Super Rugby side New South Wales Waratahs player DAVE DENNIS said that he will be leaving the club "at the conclusion of the Super Rugby season for Britain on a three-year deal with English club the Exeter Chiefs because he wants to challenge himself and try something new." Dennis is "adamant he will be leaving the club in the best possible shape after nine years and 93 games in the light blue jersey." Dennis: "I eventually felt it was a great opportunity for me to get over there and challenge myself elsewhere. It means I can plan a little bit ahead. It means I won't finish the season and rush over there. I didn't want it to be a distraction and for there to be whispers" (SYDNEY MORNING HERALD, 1/1). ... A policeman who posted a video of himself on social media holding Argentine footballer LIONEL MESSI's passport "has been sentenced to one month in prison." The 26-year-old Emirati, J S M, attended his first hearing at Dubai Court of Misdemeanors on Jan. 18 "after being brought from his detention cell." He "confessed to a charge of violating Messi's privacy, but said it was only a joke" (THE NATIONAL, 2/1). ... Sydney snowboarder JARRYD HUGHES has "become the first Australian man to win a Winter X Games title in Aspen," passing fellow Australian ALEX PULLIN in the last meters of the race to win the snowboard cross event. Hughes, 20, is the "heir apparent" to dual world champion Pullin and the two Australians staged an "exciting finale" to their event dueling down the course (THE AUSTRALIAN, 2/2). ... The son of former Australian Football League club Adelaide Crows coach PHIL WALSH has "pleaded not guilty to the murder of his father at his first appearance at the Supreme Court." CY WALSH "spoke only to acknowledge that he could hear the judge and also to enter his plea when he appeared by video link on Monday." The court was told the case "could still go to trial as prosecutors are yet to accept that the 27-year-old was mentally incompetent at the time of the alleged murder" last July (AAP, 2/1).
RFL HIRES BENNETT: WAYNE BENNETT will be named as the England coach this month after the Rugby Football League "confirmed it expected to complete its review of the national setup in the next few weeks." Bennett, a former Australia coach and "the most successful Australian coach in rugby league history," had been approached by the RFL to replace STEVE MCNAMARA, who is "not expected to be retained" as the national coach. The RFL "would not comment on speculation linking Bennett with the job but it did issue a statement on the status of the review that began in November" after the series against New Zealand, which read, "As we have previously stated, it is only right and proper we conduct a thorough review of the England programme following the conclusion of Steve’s contract. We expect that review process to be completed this month and we won’t speculate or comment further until the process is complete" (London GUARDIAN, 2/1).
