AUSTRALIAN UNDER 20'S CAPTAIN TO SUIT UP FOR UNI IN ROUND 14 KWIK SENIOR RUGBY

[RugbyWA]

Fresh from his team’s fifth-placed finish at the iRB Junior World Championships in Wales, Australian Under 20’s captain David Pocock is one of 15 contracted stars in action in Round 14 of the KWIK Senior Rugby Competition.

The injection of Pocock alongside fellow Australian Under 20s representative Tom Murday will provide last-placed University with a significant boost for their clash with Gareth Hardy’s Palmyra at Tompkins Park.

The clash comes just one week after Pocock led the ‘Junior Wallabies’ to a crushing 42-21 defeat of France in the fifth-placed playoff in Cardiff.

Exciting Emirates Western Force forwards Tamaiti Horua and Pek Cowan will also return to action in other senior fixtures this Saturday.

Flanker Horua will make his long-awaited return after rupturing his medial knee ligament in the WA side’s Super 14 loss to the Reds back in April.

Horua will join prop AJ Whalley for Cottesloe to take on seventh-placed Wests-Subiaco at Rosalie Park.

Cowan, who last week celebrated a new Emirates Western Force contract after making two Pacific Nations Cup appearances for Australia A, will join Luke Holmes and Haig Sare at Nedlands for the clash with in-form Associates.

Fellow Australia A star Scott Daruda will be looking to pick up where he left off last Saturday, after sealing a hard-fought victory for ‘Soaks’ over defending premiers Perth-Bayswater with a clutch penalty goal on full time.

Morley-based Perth-Bayswater will be looking to arrest a two-game slide when they take on competition leaders Kalamunda in the match of the round at Hartfield.

In what shapes as another tight encounter, fourth-placed Rockingham take on fifth-placed Wanneroo at Lark Hill.

The ‘Roo-dogs’ have been boosted by the availability of flanker Matt Hodgson, who returns after representing the Australian Sevens team in the UK and more recently Australia A for its early Pacific Nations Cup matches.

The full list of contracted players in action in WA Club rugby matches this Saturday is as follows. All first grade matches kick off at 3.30pm.

Tamaiti Horua, AJ Whalley – Cottesloe
Matt Hodgson, Chris O’Young, Junior Pelesasa – Wanneroo
Pek Cowan, Luke Holmes, Haig Sare – Nedlands
David Pocock, Tom Murday, James StannardR11; University
Keiran Longbottom – Rockingham
Gareth Hardy – Palmyra
Josh Tatupu – Kalamunda
Scott Daruda – Associates

[Ecky]

How cool!

Not many people can say they've been in a rugby game with Boof, Bam Bam & Chucky, but I can on Saturday nite.

[Swee_82]

Laura and I promise to keep the heckling to a minimum Ecky.

Cya there!

[force addict]

anyone going to the associates vs neddies at Allen park tomorrow? im wandering down for my first club game. shame it's not a cott game though

[gotheforce]

How cool!

Not many people can say they've been in a rugby game with Boof, Bam Bam & Chucky, but I can on Saturday nite.

haha true.
But how many can say they've broken a Pocock tackle or stepped past Aj Whalley before?
Though i am also embarrassed to say i got smashed by scott daruda pretty badly as well though.

[Ecky]

haha true.
But how many can say they've broken a Pocock tackle or stepped past Aj Whalley before?
Though i am also embarrassed to say i got smashed by scott daruda pretty badly as well though.

Yes but I can also send them from the field - without any fear of injury to me or he!

In fact I might just do that.......

[fulvio sammut]

For the love of ^%$~&*# don't start that nonsense up again Ecky!!

[Ecky]

Don't worry FS - I plan to have a chat with Jerry pre-game and re-live the "good old days" to prevent such foolishness recurring

See you there all!

[inside]

ha ha
if only ecky. you had your chances to use your card on the weekend and failed to and when you did.....you sent the wrong bloke off. between the pally spectators running onto the field to join a scuffle and the touchie giving us spectators the finger it certainly was a madhouse down there on the weekend.

[Swee_82]

ha ha
if only ecky. you had your chances to use your card on the weekend and failed to and when you did.....you sent the wrong bloke off. between the pally spectators running onto the field to join a scuffle and the touchie giving us spectators the finger it certainly was a madhouse down there on the weekend.

Please respect the officals inside, it was the assistant referee giving us the finger

[gotheforce]

I heard about the 'assistant ref' pulling the finger. Was that Francis or Short who did it? I reckon he should get reprimanded for that. Like a 1 match suspension or banish him to the ranks of junior refereeing for a week.

[pruc]

ha ha
if only ecky. you had your chances to use your card on the weekend and failed to and when you did.....you sent the wrong bloke off. between the pally spectators running onto the field to join a scuffle and the touchie giving us spectators the finger it certainly was a madhouse down there on the weekend.

atleast the spectator broke up the fight unlike the ref.
they carded a pally player wen uni threw the first punch and was the third man in.
all in all worst display of reffering i have witness in a long time
the ref embarristed himself and basically gave university the game with the penaltys that mostof the time werent there. i think refs need to remeber the game isnt about them. its about the players and they are only to be reffered to.

[bunter]

No good for you guys Pruc. Sounds like you were up against it from the start with the inclusion of star players for Uni.

[Ecky]

atleast the spectator broke up the fight unlike the ref.
they carded a pally player wen uni threw the first punch and was the third man in.
all in all worst display of reffering i have witness in a long time
the ref embarristed himself and basically gave university the game with the penaltys that mostof the time werent there. i think refs need to remeber the game isnt about them. its about the players and they are only to be reffered to.

Welcome back pruc!

1) On reviewing the incident (on film), the yellow should have been red as he was the 3rd man in. Fullback should've also gone for 10 as he threw the famous first punch to which you refer. Remember I was up with play and was relying on the reports of the ARs.
2) So yes, it was not a good case of referring - the ARs referred insufficient info to me.
3) I don't remember embarristing myself but then I know not what embarristing is, so I might have - inadvertently. (something to do with coffee?)
4) I had quite a long chat with the Paly coach before the game, specifically about the discipline of the team and how we (he, Jerry the captain and I) were going to be dealing with it in the game ahead. The conclusion from that chat was that I'd referee what was out there and the team's discipline would be handled by Jerry.

Anyhoo, it's all history now hey? Although I suspect RWA may be examining "the incident" in more detail.

How about the weather hey? Bleedin' cold this morning, wasn't it?

[gotheforce]

i dont think its the referee's job to stop an onfield brawl. it is the captain's job to do it, and the referee is just there to blow the whistle to warn them to stop and also to penalise accordingly should foul play occur. Don't expect these guys to come in between 2 forward packs and stop a fight.
Like what ecky said, the ref will be up with play, so if a niggle is happening behind play, he cant really see it while at the same time refereeing the game happening 20 m away. It's really the Assistant Referee's job to relay information on who through the first punch or the whole incident, and recommend a penalty if asked. From what it sounds like, I think Ecky's back was turned when the brawl happened and thus, i think it was the AR's call on who did what. And unfortunately, the AR made the wrong call and also did an unprofessional thing in showing the finger. To my understanding, he has been cited and has to front a referee's panel. Though the ref's panel tends to be highly supportive of its referees and tends to go easy on them, i do hope that they will make a good decision in taking appropriate action. After all, we dont want all the junior referees thinking its fine to pull a finger during a game should a spectator say something wrong!


Although alot of the uni spectators weren't too keen on you picking on Bam in the breakdown (it was a bit too harsh, and prob misinterpretation of the new laws), most felt it was a good game to watch.
But then again, Pally supporters will think otherwise. Last i heard, they were thinking of setting a fund up to buy you a uni shirt....