Wednesday’s Rugby News looks at Matt To’omua’s prediction for the Wallabies squad, an olive branch extended to New Zealand, Michael Cheika’s Puma stint hits a roadblock and the Rebels bolster their outside backs
[one_half last=”no”]
Strike a balance
Wallabies stalwart Matt To’ouma is warning fans not to expect a completely transformed side for Sunday’s first Bledisloe, predicting a mix of youth and experience.
With Dave Rennie still weighing up the make-up of his side, his initial squad represented a new era in Australian rugby, with 26 players having played none or less than 10 caps for the Wallabies.
Despite this, To’omua suggests it would be disrespectful to the Bledisloe Cup and the intense rivalry if they picked the squad solely on youth and the future.
“That first Test was quite a stressful week actually, I remember, it is definitely a step up in that sense,” To’omua told reporters on Tuesday.
“But one thing the young guys here do have is they’ve got a ton of confidence, a lot of them have come from a winning team, particularly the Brumbies guys.
“Someone like Noah (Lolesio) is a good example, who has just won a competition and he’s got some good experience under his belt.
“I don’t think anyone will be disrespecting a Bledisloe team and naming a team full of debutants, but we’ve got to develop players and develop a squad for the future as well, so I’m sure it’ll be a balance.”
He likened it to the honeymoon period with the extended break between tests and new coaches, believing that Rennie will produce a fresh, calmer relationship for fans and player alike.
“It’s still very much early days. We’re almost in a honeymoon period,” To’omua said.
“He hasn’t dropped me yet, he hasn’t dropped us yet, we haven’t had to experience too much stress in that sense.
“Michael did a great job and he put in a great shift for the Australian rugby community. He got us to a [World Cup] final.
“[Rennie] has definitely got a few different tendencies. He loves a little sing-a-long, he loves all these different things, it’s been good. A lot of it’s new but he seems like a very calm and composed character, which is quite nice.”
[/one_half][one_half last=”yes”]
Expression of interest
With NZR basically booking a tournament that suits everyone but the players, teams, fans, venues and broadcasters, RA boss Hamish McLennan has opened the doors for a Trans-Tasman competition hosted entirely in Australia for 2021.
The NZR has faced significant criticism after their decision to leave out a sixth Pasifika team for the 2021 season of Super Rugby Aotearoa.
With a travel bubble set to open up between the two countries, McLennan questioned why the two parties weren’t working together to get their domestic future sorted.
“As an alternative, we are happy to run trans-Tasman entirely from here next year,” McLennan told The Australian.
“But once again I don’t know why we aren’t looking for a trans-Tasman competition starting next year given that COVID management is becoming more sophisticated and better managed than ever before and travel bubbles are being created.”
He also threw the doors open for the Pasifika-based team, pointing to the success that the Fijian Drua has had in the NRC.
“I’d definitely like to do something with a team from the islands but we have had no formal dialogue with the Pasifika team because we presumed they were going to do something with NZ,” he added.
“We definitely see all the rugby-playing nations as equal partners so we will see if we can do something.”
This was backed by the NSWRU (a crucial sector of The Mosman Elite – TME), with CEO Roger Davis believing that a 10-12 team competition across the Pacific and Tasman is the way to go.
“Common sense says trans-Tasman. That’s what the NZ sides are saying. That what common sense dictates, it’s economically viable, it’s a strong competition,” Davis believes.
“I think the Australian competition was pretty good this year, much better than people would have thought, but I really wouldn’t back myself as having that as a mainstay going forward. Could you get by with another year? Yes, but I think that would be about it.”
[/one_half][one_half last=”no”]
Cheik-mate
Speaking of the old coach, Michael Cheika is set to be denied access to the Pumas quarantine camp as a result of the strict biosecurity controls in place by the NSW Government.
Cheika was set to join his old assistant Mario Ledesma in Argentinean camp on Tuesday, however, he has not yet been granted approval to join them by SANZAAR and Government authorities with the squad coming from one of the major hotspots.
“Mario has invited Michael Cheika to join the staff and assist the team. We are proud of this. But there is another issue,” Argentina’s manager Marcelo Loffreda told SMH.
“Cheika lives in Sydney, and it is so important that he could join the team camp with us from the beginning or at the least four days later from our arrival, obviously with a strict protocol and testing negative.
“So, we are asking that to the authorities of SANZAAR, the government and the police of Australia.”
However, there are further problems arising for the Pumas, with the camp set to be split in two with their European-based players set to be separated from the rest of the camp.
“What we are asking the Australian government and the authorities of SANZAAR is to allow us at some point to merge these two quarantines,” Loffreda said.
“Obviously, we are not going to cause any risk to society, the community or anyone else because we are going to be locked in.
“But we need to be able to train all together at some stage when the first group finishes their period of quarantine.
“We are asking that this first group [coming from Uruguay] could be able to train with the second group [the Europeans] that will be in quarantine, at least for training.”
[/one_half][one_half last=”yes”]
Forever Young
The Rebels have bolstered their outside back stocks, confirming the signing of Gold Coast Titan Young Tonumaipea on a two-year deal.
Tonumaipea is one of three born and bred locals to have played rugba leegue in Victoria for the Storm, where he played 44 games before opting to head overseas on a Mormon mission in Germany.
Having excelled for the Titans in the centres during his return, the 28-year-old was excited to return home to Victoria and play for the Rebels alongside former Storm teammate Marika Koroibete
“Melbourne is home for me, so I can’t wait to be back home with my family and friends, in the city I love, back at my old stomping grounds,” said Tonumaipea in a statement.
“I’m so excited for this opportunity. When I came back to the NRL after being away, I was determined to prove I could still play at the highest level and now having fulfilled that goal, I’m driven to succeed at this new challenge.
“I’m also pumped to be rubbing shoulders with Marika (Koroibete) again and I also know a few of the other boys like Hodgey (Reece Hodge) and Pone (Fa’amausili) as well, so I won’t be stuck in the corner eating my lunch by myself.
“The success the Rebels have had this year was a big part of why I wanted to come over. They’re really growing something special over there at the moment, so I’m keen to put in where I can and just be a part of it.”
This was shared by coach Dave Wessels, who believes that he can have a positive impact with the club both on and off the field.
“We’re excited about bringing Young home,” he said.
“Aside from his on-field ability, he’s clearly a very proud Melbourne man.
“He’s had a great season in the NRL and we’re looking forward to seeing the impact he will make in our game and our community over the next few years.”
[/one_half]
