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Queenslander Izaia Perese headlines Waratahs’ team for Super Rugby derby

(Photo by Jeremy Ng/Getty Images)

Queensland-born Waratahs centre Izaia Perese knows what it’s like to represent both states. Perese played for the Reds and later the Brisbane Broncos in the NRL before jumping back to rugby union.

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Perese, who has played a handful of Tests in Aussie gold, has been named in an all-Wallabies midfield for the Waratahs along with teammate Lalakai Foketi. The pair started alongside one another in the Wallabies’ final match at last year’s Rugby World Cup in France.

With pre-season now out of the way, the Waratahs seem to be itching for the season to start against their great rivals.

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“The good thing about trials is that you can really try and work on the basics and not give away too much,” Perese said in a statement.

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“Now that it’s Round One, we’ve got a clean slate and we’re looking to showcase what we can bring.

“I think we’ll be able to go up there and do a job this weekend.

“Being a Queenslander and playing for the Tahs as well, I’m very fortunate to have played on both sides.

“It’s pretty funny, I know the feeling on both ends. I know how they’re going to be coming into the game and we’ve just got to match it.”

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Perese recovered from an ankle complaint to feature in last week’s trial, and after signalling an intent to play in the opening round, the Wallaby will do just that.

Rising Max Jorgensen also returned form injury with 40 minutes in a trial against the Warringah Rat and Manly Marlins on Saturday, but the youngster has been on the bench.

But in some good news, Waratahs cans can look forward to seeing two of the team’s big-name recruits – big in stature, as well – take the field for their official debuts.

Lock Miles Amatosero will start alongside Jed Holloway, and Fergus Lee-Warner has been named at No. 6. Lee-Warner joins Charlie Gamble and Langi Gleeson in the backrow.

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Captain Jake Gordon partners Tane Edmed in the halves, and outside of the previously mentioned midfield, Dylan Pietsch, Mark Nawaqanitawase and Joey Walton are the outside backs.

The Waratahs’ season opener away to the Queensland Reds is set to kick-off at 6.30 pm AEDT on Saturday evening. It’s the final game in the opening round of the season.

Waratahs team to take on Reds

  1. Angus Bell
  2. Mahe Vailanu
  3. Harry Johnson-Holmes
  4. Jed Holloway
  5. Miles Amatosero*
  6. Fergus Lee-Warner*
  7. Charlie Gamble
  8. Langi Gleeson
  9. Jake Gordon (c)
  10. Tane Edmed
  11. Dylan Pietsch
  12. Lalakai Foketi
  13. Izaia Perese
  14. Mark Nawaqanitawase
  15. Joey Walton

Reserves

  1. Theo Fourie**
  2. Hayden Thompson-Stringer**
  3. Daniel Botha
  4. Sam Thomson**
  5. Hugh Sinclair
  6. Teddy Wilson
  7. Harry Wilson
  8. Max Jorgensen

*Denotes debut   **Denotes potential debut

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N
NB 10 minutes ago
'Passionate reunion of France and New Zealand shows Fabien Galthie is wrong to rest his stars'

Nice bit if revisioniusm but that's all it is JW.


For your further education, I found the following breakdown of one prominent club's finances in the Top 14 [Clermont].


For Clermont (budget of €29.5 million for 2021-2022) :

- 20% from ticket sales

- 17% from the LNR (includes TV Rights, compensation from producing french internationals and other minor stuff)

- 5% from public collectivities (so you're looking at funds from the city of Clermont, the department of Puy-De-Dôme and the region Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes)

- 4% from merchandising and events

- 3% from miscellaneous

- 51 % from sponsorships and partnerships. They've got 550 different partners. The main ones are CGI, Groupama, Limagrain/Jacquet, Omerin, Paprec, Renault and of course Michelin (not surprising since they're actually the founders of the club).


As you can see nothing comes from the FFR at all. The LNR is a separate entitiy to FFR and their aims frequently do not accord.


It is also why the European breakaway plotted by LNR and PR back in 2013 had nothing to do with the governing bodies of either England or France - and it most certainly did not have their blessing https://www.espn.co.uk/rugby/story/_/id/15331030/jean-pierre-lux-anglo-french-cup-detrimental-european-rugby


And from the horse's mouth [ex AB skipper Sean Fitapatrick] about the comp between Top 14 and Super Rugby:


"The Top 14 in France is probably the best rugby competition in the world at the moment, purely for the week-in, week-out.”


“I think the quality of players. They are bigger, they are faster, they are stronger. Which then carries on into the international game.”

Take it from someone who knows JW😅

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