Wallabies 2020

[Braveheart81]

For me, the fact he's not even making the Brumbies' 23 signals he's at least a couple of years away from the Wallaby side. There's plenty of time to bring him into the setup in the following years.

From what I've seen of him, it looks like he'll be good enough to play a fair bit of test rugby but he's not a Petaia nor Tupou level talent where your goal is to get him into the side as quickly as possible.

Likewise though, it's a highly unusual situation where you have a 44 player squad (likely to become 46 after the first two Bledisloes) so you have more room for development players than ever before.

It would be a much stranger selection if it was a regular squad size with a couple of specific development players like Petaia and Tupou have been named as in the past.

In a regular squad size this selection would be Paisami/Harrison/Lolesio as a non-playing development player.

 

[Blue]

Is Curry a big feature in the lineout? i didn't think so.

Not so much I don't think.

Actually now I see him being listed as an openside on most sites so I clearly have no idea what I am talking about

 

[Up the Guts]

Likewise though, it's a highly unusual situation where you have a 44 player squad (likely to become 46 after the first two Bledisloes) so you have more room for development players than ever before.

It would be a much stranger selection if it was a regular squad size with a couple of specific development players like Petaia and Tupou have been named as in the past.

In a regular squad size this selection would be Paisami/Harrison/Lolesio as a non-playing development player.

Agree that it's unusual but in my view there are better uses of the 44 spots than Ikitau. You could easily carry Blyth or Neville whose current trajectory puts them on track to be in the side before him.

 

[fatprop]

Perhaps he will experiment with Wilson at 6?

Why not?

I don't think it matters whether he has a 6 or 8 on his back, he is best through the middle

 

[Braveheart81]

Agree that it's unusual but in my view there are better uses of the 44 spots than Ikitau. You could easily carry Blyth or Neville whose current trajectory puts them on track to be in the side before him.

Agreed on Blyth that he makes more sense as a development player but it probably comes down to a backs vs forwards split in desired numbers.

Neville was unlucky to miss out on a spot. At 31 though, you're either picking him because you think he's a chance at the 23 or not at all.

 

[Up the Guts]

If Tupou starts how long do you keep him on for? He ran that inside line to set up Daugunu's try at about the 75th minute mark just after winning a scrum penalty on the weekend, even a fresh AAA doesn't do that.

 

[Derpus]

Do other countries regularly have development players in their squads?

 

[upthereds#!]

Do other countries regularly have development players in their squads?

Maybe in a 46 man squad.

But we tend to name a 33, then have a couple of travelling development players attached, we rarely use spots IN the 33 for development

 

[upthereds#!]

Our 33 to be as strong as possible NOW, IMO wouldn't be accused of having developers for the sake of it.

Fainga'a, Uelese, BPA
Sio, Slipper, Ala'alatoa, Tupou, HJH (Harry Johnson-Holmes)
Simmons, Phillips, LSL (Lukhan Salakaia-Loto), Arnold
Naisarani, Wilson, Valetini, Wright, Hoops, Samu
White, Mcdermott, Gordon
Lolesio, To'omua, JOC (James O'Connor)
Hodge, Kerevi, Petaia, Kuridrani
Daugunu, Koroibete, DHP, Wright, Banks

 

[qwerty51]

So Naisrani and Kuridrani are making the 33 after missing out on the 44?

 

[upthereds#!]

So Naisrani and Kuridrani is making the 33 after missing out on the 44?

In my fantasty forum world they are.

If you had to ask me to pick a 13 to play against the ABS this week. I would pick Kuridrani over Paisami. Hands down. Paisami is still a project.

If you had to ask me, would you rather Swinton at 6 and Wilson at 8, OR Wilson at 6 and Naisarani at 8 - It would be Wilson and Naisarani

 

[Adam84]

Actually, there is a local and global database of player workload data which is being shared globally.

The leading global company for sports analytics is Catapult sports (https://www.catapultsports.com/). They supply GPS and "Local Positioning Systems" to all sorts of sports but have a suite of rugby analytics which are used by 200+ clubs including all Super teams and Wallabies. It is ratified by World Rugby as the global standard.

The system was used at the Rugby World Cup in 2019 by all teams as a part of a load management study to help WR (World Rugby) set safety guidelines around how many games players should be playing. https://www.catapultsports.com/blog/catapult-world-rugby-load-passport. The data also goes to universities to study to help with sports research.

Now whilst I doubt that Michael Hoopers personal data is being collected and shared with opposition teams, the information is certainly being collected, stored and shared.

Catapault license out the software, they are not hosting a global database with every players data accessible to other teams.

The All Blacks cannot log in and pull up Michael Hoopers GPS data, for obvious reasons this reason is valued quite highly.

Your initial claim that there is a global database with every players data from every game, stored and shared for analysis by other teams does not exist.

 

[Try-ranosaurus Rex]

In my fantasty forum world they are.

If you had to ask me to pick a 13 to play against the ABS this week. I would pick Kuridrani over Paisami. Hands down. Paisami is still a project.

If you had to ask me, would you rather Swinton at 6 and Wilson at 8, OR Wilson at 6 and Naisarani at 8 - It would be Wilson and Naisarani

I think you'll find that Petaia will be in front of Paisami at 13....

 

[drewprint]

I think what upthereds is saying is that if you didn’t have room and freedom to pick development players and had to pick you strongest 33 man squad right away, Kurindrani and Naisarani should be in there.

 

[Hawko]

Everyone here has totally written him off as the worst player ever to make the Wallabies, but to my mind a backrow of Hanigan, Hooper and Samu would be our best option with both Wright and Wilson on the bench. Hanigan subs into lock at 60 with Wright and Wilson coming on for Samu. Phillips and LSL (Lukhan Salakaia-Loto) are the starting locks for the first Bledisloe, and the whole team for the second Bledisloe depends on form in the first.

My reasoning for this is:

• It is folly to take inexperienced players into the first two Bledisloes. NZ will be desperate to set a marker in the first two home tests and it is time for the battle-hardened. New guys should start from the bench to learn what a huge step up test rugby against NZ is.
• Hanigan's strengths are that he has a huge workrate, he is quite quick and backs up a break well. He can play close to his top for the full 80. He tackles well if not dominantly and hits rucks. Hanigan, Hooper and Samu provides the best balanced backrow, though it would be even better if Naisirani was available.
• Hanigan is a top class lineout jumper and can call if Phillips goes down. From this we get three jumping locks till 60 mins when Wright comes on to sub for either Phillips or LSL (Lukhan Salakaia-Loto) and Hanigan goes to 4.

Those who think Hanigan is still hopeless must have watched the Super comp with blockout glasses on. His performances were mature and energetic for the whole comp, and he did not go into a slump but maintained his performance level from game one to eight. Most of the newbies had a slump in form along the way, either within games or for whole games and that is exactly what you expect in the first two years of a senior career. Hanigan is 25, I think and still yet to hit his prime as a 4/5/6. Yet most here want to dump him in the nearest trash bin for someone barely out of under 20's. I've always said Cheika brought him in way too early and now just when he is coming good he should be disposed of?

 

[upthereds#!]

I think you'll find that Petaia will be in front of Paisami at 13..

Yes of course, but it's a 33 man squad. You need more then 1 Outside Centre. Ive got 3 halfs, 3 flyhalves, 2 insides, 2 outsides, 3 wings and 2 Fullbacks. Additionally, some players are versatile - eg Petaia and Hodge

 

[Hawko]

I think what upthereds is saying is that if you didn’t have room and freedom to pick development players and had to pick you strongest 33 man squad right away, Kurindrani and Naisarani should be in there.

Naisirani definitely, I remain absolutely baffled that we don't want him in the first two Bledisloes. Kuridrani though, has been on a slow downhill form track for nearly two years and I think his time has gone.

 

[Number 7]

Catapault license out the software, they are not hosting a global database with every players data accessible to other teams.

The All Blacks cannot log in and pull up Michael Hoopers GPS data, for obvious reasons this reason is valued quite highly.

Your initial claim that there is a global database with every players data from every game, stored and shared for analysis by other teams does not exist.

I wasnt the one who said that individual players data can be accessed. That would be a breach of privacy and no one would consent to it anyway.

However, there is absolutely a centralised database that Catapult create from collecting users data via their Playertek system and it does get shared as a consolidated dataset within their product. Its is used for player benchmarking purposes and for research purposes for product enhancement. Remember - the original Catapult product started from data collected from years of AIS athlete observations and the founders wrapped hardware and software around that dataset.

If you dont believe me, this is direct from their website FAQ's:
"Will we disclose your personal information to others? In the case of PlayerTek, performance data of players in the PlayerTek community is shared through features in the app which enable comparisons and rankings of player performance."
And;
".....for product development and enhancement and we may share player data for commercial applications and enhancement of other Catapult product data feeds where that use is consistent with our contractual terms."

It is the same database that was used to create the benchmarks for the load management passports that World Rugby developed in 2019.

 

[Derpus]

Tevita

Naisirani definitely, I remain absolutely baffled that we don't want him in the first two Bledisloes. Kuridrani though, has been on a slow downhill form track for nearly two years and I think his time has gone.

Tevita is only 29 - plenty of time to pick up some more caps.

 

[PhilClinton]

Tevita


Tevita is only 29 - plenty of time to pick up some more caps.

He doesn’t really jump ahead of Petaia, Kerevi or Paisami though, all of whom are on the rise whilst TK declines.