Wallabies 2021

[fatprop]

anyhoo, getting the pigs right will be much more important than deciding which show pony will drop the ball next or throw a dumb cut out pass to the ball boy

Locks & 6 (we need a lineout option in the backrow) are the issues

 

[Adam84]

I'm comfortable with the lock options that Australia has for 2021, its a big improvement on 2020 i believe.

Timani, Rodda and Phillips are all coming home/already home and will be eligible for selection.
Hosea, Uru and Neville have been big improvers in 2021 and have put their name up for selection.
LSL (Lukhan Salakaia-Loto), Blyth and Swain all continue to develop well.

Thats a decent pool of locks to pick from.

 

[Members Section]

15 Reece Hodge (watch this space over the back end of SRAU & SRTT)
14 Tom Wright
13 Hunter Paisami
12 Matt To'omua
11 Marika Koroibete
10 Noah Lolesio (perfect time to try him with matt t on his outside & Nic on his inside)
9 Nic White (no one could possibly manage an international currently)
8 Harry Wilson
7 Michael Hooper
6 Ned Hanigan (better player then is given credit for)
5 Isaac Rodda (should be back & quarantined in time)
4 Matt Philip (will be back & quarantined in time)
3 Taniela Tupou
2 Brandon-Paenga-Amosa
1 James Slipper

16 Folau Fainga'a
17 Angus Bell (not as sold as other atm but sio hardly been on the park)
18 Allan Ala'alatoa
19 Trevor Hosea
20 Fraser McReight
21 Tate McDermott (would love to see him get some good min off the bench to develop at the top level 25+ not less than 10)
22 James O'Connor (could come on in a couple of different roles & finish games)
23 Jordan Petaia

Well that lasted about a day

 

[Derpus]

I'm comfortable with the lock options that Australia has for 2021, its a big improvement on 2020 i believe.

Timani, Rodda and Phillips are all coming home/already home and will be eligible for selection.
Hosea, Uru and Neville have been big improvers in 2021 and have put their name up for selection.
LSL (Lukhan Salakaia-Loto), Blyth and Swain all continue to develop well.

Thats a decent pool of locks to pick from.

Neville looks the business to me. Paired with Philip and then LSL (Lukhan Salakaia-Loto) or Hosea off the bench.

Or alternatively, LSL (Lukhan Salakaia-Loto)/Hosea paired with Philip and Neville off the bench.

 

[RugbyReg]

Ok, hear out here. What about something like:

1 Slipper / Bell (getting really worried about James' body holding together so Bell needs some starts)
2 Fainga'a / Mafi
3 Tupou
4 Neville
5 Philip / LSL (Lukhan Salakaia-Loto) / Gear
6 Valetini / LSL (Lukhan Salakaia-Loto)
7 Hooper / McReight
8 Wilson / Uru
9 White / McDermott
10 JOC (James O'Connor)
11 Koroibete
12 Paisami
13 Ikitau
14 Wright
15 KURTLEY BEALE

yada yada.

First question - how's he going over there?

But how badly do we need an international standard fullback? This badly?

 

[Derpus]

that's some low quality bait, Reg.

 

[barbarian]

I'm in Reg. Yep. Post of the year stuff, really.

Just think about it. The prodigal son, the ageing veteran aching for one last crack. I loved it with Giteau, and I love this even more.

Hook it to my veins.

 

[Members Section]

Neville looks the business to me. Paired with Philip and then LSL (Lukhan Salakaia-Loto) or Hosea off the bench.

Or alternatively, LSL (Lukhan Salakaia-Loto)/Hosea paired with Philip and Neville off the bench.

All those 4 ahead of Rodda?

 

[Derpus]

All those 4 ahead of Rodda?

fuck Rodda, for a while at least.

 

[Members Section]

fuck Rodda, for a while at least.

I've posted this before there must have been another reason why he left, he got given the option of what he has just done. 3 year deal with a yr in japan or france

 

[fatprop]

I'm comfortable with the lock options that Australia has for 2021, its a big improvement on 2020 i believe.

Timani, Rodda and Phillips are all coming home/already home and will be eligible for selection.
Hosea, Uru and Neville have been big improvers in 2021 and have put their name up for selection.
LSL (Lukhan Salakaia-Loto), Blyth and Swain all continue to develop well.

Thats a decent pool of locks to pick from.

Phillips is the only unit who has looked like an actual test lock, the others are adequate

 

[Brumby Runner]

My current Wallabies selection:

Slipper, Fainga'a. Tupou, LSL (Lukhan Salakaia-Loto), Neville, Valetini, McReight, Wilson, White, JOC (James O'Connor), Wright, Paisami, Ikitau, Petaia, Banks.

Mafi, Bell, Ala'alatoa, Hosea, Samu, McDermott, Lolesio, Maddocks

Hooper, Philip, Rodda etc to fit in depending on form when they return.

 

[Proud Pig]

Phillips is the only unit who has looked like an actual test lock, the others are adequate

I think that Hosea and Neville could be test quality but they need the opportunity to show their wares at that level.
I haven't seen enough of Uru or the others yet to say either way.
Except for LSL (Lukhan Salakaia-Loto) who I have never been a huge fan of and think there are better options.

 

[Dctarget]

First question - how's he going over there?

Played 12 yesterday for Racing 92 against Bordeaux (in his 2nd game back). Was fine, looked lively but didn't create much. Before that he led the Heineken Cup (small sample size) for clean breaks and metres run (also 6th for defenders beaten). This would've been skewed by Racing 92's 56-3 demolition of Edinburgh the week before. But he's going fine after not playing top 14 for a while.

 

[Dctarget]

I was watching Toulouse v Clermont and thinking how useful either Arnold would be. They really look impressive, and their link work is great. They are learning from some of the best forwards going around in Kaino & Marchand. Sadly, I realised that the Top 14 semi-finals and grand final will be on 20 and 27 June respectively. The first Australia v France is two weeks later on 3 July. Any period of quarantine pretty much rules out anyone from the semis from playing.

The most likely semi-finalists will be La Rochelle, Clermont, Racing 92 and Toulouse. This is essentially all the top players in France bar a few. So, Galthié has to choose an experimental side (and we’ll be without Arnold x 2, Skelton).

We can get an idea of who they’ll send from seeing what players are left over from their full strength 23 from the Six Nations. 12 of the 23 are unavailable.

They played an essentially uncapped "third string" side (it had only 2 capped players) that nearly beat England last year in the Autumn Nations Cup. A further 11 players will be unavailable.

There are doubts that France will come if they have to quarantine for a full 14 days (nothing official, just gossip).

 

[Dctarget]

Here's a team that I built from their remaining players, 277 caps in total, 12 cap average. Very, very inexperienced side and that's just a 23, not a squad, also injuries permitting. So, we'll get a very different French side.

 

[Derpus]

Told ya, third string.

 

[Adam84]

My current Wallabies selection:

Slipper, Fainga'a. Tupou, LSL (Lukhan Salakaia-Loto), Neville, Valetini, McReight, Wilson, White, JOC (James O'Connor), Wright, Paisami, Ikitau, Petaia, Banks.

Mafi, Bell, Ala'alatoa, Hosea, Samu, McDermott, Lolesio, Maddocks

Hooper, Philip, Rodda etc to fit in depending on form when they return.

I agree except for Maddocks and hooker.
I’m still undecided on the best hooker but I don’t think it’s Fainga'a or Mafi, Cheika mentioned that BPA is the best scrummaging hooker in the country, which I think will count.

 

[Derpus]

Shame BPA is off. Is it long term or could he be back?

 

[James GC]

But if we have two strike wingers, Paisami at 12 or 13 and possibly even Petaia/Ikitau in the centres, do we?

I think we will have penetration all over the field. The first criteria for my fullback will be a reasonably good ability to kick and diffuse a high ball.

He didn't defuse the cross field kick against Petaia on the weekend, I think Banks is our best option he does do all of those things well but we know he can do more we have seen it. That game against the Crusaders in 19, he absolutely carved them apart with his broken field running from kick returns. If we see this at test level he could be anything come on Banks grab your opp with boths hands boy or you may lose it.