Titans coach arrives on Coast as a winner
Beale under cloud as backline concerns grow
RUGBY LEAGUE:
Incoming Titans coach Justin Holbrook will arrive on the Gold Coast next month already a premiership winner after St Helen’s downed Salford 23-6 at Old Trafford yesterday morning.
Gold Coast boss Dennis Watt yesterday congratulated Holbrook and St Helen’s for their 17-point victory in front of 64,102 fans to secure a record seventh English Super League title and their first since 2014.
Saints backrower Morgan Knowles, former Gold Coast and Newcastle star Zeb Taia and centre Mark Percival scored tries and former North Queensland fullback Lachlan Coote kicked five goals from as many attempts to deny Salford in their maiden grand final.
Saints bounced back from their Challenge Cup final defeat to Warrington in August by claiming the League Leaders’ Shield and Super League title before Holbrook returns to Australia to take over the Titans.
Watt yesterday said he was looking forward to Holbrook arriving on the Gold Coast for next season.
“Justin has shown once again that he is a winner,” Watt said. “We understand that it will be very difficult for Justin and his family to leave but for our part we can’t wait for them to arrive. We are very much looking forward to the pre-season.”
RUGBY UNION:
Kurtley Beale’s health status won’t be known until midweek but the wellbeing of Australia’s backline play will come under immediate focus in their preparation for the Rugby World Cup quarter-finals.
The Wallabies are unanimous that the forward pack deserve the plaudits for the 27-8 win over Georgia and that the backs face a week of introspection.
Coach Michael Cheika conceded the problems were “out the back” as they squandered a wealth of possession laid on by a dominant front eight against Georgia on Friday night.
A similar lack of precision against likely quarter-final opponents England in Oita on Saturday would probably prove tournament-ending.
That sentiment was acknowledged by experienced outside back Dane HaylettPetty although he quashed a suggestion the backs had failed to gel through all four pool fixtures.
“Out wide we probably struggled a little bit, especially with the conditions,” he said.
“You can see from the way we’re playing the game, we have probably the most passes going around in the competition because we like to use the ball. But with that comes errors.”
Cheika will have a headache finalising his starting backline after chopping and changing over the last month.
A grey area is the health of fullback Beale, who failed a head assessment after taking an early blow.
He will be assessed by an independent doctor on Wednesday or Thursday to determine his availability.
Vice-captain Samu Kerevi said the early indications were positive for Beale.
“I saw him at recovery and he is feeling good,” he said.
—Daniel Gilhooly RUGBY UNION:
If Australia fall short at this Rugby World Cup it won’t be because of chinks in their tight forward play.
That assessment came from a team who know a good scrum and lineout when they see it — Georgia — whose leading figures declared the Wallabies among the world’s finest set piece exponents. The Eastern Europeans pack some clout of their own at scrum and lineout time yet they were monstered off the park by the Wallabies on Friday night and Georgia captain Merab Sharikadze (pictured) was full of praise. “Lineout, Australia are a very strong team,” he said. “In the scrum, they’ve improved a lot. They didn’t used to be the best team in the scrum but I reckon now they’re one of the best teams in the world.” The Wallabies’ next test will most likely be against England in Saturday’s quarter-final.
— Daniel Gilhooly