Staniforth set to fly home

[Burgs]

What a relief, looked far worse than that, must be a big wuss haha
He'd be spewin now though as he would have probably started v Canada if Gits is resting!

[tragic]

*sends healing vibes to all injured Wallabies*



Damn, that's a lot of vibes

[JediKnight]

I saw it as a deliberate assault by 2-Dads on Spanner in order to take him out of the game!

[Jehna]

That just made my birthday *phew*

[blueandblack]

From ABC news website:

Staniforth cleared of shoulder damage

Posted 1 hour 45 minutes ago
Updated 1 hour 44 minutes ago


Wallabies utility back Scott Staniforth has been cleared of serious shoulder damage and will remain with Australia's rugby World Cup squad in France.

Staniforth was injured in Australia's match against Fiji on the weekend, but scans have revealed only bruising.

The Western Force player will sit out contact training this week, but could still play in the Wallabies' final pool match against Canada in Bordeaux on Saturday night.

http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2...25/2042236.htm

[Goldmember]

Islanders are only interested in causing injuries because they know they can't win.

[hopep]

Not sure where your coming from Goldmember?
Spanners was injured by ACC, a fellow Aussie.

glad he's staying in France, be great to see him play in the "tight" end of the tournament.

[Burgs]

That just made my birthday *phew*

Just snuck that in, eleven minutes to spare!!!

Goldie, to be fair, it wasn't actually the Fijians who caused Stanners' injury
It was one of the more gentle tackles for the night.

[Goldmember]

Sorry, still annoyed about all the Springbok suspensions/injuries inflicted by Samoa and Tonga. Apparently Steyn is cited for biting now!

[Burgs]

Yeah, dirty bastards those Springboks

[Burgs]

Check out the first two sentences, expected better from Wayne Smith...

Pair on standby for Staniforth

Wayne Smith, Montpellier | September 25, 2007

FORMER Wallabies vice-captain Morgan Turinui or rugby league convert Ryan Cross will reinforce the Wallabies for the knockout stage of the World Cup.

That is if utility back Scott Staniforth is ruled out of the remainder of the tournament by a shoulder injury.

Staniforth remains hopeful that an MRI scan will reveal no structural damage to his left shoulder, an injury ironically caused not by the hard-hitting Fijians in Sunday's pool match at Montpellier, but by his own runaway centre partner Adam Ashley-Cooper who crashed into him with his knee as a switch went badly wrong.

Initial optimism was reined in when Staniforth awoke in considerable pain the morning after the match. While it is possible the injury is nothing more serious than bone bruising, which would put him out of Saturday's match against Canada in Bordeaux, the selectors are turning their thoughts to a possible replacement.

Turinui's outstanding form in the Australian Rugby Championship has not gone unnoticed and while it seemed he would be stranded on his tally of 20 caps, all earned under Eddie Jones, it might yet be that he will see action during the John Connolly era. The Wallabies coach had not disguised the fact that he believed there were fatal shortcomings in Turinui's game but the centre has taken full advantage of the ARC to force a change in Connolly's thinking.

Cross, meanwhile, has been on the standby list since before the Wallabies left for Europe and while there are concerns over whether he has yet developed the skills of a playmaking inside centre, he is more than capable of filling the role in the same fashion that has made Staniforth such a valuable member of the squad.

Staniforth is at home both as an inside centre and as a winger. Whether Connolly could persist in a 5-2 (forwards-backs) split on his bench if the Western Force utility is forced out of the tournament is problematic.

Connolly insisted yesterday that he could, but his best means of maintaining the tactically valuable split on his bench would involve using captain Stirling Mortlock as cover for inside centre.

Arguably Australia's greatest attacking weapon in this tournament is Mortlock, rampaging through the 13 channel, just as he did in the 2003 World Cup semi-final against the All Blacks.

And, with New Zealand looming as the Wallabies' semi-final opponent, there are new cracks in the All Blacks' cover at 13, with Leon MacDonald and Mils Muliaina both struggling with injuries.

Statistically Australia's most dangerous player at present is left winger Drew Mitchell. His three tries against Japan took him to joint top of the try-scorers' list, alongside Welsh speedster Shane Williams, electric French winger Vincent Clerc and All Blacks mainstay Doug Howlett.

Like Staniforth, Mitchell yesterday bore the visible reminders of a run-in with Ashley-Cooper who, at Staniforth's instigation, has now inherited the old Tom Bowman nickname "Disaster" because that's what he visits on his team-mates.

In Mitchell's case, it was his boyish good looks that took a hammering after he copped a stray boot in the face in a ruck. Presumably stray, although the two players are vying for left wing in the quarter-final side.

"I hung on to the boot so I could straighten up and see who it was and it ended up being Adam," said Mitchell with a crooked and seemingly painful smile. "So I thanked him for it."

Hopefully he also thanked Ashley-Cooper for gifting him his final try, even though there seemed no need for him to throw the pass.

But while the tries just keep coming for Mitchell -- and indeed for the 99 other players who have crossed the white paint so far in this tournament -- right winger Lote Tuqiri continues to search for his first.

He did actually cross against Fiji but the try was disallowed by referee Nigel Owens who ruled that an earlier pass from Matt Giteau had been forward, a rare good call from the Welshman.

It was also a rare mistake from Giteau who continues to play sublimely in the country of his ancestors. While he looked cool and confident in everything he did, George Gregan, captaining Australia for a world record-equalling 59th time, seemed distressed by the extreme heat.

In contrast to the Wales Test, Gregan was indecisive against Fiji, even rattled at times, to the point that Owens actually penalised him for trying to referee the game.

But although his second-half replacement Sam Cordingley made the most of his 20-minute cameo, it seems nothing short of injury will sway Connolly from using Gregan when it counts.

[Jehna]

I'm thinking that Wayne is a bit behind the 8 ball then? I personally don't think Crossie is good enough yet to play at that level...give him another season. His ARC form is certainly improving but he still has work