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Ireland's loss is the Crusaders gain
By RugbyPass
The Crusaders have secured the services of three of their front rowers for the coming seasons. Hooker Ben Funnell and loosehead prop Tim Perry have re-signed through to 2019, while tighthead prop Oliver Jager has signed through to 2020.
Irishman Jager played for the Ireland U18 Schools side in 2013. The new year he decided to pursue his rugby dream in New Zealand, playing club rugby in Christchurch. Three years on and Jager has cemented himself as a valued member of New Brighton RFC, Canterbury Mitre 10 Cup side and Crusaders.
Crusaders coach Scott Robertson describes him as a man of great character with a bright future.
“Oli is still very young but has shown huge maturity in the decisions he has made about his career and in the way he trains and plays. It has been a rapid rise for him, but he has never let himself be over-awed or fazed by the fact he is training and playing alongside many of the best front-rowers in the world.
“It is testament to all of these players that they know they will continue to learn off the All Black front-rowers in this squad and replicate what they have achieved. All three players continue to have a massive contribution to make to this team and we are thrilled that they are Crusaders.” Robertson said.
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Latest Comments
Were you shocked by Sexton trying to rip Barrett's head off when he scored that final try in that return game?
Sexton once again the beneficiary of incredible double standards. Some of the rules simply didn't apply to him. The referee even watched that replay about 5 times in slow motion to see if he grounded the ball. If an NZ player had made that tackle it would have been a yellow card.
Ireland led by Sexton were the biggest bunch of whingers to ever play the game. NZ's dislike of Ireland was not caused by losing to them, it was caused by the Irish players, commentators and media being such giant crybabies.
I genuinely think Ireland are the best team in the world, and I think they will beat the ABs on Friday, but they are by some distance the team I like the least, and I know many people, not just from NZ, who feel the same.
Go to commentsThanks for the analysis Nick, thought provoking as usual. Couple of queries though, in the pic where you've circled Williams bind , I'm pretty sure it shows Stuart's knee on the ground, surely that's a NZ penalty? Also having had the chance to watch it again the All Black scrum seeems to improve after halftime, but before either England or the All Blacks replace their props. Not sure if that was the result of Tuipolutu coming on or some halftime tips. Either way this is only Williams second international season, so he'll be better for the experience.
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