Rugby News: Anzac, Pacific XVs back on Lions agenda as Super sides on chopping block, RA to trial tackle height changes

The Anzac XV concept remains firmly on the table for the 2025 British and Irish Lions tour of Australia, while a combined Pacific islands team is also being looked at.

While this year’s World Cup in France is capturing the attention of most, the Lions’ first tour of Australia since 2013 is also on the horizon.

Mapping out the tour is on the agenda of powerbrokers, which include Rugby Australia, New Zealand Rugby, Oceania Rugby and the Lions.

The reason the NZR are being included is that if any Anzac side gets across the line, it will have to include players from across the ditch.

What could prove problematic, however, is that the All Blacks will host France in what shapes as a mouth-watering series against the No.2 nation on the World Rugby rankings.

The British and Irish Lions look set to take on a combined Anzac side as well as a Pacific islands team, too. Photo: David Rogers/Getty Images

If the two exhibition Tests get across the line, it will likely come at the expense of the Lions taking on all five Australian Super Rugby franchises.

According to the Herald, the Western Force and Melbourne Rebels would likely be the franchises squeezed out of action-packed tour, which could see the Lions play as many as nine matches over winter.

That is, in large part, because the Force and Rebels historically have struggled and were smashed during the 2013 Lions tour, which saw the Brumbies win in Canberra, the Reds go down in a good contest and the Waratahs well-beaten too.

As for the Pacific islands team, players from Fiji, Tonga, Samoa and Papua New Guinea could take the field to take on the Lions.

A decision on the fixtures list, including where the matches are played, needs to be firmed up by June.

Rugby Australia to trial lower tackle height

Rugby Australia has confirmed they will work with World Rugby on a global trial reducing the legal tackle height from the shoulder to the sternum at the community level.

Crucially, RA says they won’t jump the gun like the Rugby Football Union, which received widespread criticism for changing the legal tackle height to the waist earlier this year, and bring all levels of the game along with.

While the trial is expected to start this year, The Roar has been told the Shute Shield and Hospital Cup won’t be included with the trial given the respective competitions will have already started by the time the trials commence.

“As part of the trial, Rugby Australia will undertake broad community consultation to gather feedback from players, coaches, match officials, teachers, parents, administrators and medical professionals to ensure their perspective is considered in any future decisions on tackle height in the community game,” Rugby Australia CEO Andy Marinos said in a statement.

“Additionally, Rugby Australia and Member Unions will continue to emphasise the importance of correct tackle technique and understanding of the laws of the game through its relevant education and training programs.”

Rugby Australia CEO Andy Marinos says their stakeholders will be brought with them regarding any changes to the national tackle height. Photo: Mark Metcalfe/Getty Images

RA is involved in a number of research projects regarding tackle height and concussion, and contributing to the global bank of research.

One such project includes a Queensland University of Technology study using 360-degree cameras and AI programming to determine whether there is any correlation between tackle height and reported concussions.

Andy Marinos highlighted that participant safety will always be the most important factor of the game at all levels.

“We will continue to ensure that any decisions impacting the game are informed by research and evidence that prioritise player safety and welfare,” Marinos said.

‘England’s worst result at Twickenham’

Congratulations Eddie, you’re off the hook. Mere months after England were booed off Twickenham following a crushing defeat to the Springboks less than a year out from the World Cup, the rugby powerhouse has been on the end of an even more embarrassing result.

However, this time Clive Woodward, who was one of Jones’ harshest critics over the past two years, has opted not to attack new coach Steve Borthwick.

While Woodward deemed the 53-10 thrashing as “England’s worst result at Twickenham”, he said English rugby needed to examine what they were doing in all aspects of the game.

“The defeat was official confirmation English rugby has been going backwards for years and years and that we have deep-rooted problems to solve if our national side is to be successful,” Woodward wrote in The Daily Mail.

Woodward also identified a “mindset” issue from England’s players.

“The mindset of how to play the game must be totally re-thought,” he wrote.

“France showed that they have the individual skills and collective desire to attack from anywhere from one to 15. They are brilliant to watch.

“The conditions were awful on Saturday but still they kept coming and coming. It was a privilege to witness and impossible to stop unless you enter the arena with a similar skillset and attitude. France scored seven sensational tries and their joie de vivre was shown to me by Damian Penaud’s brace. Truly sensational rugby.

“By contrast, England’s players are prototyped to kick and opt for a safety-first approach. That mindset has to totally switch.”

Wallabies great tells of abuse at NZ Royal Commission

Wallabies legend Sekope Kepu has detailed abuse he suffered at an Auckland boarding school as part of New Zealand’s Royal Commission into abuse in care.

Kepu was born in Sydney to Tongan parents before moving to New Zealand as a child, where he attended Wesley College in Auckland’s south.

The school is well-known for producing sporting legends including Jonah Lomu and Kepu, but the Royal Commission is also unmasking its legacy of bullying and violence.

Kepu, now 37, said abuse and “military-style brutal beatings” were rife when he attended two decades ago.

“My parents didn’t really know about the whole ordeal I was going through,” he told TVNZ.

Wallabies great Sekope Kepu has addressed a New Zealand Royal Commission. Photo: by Hannah Peters/Getty Images

Kepu described regular hazings, including being told by a “nightwatchman” to stay awake through nights in boarding rooms or face beatings.

“It happened night after night … Sundays was the biggest dread for me, coming back (to school),” he said.

The 110-cap Australian Test rugby forward said he was motivated to appear before the Royal Commission after reading other testimonies.

He’s agreed to be a face of an anti-bullying campaign at the school to try and eliminate bullying for young people today.

“I stand with him. I experienced the same thing,” he said.

“My heart goes out to them. I’ve got young ones now and to see my three boys especially and their vulnerabilities, seeing the fear that they have in their faces sometimes, I never want to see them go through what I experienced.”

The Royal Commission, established by Jacinda Ardern’s government in 2018, has grown to be New Zealand’s largest.

More than 2600 survivors have shared their experience at 117 public hearings to date.

With AAP