Radio New Zealand - Te Reo Irirangi o Aotearoa

Sharpe to suit up one more time for the Wallabies

Updated at 5:42 pm on 19 June 2012

The Wallabies veteran Nathan Sharpe has back-flipped on his decision to retire at the end of the Super Rugby season and is set to continue on for the national team this year in the upcoming Rugby Championship.

Australian coach Robbie Deans convinced Sharpe to delay his exit from the game and play on in the inaugural Rugby Championship against New Zealand, South Africa and Argentina.

At the start of the year, the 104-test lock announced he would walk away from international rugby after the mid-year June Tests and then rugby in general after the Super Rugby season had wrapped up at the end of July.

With skipper James Horwill expected to be out for the season because of a ruptured hamstring and veteran Dan Vickerman also unavailable, Australia's second-row stocks were starting to look thin.

But Deans convinced the 34-year-old Sharpe to hang in for one more campaign.

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