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Aussie Player Exodus

Braveheart81

Will Genia (78)
Staff member
My memory of the timing of when Mack Hansen signed to head offshore was early in a season where he ended up starting most games.

This is often the way. They look elsewhere on the basis that they weren't getting opportunity or a good contract offer and then that opportunity naturally comes (because the player has developed) in the season that happens after they sign.

I don't think you can say he wouldn't have had opportunity here. His trajectory was clearly heading upwards in his final Super Rugby season.
 

Slim 293

Stirling Mortlock (74)
I don't think you can say he wouldn't have had opportunity here. His trajectory was clearly heading upwards in his final Super Rugby season.

Most definitely...

If he hung around he would've been a starter in quite a few games for the Brumbies last year through injuries/rotation, and likely would've had a shot at Australia A.

And with Tom Banks announcing his departure early last year Hansen would've been set for a guaranteed starting spot going forward, and maybe provided another fullback option.
 

Tomthumb

Colin Windon (37)
Cabous & Angelo are effectively project players: depending on fitness of others may end up playing in the majority of remaining games this season, Cabous in particular has been one of the Rebels best performers over the previous 3 seasons.

Cardall is on an injury cover contract for Rob Leota and Matt Phillip and I would imagine be on something close to league minimum; just picking up a contract between Wasps going bust and his new NH side: in any case Angelo is getting whatever opportunity that is being suggested that him being around is preventing.

Sorovi is an Aussie still on a contract signed prior to his Fiji cap: Much like Dickie and his Namibia swap, unless you've got some serious French-esq restrictions in that contract I can't imagine there's much you can do when that happens.

Ioane was meant to be a high impact VICTORIAN signing that has been decisively underwhelming thus far.

Ili has arguably been the Rebels 3rd best player this season after Gordon and Dickie.

Ilikena Vudogo, alongside a handful of others not mentioned are neither here nor there in terms of this argument, but I'd be interested to see how many Australia are now "missing out on" comes from the squeeze on positions that happened in the couple of seasons after the dropping of the Force: Sione in particular seemed to go from being slowly built up into the Rebels side to getting very limited opportunity when the likes of Billy Meakes and DHP were added to the Rebels backline.
I feel you may have missed the point here. Regardless of what you think of these players, none of them are eligible to play for the Wallabies

They need to prioritize signed players eligible to play for Australia. It's moronic that there is a rule designed to keep players in Australia when we have at least 18 ineligible players in our Super Rugby teams
 

Tazzmania

Ted Thorn (20)
I do not know the kid nor have I ever seen him play, however as Lyon have signed an Australian Schoolboy on a three year contract, is this another missed opportunity?

Screenshot 2023-03-27 150930.png
 

Highlander35

Andrew Slack (58)
He’s going to be a strong chance for the Lions. Welsh are busted. Irish getting old and who knows with the English.

Quite the potential personal jersey collection
I don't see it. While he's still "capable" elsewhere in the backrow, eight has become his primary position, Doris is only 24, Mercer is coming back for England and Taulupe continues to defy expectation, and that's before the fact that Fagerson's consistently won the battle for selection when there's only one spot on offer (as opposed to Glasgow where both are squeezed into the starting lineup).
 

Marce

Jim Lenehan (48)
I don't see it. While he's still "capable" elsewhere in the backrow, eight has become his primary position, Doris is only 24, Mercer is coming back for England and Taulupe continues to defy expectation, and that's before the fact that Fagerson's consistently won the battle for selection when there's only one spot on offer (as opposed to Glasgow where both are squeezed into the starting lineup).
Yeah but British Lions pick 100 players and if someone is injured they call more. They picked something like 120 players per tour, that's their main strenght. 40 players vs 40 players I think Australia can beat them but with the current format is too difficult.
 

Highlander35

Andrew Slack (58)
Yeah but British Lions pick 100 players and if someone is injured they call more. They picked something like 120 players per tour, that's their main strenght. 40 players vs 40 players I think Australia can beat them but with the current format is too difficult.

46, 49 & 41 in the last 3 tours. Both include all players called up even if they never got on the plane to start with, whether through injury or other reason (Dylan Hartley and Ben Youngs in '13 & '17 respectively), alongside the "call ups of convenience" for mid week games: of which only 3 actually got on the pitch (70 minutes for Shane Williams v Brumbies, 25 minutes for Tom Court v Rebels, 5 minutes for Finn Russell v Canes).

Obviously depth is a big factor in ability to accommodate a series of injuries (using 6 different looseheads on the 2013 tour) but when it comes to the tests themselves, the BILs used 32 players in 2013, 26 in 2017 and 31 in 2021: those numbers aren't unusual for NH outbound tours.
 

Wilson

David Codey (61)
Yeah but British Lions pick 100 players and if someone is injured they call more. They picked something like 120 players per tour, that's their main strenght. 40 players vs 40 players I think Australia can beat them but with the current format is too difficult.
They absolutely do not, they name a squad of around 40 players and call in 5-10 more (with a few of those usually replacing players before the first match). Last tour they they picked a squad of 37 and brought in another 4 or 5 due to injuries. Previous tours have been similar (2017 - squad of 41 +6 replacements, 2013 - squad of 37 +9 replacements).
 
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