Wallabies 2020
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Desmond Connor (43)
Wright is a born leader but does need player cred. I’d like to at least see him as vice or leading when (if) captain is off field.
rugboy
Bob Loudon (25)
It would take a big turn around for Rennie to go from telling Campbell he still has aspects of his game he needs to work on before making the wallabies squad to then end up selecting him as part of any 23 ahead of the few options already has.
Purce
Jim Clark (26)
It is interesting because he actually stands out to me as the 15 who makes the least mistakes. That is included in the fact that he does the little things well, has great hands and vision. At 15 he has certainly made less mistakes than Maddocks and Banks this Super AU season. I'd guess DHP too as I saw him make a few Barries in the games he had.
I think maybe that Tahs game Campbell made a few mistakes (like the whole team) but apart from that no other games stand out to me where he made errors at 15.
He did not play well on the wing as he is not a winger so I do not bring that into the conversation for if he should feel a little hard done by not being included as a 15. Pretty much everyone here has conceded that he is the form 15 in Oz rugby.
Again I do not think he has the size for test rugby at the moment, needs to add another 5kgs and keep his speed/explosiveness. Maybe that is what Rennie has told him? Maybe they think we will be better served by having 4 months in the gym building bulk and explosiveness rather than running around in the squad? I've got NFI. It would probably be the best thing for his INTL chances though.
DHP first for me then Banks/Maddocks then a distant 4the spot to Hodge. I wouldn't have Hodge near my starting 15 and doubt I'd have him in my 23 pending injuries.
Purce
Jim Clark (26)
He can play fullback though, in fact he is a hell of a fullback.
I'll also add here that this boggles my mind. He is by far the closest thing we have to a B Barrett or D Mac at 15. Easily the best ball playing 15 with the greatest vision. There are limits to his game however these certainly aren't them.
I actually agree with you on the type of 15 we should have. Hence my confusion at what you are not seeing in Campbell. Also one of the reasons I always thought "He who shall not be named" should have been on the wing not at 15.
P.S. also agree with you on Grealy. He will likely be @ 15 or wing in a couple years. Very talented kid.
Purce
Jim Clark (26)
The Reds play a 2 fullback defensive pattern with the 10 as the 2nd fullback, not because they are trying to hide a 15. Much like many NZ super teams as well as the AB's. Also why their scramble defense is soo good because they have 2 fullbacks already back then the 9 coming across and the blind winger working hard as the ball moves across the backline.
Campbell usually takes the ball back to the line and does the kick chase if wingers are up in the line. JOC (James O'Connor) usually hangs back after he returns a kick.
upthereds#!
Ken Catchpole (46)
Uelese seems the most likely to miss out due to injury - for me that means Latu is a foreign call up.
What do we need most? I think it's Lock/Hooker/Centre in that order
If you must secure Latu then it's between lock and centre.
If the preference is for a centre (Kerevi), then we can always internally promote a lock in Blyth, or bring Naisarani back in.
If the preference is for a lock (Arnold/Skelton), we can always internally promote a centre in Kuridrani.
What do we need most? I think it's Lock/Hooker/Centre in that order
If you must secure Latu then it's between lock and centre.
If the preference is for a centre (Kerevi), then we can always internally promote a lock in Blyth, or bring Naisarani back in.
If the preference is for a lock (Arnold/Skelton), we can always internally promote a centre in Kuridrani.
TSR
Mark Ella (57)
Some very interesting comments on here about Campbell - especially given he isn’t actually in the squad and, by and large, most of his supporters seem fine with that (me included). I do wonder though how all of us can watch the same guy and see something completely different. They beauty of passionate fans.
Regardless of Campbell’s credentials, I do thing the fullback spot will be one of the more interesting. For various reasons, there are questions marks for me over each of the contenders in the medium term -
- DHP is stand out first choice for me, but his question mark is his fitness. Hopefully just a couple of niggles which he can shake off. He is a player that has been given permission to enjoy a sabbatical. In the medium term will this open the door for Hodge? Also, is he a viable option for the next WC?
- Maddocks - the rocks and diamonds option. Arguably the highest ceiling but seems to have real problems with dropping his head when things aren’t working. Hopefully he finds consistency with a bit of maturity - if he does he’ll be a star. If not - I’d rather pass.
- Banks - I dunno, for all the comparisons to Latham, Banks has fallen a long way short of the hype. Current form maybe injury related, possibly harshly treated by Cheika, but he’s never grabbed the opportunity. Problem for him is he is 26 now and whilst that means he still has years as a pro, Maddocks is the younger option. I feel it’s pretty much now or never I think for Banks. (Incidentally Campbell may face a similar issue given he is already 25).
- Hodge - something of the ugly duckling of the contenders, but does have some really good qualities for the role. He’s my back up for DHP right now because I just think he’s a more solid option at the moment than the other two. But I can’t see him being more than an solid fill-in to be honest
Whilst I’ve nominated Hodge as first back up, if DHP is out, I won’t be surprised to see Maddocks get the gig because, if they can fix his head space, he’s well and truly worth the investment.
In any case I think the fullback spot will continue to attract plenty of discussion - particularly if the Wallabies struggle and we need someone to hold to account.
Regardless of Campbell’s credentials, I do thing the fullback spot will be one of the more interesting. For various reasons, there are questions marks for me over each of the contenders in the medium term -
- DHP is stand out first choice for me, but his question mark is his fitness. Hopefully just a couple of niggles which he can shake off. He is a player that has been given permission to enjoy a sabbatical. In the medium term will this open the door for Hodge? Also, is he a viable option for the next WC?
- Maddocks - the rocks and diamonds option. Arguably the highest ceiling but seems to have real problems with dropping his head when things aren’t working. Hopefully he finds consistency with a bit of maturity - if he does he’ll be a star. If not - I’d rather pass.
- Banks - I dunno, for all the comparisons to Latham, Banks has fallen a long way short of the hype. Current form maybe injury related, possibly harshly treated by Cheika, but he’s never grabbed the opportunity. Problem for him is he is 26 now and whilst that means he still has years as a pro, Maddocks is the younger option. I feel it’s pretty much now or never I think for Banks. (Incidentally Campbell may face a similar issue given he is already 25).
- Hodge - something of the ugly duckling of the contenders, but does have some really good qualities for the role. He’s my back up for DHP right now because I just think he’s a more solid option at the moment than the other two. But I can’t see him being more than an solid fill-in to be honest
Whilst I’ve nominated Hodge as first back up, if DHP is out, I won’t be surprised to see Maddocks get the gig because, if they can fix his head space, he’s well and truly worth the investment.
In any case I think the fullback spot will continue to attract plenty of discussion - particularly if the Wallabies struggle and we need someone to hold to account.
Joe Blow
Peter Sullivan (51)
What is the latest news on the injuries from the weekend? They have some time to recover, particularly the Rebels players.
upthereds#!
Ken Catchpole (46)
I haven't seen any media release regarding the scan results of Uelese (shoulder) and To'omua & DHP (groin)
Number 7
Darby Loudon (17)
Good point. In some respects having JOC (James O'Connor) at 10 but playing him as the second fullback as the Reds do solves another selection problem on the wings. It allows you to play two non-kicking wingers in Koroibete and Daugunu with more confidence which I think would give us some more attacking grunt.
Up the Guts
Steve Williams (59)
I can see Hooper being dropped after the Naisarani stuff around. McReight as captain seems ridiculous.
Up the Guts
Steve Williams (59)
Has to be To'omua doesn’t it?
But then Rennie says he sees him as a 10 not a 12. I’m hoping we don’t stuff around with the selections too much a la Foley at 12, there’s enough talent there we don’t need to try for left field unicorn picks.