Wallabies’ Foley signs up to stay in Australia

SYDNEY: The Wallabies’ experienced stand-off Bernard Foley has rebuffed foreign offers and opted to stay in Australia beyond next year’s Rugby World Cup, sporting authorities announced yesterday. Rugby Australia said the 29-year-old-who successfully returned to the test XV fold this month in a stunning comeback against Argentina-will stay in Australia and at “the NSW Waratahs until the end of 2019”.

Foley has 64 test caps but until recently been playing understudy to Kurtley Beale as Australia has lurched through several poor results. But Foley seized his chance to retake the gold 10 jersey in Salta, slotting home all six of his conversions and kicking a penalty to help Australia turn a humiliating 31-7 deficit at half time to a 45-34 victory.

Rugby Australia said Foley had “rebuffed offers from overseas to pursue World Cup glory in Japan next year”. “I’m really happy to re-sign and now focus on pushing ahead to focus on what’s a really big season next year,” Foley said.

“The World Cup is obviously a major carrot and I’ve got a lot of belief in this group that if we continue to work hard and focus on improving every day, then we can push deep into the competition.” Australia’s poor form has seen them drop to seventh in the world rankings, one spot below Scotland.

Although largely unheralded, Foley stands behind only Aussie legends Matt Giteau, Matt Burke and Michael Lynagh in points scored for the Wallabies.

The Wallabies will wear an indigenous-themed jersey when they face England at Twickenham next month, the first time they have donned the kit overseas in tribute to the role Aborigines play in rugby.

The shirt designed by indigenous artist Dennis Golding symbolises indigenous and non-indigenous communities coming together as one, and was first worn by the Australians when they beat the All Blacks in Brisbane last October. The clash with England, on November 24, will be the third and final Test for the Wallabies during their northern hemisphere spring tour. Wallabies skipper Michael Hooper said the jersey gave the squad the chance to recognise the importance of indigenous culture in Australia.

“New Zealand and England are two of our closest rivals on the sporting field, no matter what sport you talk about, so I think it’s very fitting that we will play our first two matches in this special jersey against these two teams,” Hooper added.—AFP