Wallabies second training squad announced

Matt Rowley July 29, 2012 36

With the Reds players back in contention the 36-man squad has been reshaped.

IN

Digby Ioane
Dominic Shipperley
Anthony Fainga’a
Mike Harris
Will Genia
Scott Higginbotham

OUT

Mitch Inman
Lachie Turner
Bernard Foley
Ben Mowen
Hugh Pyle
Paddy Ryan

Nathan Sharpe stays in the squad having sat out the first training meet through old age.

The players who were not considered because of injury are: Salesi Ma’afu (Force), Dan Palmer (Brumbies), Saia Fainga’a (Reds), James Horwill (Reds), Ben McCalman (Force), Wycliff Palu (Waratahs), Paddy Ryan (Waratahs), Christian Leali’ifano (Brumbies), James O’Connor (Rebels), Joe Tomane (Brumbies).

In total then, the Qantas Wallabies training squad for this week’s second camp in Sydney ahead of the inaugural Castrol EDGE Rugby Championship is:

Kurtley Beale (Rebels), Adam Ashley-Cooper (Waratahs), Drew Mitchell (Waratahs), Digby Ioane (Reds), Cooper Vuna (Rebels), Nick Cummins (Force), Dominic Shipperley (Reds), Rob Horne (Waratahs), Anthony Fainga’a (Reds), Ben Tapuai (Reds), Pat McCabe (Brumbies), Mike Harris (Reds), Quade Cooper (Reds), Berrick Barnes (Waratahs), Will Genia (Reds), Nick Phipps (Rebels), Nic White (Brumbies), Radike Samo (Reds), Scott Higginbotham (Reds), Jake Schatz (Reds), David Pocock (Force), Michael Hooper (Brumbies), Liam Gill (Reds), Dave Dennis (Waratahs), Kane Douglas (Waratahs), Nathan Sharpe (Force), Rob Simmons (Reds), Cadeyrn Neville (Rebels), Sitaleki Timani (Waratahs), James Slipper (Reds), Sekope Kepu (Waratahs), Benn Robinson (Waratahs), Ben Alexander (Brumbies), James Hanson (Reds), Stephen Moore (Brumbies), Tatafu Polota-Nau (Waratahs).

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Discussion »

tigerland12

Pyle and Mowen out…..Timani and Samo in? Got to give it to Deans, keeps us on our toes guessing what type of cock-up selection he will make next
Doctor D

36 is a ridiculous number.
- Roscoe Tims
  
  Yes, it’s a ridiculous age for a Wallaby…
Bobas

I cant believe pyle, mowen and foley miss out. Some form performers right there making way for a couple of boring ones, sorry Harris and Ant F.

Both of them can defend the line as well as they like but if they cant dent it on the attack what does it matter. Better to score twice for your team and let one in that not score at all.
- vidiot
  
  I agree – Cooper for 10.
- http://www.facebook.com/RebuildTheWaratahs hannibal
  
  As much as Foley is a good player. Did we really expect him to be blooded in a Bledisloe first up? Similarly Pyle. Lets at least admit the step up this would require from Super rugby.
  
  Great players but test them internationally on the end of season tour first.
Joe Blow

What is going on with Palu? Is he going to be right in the next couple of weeks?
johnny-boy

Any Wallaby squad that has Vuna, Horne, Phipps or Timani in it, is clearly not being chosen on merit and therefore is not serious about beating the All Blacks or Springboks. I’m looking forward to next year.
- johnny-boy
  
  Oh – and Ben Alexander also – I had to look twice to beleive my eyes – good grief
  - johnny-boy
    
    And leaving Mowen out ….. Deans is obviously not on our side
Kurt

Vuna? Really?

How Pyle misses out is beyond me
BPC

I am amazed that Deans brings in two wingers, two centres, a half and a flanker and drops a winger, a fullback, a centre, a flanker, a lock and a prop. You have to query whether the first training squad had the correct make-up when you are dropping tight five players for wingers.
Dave

On Pyle, maybe if he was played against Wales, he’d be better prepared for selection in the RC. But Deans missed that boat. Maybe now it would be too much of an initiation. Although why not leave him in the squad and call him in to play the Argies. A mystery and another opportunity missed. I think Timani is picked for his size first and they’ll work on his skills later. Let’s hope he gets up to speed quickly.
I’m still not convinced about Mowen. Good captain, solid player – but test material? I just don’t know. Definitely would be a better pick than some of the selections Deans has made though.

And Vuna. He’s a good attacking player who runs good lines and can definitely bust a tackle – he just can’t make one. A liability in defence. If Deans chooses to play him, I hope they’ve put in the overtime working of Vuna’s defensive skillset.
- Mart
  
  Yeah. What sort of an idiot would blood a young green second rower in a cauldron of fire like a Bledisloe or a world cup semi final!?!
  
  See Deans with Simmons.
Pedro

Wait, isn’t pocock a brumbies player? That’s why Mowen had to go, we were over represented.
Jimbo81

Where is Adam Wallace-Harrison?

I remember reading a Qantas article in 1992 about the extreme training camps the 1991 Wallabies went to prior to winning the RWC. Time the Wallabies hardened up.
- Fin
  
  Agree AWH in Simmons out.
DC

Looks like Deans doesn’t want to keep his job. What the f*** is he doing?

Pyle and Foley are exactly what the Wallabies need.

Turner always performs at international aswell even though he hasn’t played much footy, a great no. 22 atleast.
- Rob
  
  What are you on about. Turner does not deserve a spot. Plenty of others in form and far more talented
- Nick
  
  Turner has pace but he is an awful finisher. It really doesn’t matter who we have at flyhalf. If he has McCabe-Horne-Turner outside of him we will struggle to beat Argentina.
Hooper for 12

I think you will see these 6 miss the final cut, at least for these 2 AB games: Neville (although he is a fast learner and may pip Douglas), Schwartz or Gill, Phipps, Harris, Horne and Mitchell (underdone).
Disco

This is shit I can’t or won’t be going to any Wallabies test matches until Robbie Deans is gone.
boutbloodytime

Deans has to go…that should be the first one cut from the squad…Spiro Zavos criticised Link for tactical mistakes in the Reds loss to the Sharks (Genia to 10 etc) & that he may not have the tactical nous for test level BUT you can bet your balls that every time Link’s tactics are found wanting, he reassesses, analyses & comes up with the right/better/different set of options, choices and strategies….what have we had with Deans? Year after year of the same old s@*t!! Boring up the middle rugby OR get it to Digby or Kurtley & hope they do something amazing because beyond that there is no gameplan…to be the best you have to beat the best & although 3-0 against Wales gave us a nice fuzzy feeling for a few weeks, we must be dreaming if we think we have the mongrel, pace & skill to beat the ABs & the Boks consistently…

We are consistently told about a lack of depth in Australian rugby, which is part of the problem (but unfixable in the short term), but not selecting form players is a very fixable problem that is not being addressed.

If Link can take a bunch of underperformers & turn them into Super15 winners in 2 seasons & Jake White can take a bunch of no-names and make them competitive in 1, it proves we have the cattle to do the job…but if Deans can’t do something remarkable with the cream of the crop in Australian rugby, then there is something seriously lacking in his abilities at test level. He’s had his time, his record is mediocre at best….drop yourself from the squad Robbie, it’s tie to move on before we get smoked AGAIN by the ABs.
ozrugbynut

I would have thought Mowen and Turner could have stayed on a bit longer, but I agree with Pyle, Inman, Foley and Ryan being cut. It’s not their time. You want them hungry to contribute in 2013 or on the spring tour rather than giving them everything in their first few years (O’connor is an exception). Remember Giteau – had almost everything Oz rugby had to offer him at such a young age plus the cash and lost interest/got jaded IMO.

Anyway, can someone report on how Deans is (hopefully) absolutely faaaaarkin flogging the rest of the guys (particularly the Tahs) at camp.
Hooper for 12

Re the critical first RC match for us at home, which we MUST win, we have to stop tha ABs winning the Momentum battle in the first 30 – this is how they blew us away in the WC. We have to play it deep on their half in this period, and be disciplined and creative to plant some 5 pointers on them. So I would start with QC and then bring on Barnes to close it out. At the end of the day, QC’s creativity is our only real edge over the ABs. The other lesser advantages being KB (although Dagg is nearly as good) and Radiki (if he can get in some space).

We absolutely must pile points on them in the first 30.
- Skyblue
  
  I think qc is goin to be theyre target for pressure if anything..hes the last guy id be taking back to nz..his creativity is not as effective in test rugby no time nor the space. Bb for flyhalf imo.
- Skyblue
  
  I think qc is goin to be theyre target for pressure if anything..hes the last guy id be taking back to nz..his creativity is not as effective in test rugby no time nor the space. Bb for flyhalf imo
- muffy
  
  You arejking right? You think our hoes only lye with Cooper, Samo and Beal??? I think you need to have another look at how a rugby match is won…Tight five mate thats where it is won and lost. Clean ball gives yime and space to the backs, without it the backs are simply waiting to be tackled
  
  And although I am a huge fan of Samo, you are surely joking when you say he is our hope!!! I dont think even Radikis mum thinks that.
  - muffy
    
    FARKING IPAD AND FAT FINGERS!!!!!
    
    Honest I am literate…
Hawko

Just noticed that Ryan is both dropped and injured. So maybe the reason he wasn’t kept on is that he suffered an injury during the opposed sessions. Anyone heard what the injury is?
Jimbo81

McCabe Injured!

Now Deans CANNOT field McCabe & Horne – our weakest centre-pairing ever.
http://www.facebook.com/RebuildTheWaratahs hannibal

With McCabe injured we’ll now likely have some combination of Barnes/Horne/Faingaa/AAC in the centres trying to match it with Conrad Smith and SBW.

Bloody hell. We’re screwed already.

For me the best backline for a Bledisloe (and it aint perfect) will have to be Genia, Cooper, Mitchell (11) Barnes, AAC, Ioane, Beale.

At least they’ve got history together which’ll be impoirtant facing the Darkness.
- jimmy c
  
  completely agree on the backline hannibal – more combinations the better, then my forward pack would be robinson, polota-nau, alexander, sharpe, wallace-harrison, higginbotham, pocock, (not sure on 8)
  
  I know Wallace-Harrison isnt in the squad but in my opinion he should be.
  reserves:
  Kepu, Moore (quite interchangable with taf but let taf do the early bulldoozing) simmons, dennis, white, tapuai, and horne/shipperley
  
  and another question, whens Rocky back? I know he’s not as good as he used to be but I still believe he’s young enough to offer something to the squad and he could fill that no. 8 hole (much more an 80 minute player than radike)
  - Touko
    
    I think Hannibal’s backline looks pretty good too, but if (when??) we lose to the darkness for the tenth year in a row it will be our forwards who are to blame.
    
    Apart from Pocock I’m not sure there’s a single forward who you’d say would make the All Blacks starting 15, and even he wouldn’t be an ironclad certainty with McCaw still playing.
    
    I agree with your sentiment about AWH. He may not be the most talented bloke but he’s been playing well and he seems to give his all. I feel the same way about Fardy and I reckon he should’ve been in the train-on squad too, maybe like Dwyer suggests to play at 6, not second row..
    
    Mind you, I would have dropped Ben Alexander – he’s been scrumming like shite for the past two years. How can you pick a prop who always get towelled up?! Palmer, Holmes and Ryan all seem better to me.
    
    As for second row, damn. Not much quality there. We’ve got an old bugger who is playing very well for his age, and then, er, who exactly?!
    
    Anyway. Looks like its going to be another year at least before we wins anything. Hell, even my 3 year old has given up on the Wallabies and says he wants to be an All Black. Maybe I can bring him down to Moore Park someday and get Robbie Deans to set him back on the straight and narrow…
Jimbo81

Reds >>>>> wallabies
tuxedo

For the fowards! locks should include sharpe higinbothom AT 6,pocock AT 7.mccanan AT 8.these loose trio will def match the abs