Wallabies 2023

[hammertimethere]

Is it a bit stiff for Neville? Hasn’t played a bad game for the Brumbies in years, and are we expecting one of Holloway, Leota, Tom Hooper to be a 4th lock?

 

[KOB1987]

Lolesio has had a huge fall since that French series. I just don’t think he’s tough enough for Eddie. I’m not saying he’s not tough but compared to Gordon, no contest.

Given there is no back up 12 (Hodge, please!) then Carter Gordon might get a run there at some stage. He’s certainly got the D and the passing/kicking game. And the backrowers EJ (Eddie Jones) (Eddie Jones) has picked can do the barging.

Gordon and Cooper at 12 and 10 might just be the key to unlock Ikitau and the back three with early ball and inside creativity.

Like it or not Hodge is a back up 12. We can make that inference based on him not being named as a utility. However I would also suspect that 12. Ikitau 13. Perese is also on the Plan B list.

 

[TSR]

That’s depressing

Why is it depressing?

One of our biggest issues playing the NZ teams is the lack of depth in our sqauds. Why wouldn’t we want to retain a 23 year old fly half with test & finals experience.

The reality is most of our super rugby squads aren’t going to be world beaters at test level. That doesn’t mean they aren’t highly valuable super rugby players.

 

[Highlander35]

Is it a bit stiff for Neville? Hasn’t played a bad game for the Brumbies in years, and are we expecting one of Holloway, Leota, Tom Hooper to be a 4th lock?

I think looking at this first squad selection as anything but a squad about who'll be training and in consideration for the Saffa and Argy tests is a mugs game.

Presuming fitness, there's not a player in that Main Squad + Rehab group who won't be in the World Cup 23. The other 10 I sincerely believe will be shuffled between squads after the first two games based on recovery and performances across the three available games (two tests plus the A game v Tonga).

 

[RugbyReg]

Amazing to think that Donaldson can make the Wallabies squad but Jake Gordon can’t.

I know which one offers more to Waratahs and would prefer to have in my team.

ahhhh...they play different positions

 

[Linerunner2023]

My take from the squads
Plenty of names called out, basically a 40 man wallabies squad and 28 which will be aus a squad, should see some players filter back to aus a side. And when the 6 rehab guys come back 5 or 6 edge players will get moved on
My takes
- Neville the only one out of my original 23 squad not on the wallabies and very odd not to be selected
Also, sio / Fainga'a / pone / wilson and foley

training - aus a side surprised not to see Mafi who was considered for wallabies earlier in the year, HJH (Harry Johnson-Holmes), and Liam Wright
A big fall from lolosio but I expected this, fell behind jack d at brumbies
Reimer and Scott from brumbs along with Wright would feel hard done by with Cale getting in, maybe just for development

main surprises in wallabies are debutants, I think several of the guys will fall out when rehab guys back and they reduce squad form 40 to 33

- Donaldson the luckiest man to get in
- Out of the injured guys rodda and Robertson may have made wallabies squad
Toole and Jorgo more then likely wider training squad

In the wider squad cale, canham, lambert and Walton surprise call ups,
Players who would be dissapintet and wanting ti make RWC and still a chance
Pone, Fainga'a, talakai, lonergan, Neville, Wilson, foley

 

[The Ghost of Raelene]

Why is it depressing?

One of our biggest issues playing the NZ teams is the lack of depth in our sqauds. Why wouldn’t we want to retain a 23 year old fly half with test & finals experience.

The reality is most of our super rugby squads aren’t going to be world beaters at test level. That doesn’t mean they aren’t highly valuable super rugby players.

I’m being dramatic.

You’re right about depth of squads but gee he’d be on a fair whack for 15 mins a week. Not sure where he’s at since he was treated pretty poorly towards the back end of DRs time.

I just thought he looked like he was phoning it in all year for the Brumbies when he got on.

 

[Sword of Justice]

While some selections are surprising I think these picks reflect a want for depth as opposed to the shoe horning of players that often takes place, or worse still, some positions where there are 150 caps and others where there a 5. That means the likes of Neville or LSL (Lukhan Salakaia-Loto) miss out unfortunately for them.

I'm confident players like those two, Foley and Jake Gordon will make squads this year as injuries occur.

 

[rugbyAU]

Overall thought this was a poor squad selection
- don’t know why Uelese is picked over lonergan and Fainga'a considering his lack of fitness and throwing ability
- Neville on form should have been picked
- Leota and Topou haven’t played a minute of rugby this year yet are picked
- Foley won a Japanese top league title and not picked?
- Donaldson probably one of the worst fly halves in super rugby and was poor at fullback as well this is an especially bad selection
- Vunivalu plays with no effort and well below his potential and seems to tank in matches yet is selected
- Harry Wilson after the games v highlanders and chiefs very unlucky to miss out
- with kellaway and petaia out they should have picked jock Campbell in the squad whose been playing well recently as a specialist fullback allowing someone like Tom wright to play at 14

 

[rugbyAU]

Regardless the 23 for the SA test

1 - Slipper
2 - Porecki
3 - Alalalatoa
4 - Frost
5 - Skelton
6 - Holloway
7 - Hooper
8 - Valentini
9 - White
10 - Cooper
11 - Korobiete
12 - Foketi (assuming Kerevi injured)
13 - Ikitau
14 - Nawaqanitawase
15 - Wright
16 - Fasselar
17 - Gibbon
18 - Topou
19 - Arnold
20 - Samu/Hooper
21 - Lonergan
22 - Gordon
23 - Hodge

 

[eastman]

ahhhh...they play different positions

Great response- my point was the difference in quality and effectiveness between the two yet ones in the Wallaby squad.

 

[eastman]

His passing is just fine, but his key strength is his work off the ball, he chases hard and works hard to give a a kick receiver options

They are skills underappreciated in aus

That said, I would be amazed if he gets any game time

Have you ever seen him pass the ball or set someone up?

 

[RugbyReg]

Great response- my point was the difference in quality and effectiveness between the two yet ones in the Wallaby squad.

it's a ridiculous comment when they are playing different positions.

 

[whitefalcon]

Is Toole actually injured or was he just injured at the time Eddie was looking?

He came off the bench in the Semi (albeit for 4 mins). Has he re-injured himself?

 

[rugbyAU]

Is Toole actually injured or was he just injured at the time Eddie was looking?

He came off the bench in the Semi (albeit for 4 mins). Has he re-injured himself?

I was wondering that too and is Leota and Topou now injury free

 

[liquor box]

Talk about sliding doors moment for Nonggorr.

If Taniela doesn’t get injured last year, Zane probably plays 30mins of Super Rugby all year in 2023 and isn’t anywhere near the Wallabies. Now he’s a chance of going to France, particularly if Taniela isn’t running around at 100%.

As a Reds fan I would obviously want Tupou to be at his best and playing for the Reds, but it really does show that no matter who leaves, the sky is not going to fall down and someone will stand up. Nonggorr has been great without the flair of Tupou but does most of the stuff requested of him.

 

[liquor box]

Overall thought this was a poor squad selection
- don’t know why Uelese is picked over lonergan and Fainga'a considering his lack of fitness and throwing ability
- Neville on form should have been picked
- Leota and Topou haven’t played a minute of rugby this year yet are picked
- Foley won a Japanese top league title and not picked?
- Donaldson probably one of the worst fly halves in super rugby and was poor at fullback as well this is an especially bad selection
- Vunivalu plays with no effort and well below his potential and seems to tank in matches yet is selected
- Harry Wilson after the games v highlanders and chiefs very unlucky to miss out
- with kellaway and petaia out they should have picked jock Campbell in the squad whose been playing well recently as a specialist fullback allowing someone like Tom wright to play at 14

I would have thought throwing ability would be the exact reason that Fainga'a was not considered.

 

[KOB1987]

Is it a bit stiff for Neville? Hasn’t played a bad game for the Brumbies in years, and are we expecting one of Holloway, Leota, Tom Hooper to be a 4th lock?

For a trip to South Africa, yes. It's only a squad for the first 2 games and if there is an injury Neville will no doubt get the call up. I'd say Neville is in a similar basket to Foley in that he's a known quantity who isn't first choice and Eddie wants to have a look at someone else who isn't an auto pick yet, in this instance Richie Arnold.

 

[PhilClinton]

So is the concept that RA have ‘no money’ untrue?

Maybe it happens every year but we don’t hear about it, but surely the 28 train on blokes are getting some payments and living costs covered to ‘train’ with the Wallabies? That can’t be cheap over a number of weeks.

 

[qwerty51]

anyone have some clarity on the overseas selections?

I thought the Giteau law was strictly about 60+ caps AND 7 years in Aus rugby. There was never a limit on the number of these selections. When Giteau and Mitchell were selected in 2015 we never had 3 overseas picks, they were just eligible now as they qualified.

In 2021 we changed our policy to include 3 overseas selections who didn’t have 60+ caps.
That was Kerevi, Arnold, Korobiete and Skelton all at different times.

Quade and Foley qualify under Giteau law. Do they still count towards overseas selection quotas? It’s now 5 and it seems that’s why Foley has missed out but I was expecting Foley and Quade not to count towards any quota and therefore still room for 4 overseas Skelton Kerevi Korobiete and Arnold.

Anyone know for certain what’s going on here?