Gareth Delve: Wants to return to international action
Rebels loose forward Gareth Delve admits that he would love to be part of the British and Irish Lions squad that tours Australia next year.
Although the Melbourne outfit will face the Lions next year Delve is determined to prove he deserves a Lions spot even though he has failed to secure a place in Wales Test side in recent years.
Delve has not played for Wales since the 2010 Six Nations and he was left out of coach Warren Gatland's 30-man World Cup squad, after he was initially in their 45-man pre-tournament group.
But the 29-year-old has been in fine form since joining the Rebels in 2010 and recently won the Rod Macqueen Pursuit of Excellence Award and the People's Choice Award at the club's annual awards function.
The former Gloucester man believes his knowledge of Australian conditions could benefit the Lions if he was included in their squad.
"I'd love to make that tour," Delve told Wales Online.
"It's a huge ambition of mine.
"If I can perform, hopefully they'll be casting the net wide and I'll have a pretty decent knowledge of Australian Rugby by then. It'll be fantastic if that was the case.
"It's incredible to get those rewards and recognition.
"The fact we've had such a good season and to be part of such a great team is reward enough, but to get that recognition as a foreign player means a huge amount to me," he added.
Delve was rumoured to be leaving the Rebels for Toulon earlier this season but he signed a one-year contract extension with the Rebels last month which could mean he faces the Lions if he fails to make their squad.
"I sort of had one foot out the door earlier on in the year which was going to be really tough," he revealed.
"But to be able to be a part of this for another year, and the journey we'll take with the Lions coming over next season is going to be massive for rugby in Melbourne.
"With the squad we're putting together we could be knocking on the door of doing some big things."
Comments
kenttaff says...
heaslip???are you having a laugh. he doesnt do a job for ireland anymore (but they still pick him obviously) never mind the lions
Posted 14:04 25th July 2012
5Lock4ward says...
@Rico, Sure Delve is playing Super Rugby...for an Australian expansion franchise. If the Australians pooled their best players together and eliminated the NZ imports (the one's who've given up on a black jersey and are willing to settle for a yellow one) on their squads they might have enough to field 3 Super Rugby teams. The only reason they have 5 is to maintain the financial balance of SANZAR. And the Scottish players you're insulting well...most of them have a pretty solid record against the Wallabies these days. Agreed Jason White is old but Simon Taylor walks on and is handed the #8 jersey with any Australian Super Rugby team, no questions asked.
Posted 00:56 23rd July 2012
Jcahill1 says...
@ jonesy2
I doubt he is better than any of them.
Posted 21:23 22nd July 2012
rico says...
@Herbman there might be 10-15 loose forwards ahead of him in Super Rugby but that doesn't matter as he's vying for a berth vs NH players.
5lock4ward@ Insane - are you Scottish!! - how many of those players could hold a spot in a Super15 franchise? Delve not a crap player - Taylor and White, maybe a few years ago - and you missed the best and incumbent scottish 8 Dave Denton who had a great 6 Nations....and would probably warrant a spot ahead of Delve.
Posted 10:44 22nd July 2012
cuw3100 says...
LOL despite the collective 6 nations rarely defeating the 3 nations, fans have very high opinios of their players when comparing against each other, allthough GD is from Wales.
First of all he is an 8 like Read , Spies , Palu , et al. Ability to play as a flanker should not cloud this fact. McCaw plays at 8 and 6 but at heart he is a 7!!!
Delve has been able to hold his place at 8 during a S15 season, which is a credit to his abilities. Same cannot be said of Waldrom who left Crusaders becoz there was Read (and Luke W who were sometimes prefered at 8 by Tod B). So for GD to play as many matches he did, says he had the game to match the opposition (or Rebels did not have anyone of better abilities.)
as an independent fan who is not from the 3 nations, i was impressed that he managed to be a part of a S15 outfit constantly (although the OZ teams this year were below par compared to NZ or SA) unlike other NH players like Danny C and James H. Fred M ofcourse has been a little more successful.
IMHO Delve is a better 8 than Those in Wales, England and Scotland. He is on par with those in Ireland and France but not as good as Parrise.
Again IMHO Delve is good enough to be in OZ bench. Problem is no matter who the Lions bring this sort of superiority complex of the home based players will ensure the outcome is bleak. For all the talk about the narrowing gap between SH and NH the playing styles are like chalk and cheese (3rd test AB v IReland).
A man with better vision would have GD in the Welsh mix becoz there are so many boys in the squad who willllearn from his experience. When the NZ training group this year was announced there were guys like Romano and Shields who showed what playing with old experienced heads can do to their game (did anyone see romano against the chiefs?) but then sometimes people have hard heads and logic is set aside for pride :)
Posted 05:22 22nd July 2012
ArmchairGeneral says...
Could take him as an extra player for his ozzie knowledge.
Posted 19:03 20th July 2012
three6three6 says...
This is a pipe dream.... Gareth Delve may have played some decent rugby... but he was on the fringes of the Wales team in 2010. He is unlikely to be picked as a No. 8 in the Lions Squad. Toby Falatau, Ryan Jones and Jamie Heaslip would certainly be ahead of him in the selectors current thinking.
A more realistic ambition would be to play for the Rebels against the Lions next year.
Posted 14:47 20th July 2012
kahui says...
Delve ur dreaming! no chance ever
Posted 07:07 20th July 2012
jonesy2 says...
Herbman-- he hasnt been one of the rebels best at all. maybe one of the rebels 25 best or something. although he hasnt been terrible by any means. 10-15 better loose forwards in super rugby than him! are you insane?! its more like 115 you nutcase! hahaha
KubilaKhan- well most of them are flankers and delve is an 8. he is probably better or on a par with than waldrom, heaslip haskell and falatau
Posted 07:05 20th July 2012
5Lock4ward says...
@KubilaKhan, Not to mention the superior players on Scotland; Strokosch, Brown, Beattie, Barclay, Vernon...I'd also put Simon Taylor and perhaps even Jason White ahead of Delve.
Posted 01:26 20th July 2012
Herbman says...
He's been one of the Rebels' better players (not that I've seen all their games), but there are probably at least 10-15 other loose forwards ahead of him in Super Rugby.
Posted 19:13 19th July 2012
KubilaKhan says...
To play he would have to be selected over either , Croft, O'Brien, Ferris, Heaslip, Morgan, Warburton, Lydiate, Falatau, Waldrom, Haskell, Jones or Robshaw. Don't think it's gonna happen.
Posted 15:43 19th July 2012