NEW South Wales have dumped former South African skipper Tiaan Strauss and Australian secondrower Tom Bowman for their Super 12 rugby union match against Canterbury in Christchurch on Friday. Strauss was named on the bench when the team was announced on Wednesday while Bowman’s manager John Fordham has threatened Bowman may look elsewhere for a 2001 playing contract after he was left out of the entire squad of 22 for the game against the Crusaders. The Waratahs, in the third-last round before the semifinals, lost 27-20 in Sydney to Wellington on Saturday, destroying their hopes of qualifying. Randwick backrower Stu Pinkerton and Penrith lock Peter Besseling have been recalled to the Waratahs’ pack. While Fordham said Bowman was “ropeable,” NSW coach Ian Kennedy said he was fine and was smart enough to realise “yelling at the coach is not going to get you anywhere.”
Squad
1-Richard Harry, 2-Brendan Cannon, 3-Jason Reilly, 4-Peter Beselling, 5-John Welborn, 6-Dave Lyons, 7-Phil Waugh, 8-Stu Pinkerton, 9-Chris Whitaker, 10-Christian Warner, 11-Dominic Byrne, 12-Nathan Grey, 13-Jason Little, 14-Scott Staniforth, 15-Matt Burke. Reserves: 16-Marc Stcherbina, 17-Manuel Edmonds, 18-Sam Payne, 19-Tiaan Strauss, 20-Michael Brial, 21-Rod Moore, 22-Mark Crick.