Wallaby veteran not going anywhere
Veteran Wallaby lock Nathan Sharpe has written off speculation that he will seek a fat paycheque overseas to end his career, confirming that he plans to end his playing days in Australia.
Sharpe has gained worldwide respect for his consistent performances in his 100 match Test career and he is not showing any signs of slowing down as he prepares to leave for the United Kingdom where the Wallabies will face the Barbarians and Wales.
The line-out maestro has seen plenty of his teammates move to Europe towards the end of their playing careers to give their bank balances a bit of a boost, but he has no interest in doing so himself and plans to see out his contract with the Western Force which ends in 2013.
“I’ve looked at it in previous years, but I think that the way things are panning out, I’m pretty comfortable with my transition from rugby to where I’m going in the next stage of my life,” Sharpe told AAP. “That’s just a time issue for me so it makes sense for me to stay in Australia.
“Going overseas and chasing some money for a year or two probably doesn’t interest me at this stage. I’ll definitely finish up here in Australia. It just depends on when that’s going to be,” he explained.
The Wallaby stalwart, who also has a century of Super Rugby caps, is not calling time on his career just yet as he believes he still has plenty to offer at the highest level of the game.
“I’ll have a look at it next year and make a decision then. If you’ve signed with Australian rugby and you play Super Rugby, you’re obliged to play international rugby if you get picked, so I’m signed for next year,” he said.
