale’s history.
Cueto, who has won 34 caps and toured New Zealand with the 2005 British and Irish Lions, joined Sale in 2000, making his first-team debut the following year.
He has scored 67 Premiership tries, with only former team-mate Steve Hanley, who claimed 75 league touchdowns, above him.
Cueto said: “I have played all my professional rugby at Sale Sharks, and I want to finish my career here. I have had some great times.”
Argentina make six changes for Scots
ARGENTINA, smarting from defeats by England and Wales, yesterday announced six changes to their team for the final match of their British tour against Scotland at Murrayfield on Saturday (kick-off 2.30pm).
Hooker Mario Ledesma has returned to his French home for the birth of his third child and is replaced by Alberto Vernet Basualdo. The rest of the changes are tactical.Scrumhalf Alfredo Lalanne comes back into the side after playing against England but being dropped against Wales to the bench.
Lock Manuel Carizza starts, while flanker Alejandro Campos is preferred to Tomas Leonardi and prop Marcos Ayerza to Rodrigo Roncero. Utility back Federico Martin Aramburu replaces Mauro Comuzzi on the left wing.
ARGENTINA: Agulla; L Borges, G Tiesi, M Rodriguez, F Martin Aramburu; S Fernandez, A Lalanne; M Ayerza, A Vernet Basualdo, M Scelzo, M Carizza, P Albacete, A Campos, A Abadie, JF Lobbe (capt). Replacements: A Creevy, R Roncero, E Lozada, T Leonardi, A Figuerola, B Urdapilleta, H San Martin.
Cockerill banned for four weeks
LEICESTER head coach Richard Cockerill has received a four-week suspension for abusing match officials, the RFU (Rugby Football Union) in England said yesterday.
The two incidents happened during an Anglo-Welsh Cup match against Newport Gwent Dragons on November 14th, and Cockerill is banned from any involvement with English champions or match officials on game days until December 23rd and fined £2,000 (€2,208).
Cusiter wants clean sweep
CHRIS CUSITER yesterday urged his Scotland side not to spoil all their good work against Fiji and Australia by failing to complete a clean sweep of autumn international wins.
Cusiter will aim to become the first man to captain Scotland to a hat-trick of November Test victories since 2002 when Argentina visit Murrayfield on Saturday.
The Andy Robinson era could hardly have had a better start, with a comfortable opening win against Fiji followed by Saturday’s 9-8 triumph over Australia, their first win over the Wallabies in 27 years.
But scrumhalf Cusiter has warned: “Beating Argentina’s not something that’s done easily.
“So we have to be focused on Saturday and we don’t want to finish with a loss after all the good work we’ve done.”
Scotland have not beaten Argentina at Murrayfield since 1990 and though they won the sides’ most recent meeting during their South America tour in 2008, they had lost the previous seven.
