Januarie set for Ospreys switch
Scrum.com
November 26, 2009
Januarie is set to grace the Magners League and Heineken Cup from next month
© Getty Images
- The Ospreys have signed Springbok scrum-half Ricky Januarie on a short-term deal due to their current No.9 crisis.
Mike Phillips, Jamie Nutbrown and Rhys Webb are all out injured, leaving the region with no scrum-halves available for the forthcoming rounds of Heineken Cup action. Januarie will arrive ahead of the European fixture against Viadana on December 12 on a three-month deal. The deal has been greenlit by the Welsh Rugby Union under the terms of the new participation agreement as the region already has a full quota of six overseas players.
"We have moved to secure Ricky's services because of the exceptional circumstances we face at scrum half at this moment in time," said Ospreys elite performance director Andrew Hore. "We had strengthened in this position during the summer, with the addition to the squad of two young, Welsh, scrum halves to complement the players already on the books, but with three of our scrum halves now ruled out with long term injuries, another some way from the levels of fitness required to be involved in such an intense competition, and an additional young Welsh scrum half in Liam Davies still developing, we have been left with little option but to look outside of the squad."
- England flanker Joe Worsley will be out of action for eight weeks after Wasps announced that his medial knee ligament injury does not require surgery. Worsley will take a conservative approach to his rehab before a return and is joined on the sidelines by scrum-half Warren Fury, who has ruptured ankle ligaments and is out for six weeks.
- Leinster flanker Sean O'Brien has replaced his Munster counterpart Denis Leamy on the Ireland bench for the visit of South Africa. Leamy has failed to recover from an ankle injury picked up against Fiji, giving O'Brien the chance to win his second cap after making his debut last weekend.
"Leamy was undergoing rehabilitation throughout the week and while he has progressed well, the injury has not recovered fully to allow him to take his position among the replacements," read a statement from the IRFU.
- The RFU has changed the format of the Championship final after complaints from England's second tier clubs. The promotion-deciding game will now be played over two home and away legs rather than in a one-off game at Twickenham, pending approval from the RFU Council in January.
- Connacht have signed former Highlanders flanker George Naoupu on a deal until the end of the season.
- Saracens prop Frik Venter has been released from his contract in order to return to South Africa for personal reasons.
- New Zealand Sevens coach Gordon Tietjens has named his side for the opening two rounds of the IRB Sevens World Series in Dubai and George. The side will be charged with getting off to a good start after surrendering their title to South Africa last season.
New Zealand Sevens: Onosai Auva'a, Toby Arnold, Kurt Baker, Tomasi Cama, DJ Forbes, Paul Grant, Zar Lawrence, Buxton Popoalii, Lote Raikabula, Ben Souness, Sherwin Stowers, Save Tokula
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