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Rupert Guinness | June 12, 2009
THE Waratahs have risked losing one of their stand-out revelations in Ben Mowen by allowing talks with the classy back-rower to extend to the point where he has yet to re-sign.
Despite being one of the stars for the Waratahs this year, Mowen - who made the No.6 his own after Dean Mumm switched to second row - has only recently received an offer from NSW.
Mowen has not put pen to paper but he is frustrated that negotiations have taken so long. "We are getting close to getting it organised, but the time frame has not been one of my choosing … that's for sure," he said last night.
Mowen, who said he will play in this weekend's 11th round of the Shute Shield for Randwick, who take on Parramatta at Granville Park, did not wish to elaborate about the delay.
But NSW Rugby Union chief executive Jim L'Estrange last night conceded that it was due to the union's wait-and-see over the future of former Waratahs back-rower, Wallaby Rocky Elsom.
But with Elsom headed to the Brumbies after returning to Australia from Irish club Leinster, the Waratahs want to get Mowen's signature on a two-year contract.
The offer is a NSWRU one only, so it does not include an Australian Rugby Union component.
"We have always appreciated that Ben's done really, really well but we always knew that potentially we wanted to know if we were going to get Rocky," L'Estrange said.
"We have kept Ben in the loop. But now Rocky is not coming back, we are in negotiations with Ben and we are trying to come to terms that are agreeable to both parties."
However, the Waratahs are lucky that Mowen is available to sign a deal.
Before NSW lost Elsom to the Brumbies, the Waratahs had already released another back-rower in specialist openside breakaway Beau Robinson, who incredibly is still without a Super 14 deal.
And the Waratahs could also have lost Mowen. During their three-game tour of South Africa for the last three rounds of the Super 14, he was courted by the Cape Town-based Stormers.
Mowen was offered a lucrative deal by the South Africans to play for the Western Province in the Currie Cup, with a view to possibly extending it to remain with the Stormers in the Super 14.
But Mowen, opted to remain loyal to the Waratahs, who narrowly missed out on making the finals, after seriously considering the opportunity with his wife, Lauren.
Upon his return to Sydney, Mowen turned down the South African offer to keep open the window for negotiations with NSW. He had expected a new contract would be sewn up quickly.
Following a season in which he excelled with his open and tight play - becoming a lineout weapon - he had every reason to believe the Waratahs would want to lock in his services.
Mowen had even been touted as a possible bolter for the Wallabies. And while he was not selected, he was invited to be a member of an opposing forward pack to provide the Wallabies scrum with scrummaging practise when they were in camp in Sydney last week.
So at the very least, Mowen must have been regarded by Wallabies head coach Robbie Deans and his forwards coach Jim Williams as a loose forward who is worth keeping their eye on.
Meanwhile, the NSWRU expects to learn today if Wallabies prop Matt Dunning will decide to stay with them or accept an offer from the Western Force. "We are in a holding mode and just waiting to hear," L'Estrange said.
http://www.rugbyheaven.com.au/news/n...664795757.html
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