Queenslander
15-01-06, 05:42 PM
DUAL rugby international Wendell Sailor says he has no regrets about leaving the Reds despite the appointment of Eddie Jones as Queensland coach from 2007.
http://www.thesundaymail.news.com.au/common/imagedata/0,1658,5096786,00.jpg
Sailor said even though he was one of Jones' greatest admirers, it was still not enough for him to get past the internal divisions at the QRU which drove him to cross the border and sign with the NSW Waratahs.
"Eddie Jones is the best signing the Reds have had in years and he is definitely the man for the job. He'll be superb," Sailor said
"The players up there are all great but the hierarchy in Queensland is pushing in all different directions so I don't know how I could have gone through another season of that.
"When I was at the Broncos everyone was pushing in the same direction and we had a lot of success.
"Queensland needed someone to come in and provide some sort of stability and Eddie is the man for the job. He'll be awesome and I know a lot of the players up there are rapt with the decision.
"There are a lot of talented young players coming through the ranks in Queensland and Eddie is the right man to look after them."
Jones handed Sailor his rugby union Test debut in 2002 after the blockbusting winger switched codes at the end of the 2001 NRL season.
Sailor said he felt for Jones when he was sacked from his Wallaby posting.
"Eddie is one of the best coaches I've ever had. I felt bad for the bloke when he took the fall because we (the Wallaby players) didn't aim up," he said.
Sailor ? who played in 14 State of Origins for the Maroons and three grand finals for the Broncos ? joined NSW last year as a host of Queensland's top-line players fled the self-destructing Reds.
He will return to the Sunshine State for the February 11 showstopper between the interstate foes at Suncorp Stadium, which will kick off this year's Super 14 competition in Australia.
The 31-year-old described the looming match as one of the most important contests of his career which has also included a Wold Cup final among 37 rugby union tests, 11 rugby league Tests and 47 Super 12 matches.
"It's right up there as one of the biggest games of my career," Sailor said.
"I know it's being promoted as a chance to come along and boo me but that's OK. I think I perform better when I'm under the pump.
"It will be weird going back there as the enemy though because I used to live 500 metres up the road. It's not the done thing in sport to move from Queensland to NSW so I hope I make the side and I'm not on the bench because I'm sure I'll cop it from the crowd."
Sailor donned the sky blue jersey for the first time last week when the Waratahs gathered for their official team photo and he was the target for plenty of good-natured ribbing.
"Someone asked if it was a childhood dream to wear the NSW jersey and all the boys got into me saying that blue was my colour," he said. "It was a surreal experience because I never thought I'd be playing for NSW.
"Come Origin time I'll still be supporting the Maroons and I'll still be cheering for the Lions and the Bulls so my heart is in the same place."
Wendell should have never defected to Union. It always just makes me mad when I think that the talented Wendell Sailor, Loti Tuquri and Matt Rogers were just allowed to go across without a fight. Yet Andrew Johns is offered financial security for the rest of his life just because he was thinking of going!
Im sure the Queensland union fans will give Wendell the reception that he deserves when he plays up here in the little boy blue.
http://www.thesundaymail.news.com.au/common/imagedata/0,1658,5096786,00.jpg
Sailor said even though he was one of Jones' greatest admirers, it was still not enough for him to get past the internal divisions at the QRU which drove him to cross the border and sign with the NSW Waratahs.
"Eddie Jones is the best signing the Reds have had in years and he is definitely the man for the job. He'll be superb," Sailor said
"The players up there are all great but the hierarchy in Queensland is pushing in all different directions so I don't know how I could have gone through another season of that.
"When I was at the Broncos everyone was pushing in the same direction and we had a lot of success.
"Queensland needed someone to come in and provide some sort of stability and Eddie is the man for the job. He'll be awesome and I know a lot of the players up there are rapt with the decision.
"There are a lot of talented young players coming through the ranks in Queensland and Eddie is the right man to look after them."
Jones handed Sailor his rugby union Test debut in 2002 after the blockbusting winger switched codes at the end of the 2001 NRL season.
Sailor said he felt for Jones when he was sacked from his Wallaby posting.
"Eddie is one of the best coaches I've ever had. I felt bad for the bloke when he took the fall because we (the Wallaby players) didn't aim up," he said.
Sailor ? who played in 14 State of Origins for the Maroons and three grand finals for the Broncos ? joined NSW last year as a host of Queensland's top-line players fled the self-destructing Reds.
He will return to the Sunshine State for the February 11 showstopper between the interstate foes at Suncorp Stadium, which will kick off this year's Super 14 competition in Australia.
The 31-year-old described the looming match as one of the most important contests of his career which has also included a Wold Cup final among 37 rugby union tests, 11 rugby league Tests and 47 Super 12 matches.
"It's right up there as one of the biggest games of my career," Sailor said.
"I know it's being promoted as a chance to come along and boo me but that's OK. I think I perform better when I'm under the pump.
"It will be weird going back there as the enemy though because I used to live 500 metres up the road. It's not the done thing in sport to move from Queensland to NSW so I hope I make the side and I'm not on the bench because I'm sure I'll cop it from the crowd."
Sailor donned the sky blue jersey for the first time last week when the Waratahs gathered for their official team photo and he was the target for plenty of good-natured ribbing.
"Someone asked if it was a childhood dream to wear the NSW jersey and all the boys got into me saying that blue was my colour," he said. "It was a surreal experience because I never thought I'd be playing for NSW.
"Come Origin time I'll still be supporting the Maroons and I'll still be cheering for the Lions and the Bulls so my heart is in the same place."
Wendell should have never defected to Union. It always just makes me mad when I think that the talented Wendell Sailor, Loti Tuquri and Matt Rogers were just allowed to go across without a fight. Yet Andrew Johns is offered financial security for the rest of his life just because he was thinking of going!
Im sure the Queensland union fans will give Wendell the reception that he deserves when he plays up here in the little boy blue.