Meakes signs on dotted line as Force shuffle pack

[The InnFORCEr]

Nick Taylor
The West Australian on July 12, 2016, 9:37 am


Western Force have signed former Australian sevens and under-20 centre Billy Meakes.

Meakes was released from English club Gloucester to join the Force, as revealed byThe West Australian last week.

He will be needed to fill a big midfield hole next season with Junior Rasolea moving to Scottish club Edinburgh and Kyle Godwin looking set to join the Brumbies.

Meakes joined Gloucester’s academy from Randwick in 2014 before signing a professional contract last year. He played for Australia in the 2011 junior World Cup and in the 2011-12 IRB sevens world series.

The Force are understood to be getting closer to re-signing captain Matt Hodgson and have stepped up talks with local scrum-half Michael Ruru after former Australian schoolboy representative Moses Sorovi, who played for Brisbane City in last season's National Rugby Championship, turned down an offer.

The Force are also closing in on NRL try-scoring machine Curtis Rona.

https://au.news.yahoo.com/thewest/sp...western-force/

[jargan83]

Why would they try and sign a kid from Brisbane when there is a local product who by all accounts is fairly talented?

[shasta]

Any whispers on Blake? He's supposedly contracted with Penriff until next year - which means squat these days.

[jono]

Nick seems to be forgetting his rugby positions.

talking about the pack in article title & then writing an article on a centre.

[Buddha Handy]

Why would they try and sign a kid from Brisbane when there is a local product who by all accounts is fairly talented?

totally agree, I would like to know what evidence they have to suggest that Sorovi is/will be any better than Ruru. If it is a 50/50 decision then the local needs to get the gig.

[wholetruth]

My guess it's a headline writer trying to be smart and failing badly.

[Beauregard]

Excellent new re Ruru if they can secure him... regardless of him being a Neddies chap, he is a talent and I am sure that he will be a quality player at the next level.

[WFDom]

https://youtu.be/HJSRcRB_BUM

Looks pretty handy

[Ecky]

Only one try in that highlights package.

He'll fit right in!

[brokendown gunfighter]

cynical bastard

[whodunnit]

Highlanders crusaders Chiefs and itm cup teams interested in Ruru.
But 'the force'/ARU are not sure otherwise why would he not be signed up?
Any person who knows anything about the game (which there are many on this site) would agree he is better than the 9's the force have now!!!
ARU maybe the stumbling block?!

[Tonkar]

If Kiwi team are looking at the kids get ink on the paper now as they know talent when they see it Come on WF/ ARU don't let any more slip thru the ranks sign Ruru

[yungfen]

Nice article about him on the Gloucester Rugby website

http://www.gloucesterrugby.co.uk/new...p#.V4WOSNJf2Uk

[wholetruth]

Here's another from today's West online

Nick Taylor - The West Australian on July 13, 2016, 12:01 am
New Western Force signing Billy Meakes has taken a very different road via England and back to fulfil his Super Rugby dream.
And the gamble has paid off for the centre, who has signed a two-year deal with the Force after he looked to have been lost to Australian rugby.

https://au.news.yahoo.com/thewest/sp...-billy-meakes/

[GIGS20]

This smells like the recruiting policy hasn't changed yet. A bloke who couldn't attract a super rugby contact, goes to England to play second division and gets a chance with the force.

They're still rolling the dice on everybody else's rejects. Cheika hasn't said he wants billy meakes to be eligible for the wallabies, get him back to play the last game.

Its business as usual.

He might be brilliant, and work his way into a gold jersey, but it'll be the DHP method, not the Naiyaravoro pathway.

I'm still not convinced the ARU are providing anything more than a cancellation of debt. Seems like a one sided deal at the moment.