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Waratahs to convert 6'3, 112kg NRL star Moeroa into a centre

Tepai Moeroa

Parramatta Eels second-rower Tepai Moeroa has set his sights on winning back the Bledisloe Cup for Australia after he switches codes to rugby union next season.

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The NRL star has reportedly signed a two-year Super Rugby deal with the NSW Waratahs.
Along with switching codes, the 24-year-old will also switch positions as he moves from second row to the backline when he runs on in the Waratahs’ centres.

“First off I want to get a game with the Tahs, that would be a nice start, but the end goal is to win a Super Rugby championship, play for the Wallabies, but I’d like to get the Bledisloe back in Australia,” Moeroa told The Sunday Telegraph.

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“That would be something I’d be looking to have an influence on and helping make happen.

“I’ve been to a few of the Wallabies versus All Blacks games, just to hear some of the fans and people and their comments about Australian rugby. I burn, because I know that Australian rugby is so much better than what they think it is.

“Just the way they talk about Australian rugby makes me burn. I want to have an influence in helping Australia get back to where they deserve.

“I want to bring the Bledisloe back to where it belongs.”

Morea will play the rest of the season at the Eels, where he’s optimistic of a strong finish with his side seventh on the table ahead of their clash with Wests Tigers at Bankwest Stadium on Sunday evening.

“I want to leave the club on a good note, hopefully play some finals footy and ultimately win the grand final,” he added.

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“That end goal is I want to have a good finish with Parra.”

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Flankly 1 hour ago
'Absolute madness': Clive Woodward rips into Borthwick in wake of NZ loss

Borthwick is supposed to be the archetypical conservative coach, the guy that might not deliver a sparkling, high-risk attacking style, but whose teams execute the basics flawlessly. And that's OK, because it can be really hard to beat teams that are rock solid and consistent in the rugby equivalent of "blocking and tackling".


But this is why the performance against NZ is hard to defend. You can forgive a conservative, back-to-basics team for failing to score tons of tries, because teams like that make up for it with reliability in the simple things. They can defend well, apply territorial pressure, win the set piece battles, and take their scoring chances with metronomic goal kicking, maul tries and pick-and-go goal line attacks.


The reason why the English rugby administrators should be on high alert is not that the English team looked unable to score tries, but that they were repeatedly unable to close out a game by executing basic, coachable skills. Regardless of how they got to the point of being in control of their destiny, they did get to that point. All that was needed was to be world class at things that require more training than talent. But that training was apparently missing, and the finger has to point at the coach.


Borthwick has been in the job for nearly two years, a period that includes two 6N programs and an RWC campaign. So where are the solid foundations that he has been building?

4 Go to comments
N
Nickers 1 hour ago
Scott Robertson responds to criticism over All Blacks' handling errors

Very poor understanding of what's going on and 0 ability to read. When I say playing behind the gain line you take this to mean all off-loads and site times we are playing in front of the gain line???


Every time we play a lot of rugby behind the gain line (for clarity, meaning trying to build an attack and use width without front foot ball 5m+ behind the most recent breakdown) we go backwards and turn the ball over in some way. Every time a player is tackled behind the most recent breakdown you need more and more people to clear out because your forwards have to go back around the corner, whereas opposition players can keep moving forward. Eventually you run out of either players to clear out or players to pass to and the result in a big net loss of territory and often a turnover. You may have witnessed that 20+ times in the game against England. This is a particularly dumb idea inside your own 40m which is where, for some reason, we are most likely to employ it.


The very best ABs teams never built an identity around attacking from poor positions. The DC era team was known for being the team that kicked the most. To engineer field position and apply pressure, and create broken play to counter attack. This current team is not differentiating between when a defence has lost it's structure and there are opportunities, and when they are completely set and there is nothing on. The reason they are going for 30 minute + periods in every game without scoring a single point, even against Japan and a poor Australian team, is because they are playing most of their rugby on the back foot in the wrong half.

43 Go to comments
LONG READ
LONG READ England need to face a few home truths if they are to relearn that winning habit England need to face a few home truths if they are to relearn that winning habit
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