larrycorowa
New member
The following article clears up some of the confusion on this board re; Ryan Cross discussions. He is only signed to French rugby until October to cover for French players involved in RWC. He has no contract and no commitments for 2012\. If he is cheap, no a bad backup option IMO. He is very experienced, professional, tough and durable. His criticism of Robbie Deans probably indicates he has given up on representative rugby.
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RYAN CROSS has offered a not so fond au revoir as he heads for France by describing Wallabies coach Robbie Deans's selection policy as failing to respect Australia's older and experienced players.
Cross, 31, leaves Sydney tomorrow to start a three-month deal to cover for Perpignan's injured Jean-Philippe Grandclaude and David Marty and Maxime Mermoz while they are in New Zealand with the French World Cup team.
While Cross insisted he had ''let go'' of the disappointment at being left out of the national squad, he expressed frustration at being overlooked despite displaying good form for the NSW Waratahs in the Super Rugby competition.
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''I sort of let go of it a bit,'' he told The Sun-Herald. ''Robbie's selection policy is a bit … confusing. I think a lot of the older blokes have been a little bit hard done by, to be honest. There hasn't been a lot of respect for the older players and I think a bit of experience has been wasted. I think experience has proven in the past to be important [in World Cup campaigns]. South Africa won it last time and England made [that] final with a lot of experienced players, and they won the previous one. Australia also had a lot of experience when we won the World Cup back in 1999.''
Cross, a former rugby league player who scored four tries in eight Tests after he switched codes in 2006, returned to Sydney from the Western Force this year to push his case for World Cup selection because he felt ''out of sight, out of mind'' playing for the Perth team.
When Cross decided to play for the Waratahs he admitted he had ''rolled the dice'' because he was not guaranteed much playing time in the star-studded line-up.
However, he was happy with his season and even felt as though he was ranked among the form centres. Cross, whose father, Paul, played league for Balmain in the 1960s, said he could return to rugby league next season after a series of ''encouraging'' negotiations with the Wests Tigers.
''I'm still talking to [coach] Tim Sheens at the Tigers,'' Cross, who played eight years for the Sydney Roosters, said. ''They've been really good; very transparent about where they stand next year.
''I'd like to go there. It's a good club and they've been very professional to deal with. While I have no contract for next season there are a few doors still open to me.''
Cross is contracted to Perpignan, in the beautiful south of France, until October and is looking forward to wearing the club's tradition-steeped blood-red and gold jumper.
''I'm looking forward to going; I wanted to get over there and to have a shot,'' Cross said. ''What to expect? I don't know. I just wanted to play some footy.
''I still have some good years left in me and I look forward to playing in a good [French] team. As it stands I have no deal for next season, and the reason I'm going to play in France is because I don't have to worry about next year yet.
''I'll go over to experience life in France with my family. I understand Perpignan is a great spot, I'm going to play in a good competition and I'll see how it goes. There's a lot to be excited about. I expect the language barrier will be the toughest … I'll need to get used to the team's calls.''
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Read more: http://www.watoday.com.au/rugby-union/union-news/departing-cross-hits-out-at-wallabies-selectors-20110813-1irvx.html#ixzz1Uwid1cKf
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RYAN CROSS has offered a not so fond au revoir as he heads for France by describing Wallabies coach Robbie Deans's selection policy as failing to respect Australia's older and experienced players.
Cross, 31, leaves Sydney tomorrow to start a three-month deal to cover for Perpignan's injured Jean-Philippe Grandclaude and David Marty and Maxime Mermoz while they are in New Zealand with the French World Cup team.
While Cross insisted he had ''let go'' of the disappointment at being left out of the national squad, he expressed frustration at being overlooked despite displaying good form for the NSW Waratahs in the Super Rugby competition.
Advertisement: Story continues below
''I sort of let go of it a bit,'' he told The Sun-Herald. ''Robbie's selection policy is a bit … confusing. I think a lot of the older blokes have been a little bit hard done by, to be honest. There hasn't been a lot of respect for the older players and I think a bit of experience has been wasted. I think experience has proven in the past to be important [in World Cup campaigns]. South Africa won it last time and England made [that] final with a lot of experienced players, and they won the previous one. Australia also had a lot of experience when we won the World Cup back in 1999.''
Cross, a former rugby league player who scored four tries in eight Tests after he switched codes in 2006, returned to Sydney from the Western Force this year to push his case for World Cup selection because he felt ''out of sight, out of mind'' playing for the Perth team.
When Cross decided to play for the Waratahs he admitted he had ''rolled the dice'' because he was not guaranteed much playing time in the star-studded line-up.
However, he was happy with his season and even felt as though he was ranked among the form centres. Cross, whose father, Paul, played league for Balmain in the 1960s, said he could return to rugby league next season after a series of ''encouraging'' negotiations with the Wests Tigers.
''I'm still talking to [coach] Tim Sheens at the Tigers,'' Cross, who played eight years for the Sydney Roosters, said. ''They've been really good; very transparent about where they stand next year.
''I'd like to go there. It's a good club and they've been very professional to deal with. While I have no contract for next season there are a few doors still open to me.''
Cross is contracted to Perpignan, in the beautiful south of France, until October and is looking forward to wearing the club's tradition-steeped blood-red and gold jumper.
''I'm looking forward to going; I wanted to get over there and to have a shot,'' Cross said. ''What to expect? I don't know. I just wanted to play some footy.
''I still have some good years left in me and I look forward to playing in a good [French] team. As it stands I have no deal for next season, and the reason I'm going to play in France is because I don't have to worry about next year yet.
''I'll go over to experience life in France with my family. I understand Perpignan is a great spot, I'm going to play in a good competition and I'll see how it goes. There's a lot to be excited about. I expect the language barrier will be the toughest … I'll need to get used to the team's calls.''
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Read more: http://www.watoday.com.au/rugby-union/union-news/departing-cross-hits-out-at-wallabies-selectors-20110813-1irvx.html#ixzz1Uwid1cKf
