Good morning, folks! A slower Newsweek this week, but we come once again to the halfway point and another rugby feast is on the horizon! Let’s see what there is to see.
** we have hopefully fixed the Facebook link. If so, welcome to the refreshed bunch of craparazzi here on G&GR. Chuck has stuck around for Mondays, Newtta for Tuesdays, GoldyLocks on Wednesdays, ParForCourse on Thursdays and Juswal on Fridays. Good to see you back!
Bok again
The Springboks have rung nine changes to the starting side which was done over by the All Blacks last round for their final TRC leg against Los Pumas in Johannesburg. A number of players who put in strong performances against the Wallabies return to the side, including Duane Vermeulen (c) and Pieter-Steph du Toit, as well as revelation Manie Libbok at flyhalf.
The Boks seem to be hoping the Wallabies do them a favour in Melbourne ahead of this match, with SA Rugby touting it as ‘potentially’ championship-deciding, depending on how the Nearlies go. Great to see hope still springs eternal.
Pool cleaning
Much ink has been spilled over the state of the RWC2023 pools, with the top four ranked sides finding themselves on the same side of the draw potentially denying fans the chance to see the best sides contest the final. Drawing the RWC pools more than two years ahead of the tournament is the primary culprit, with global rankings shifting dramatically in the interim.
RugbyPass reports that World Rugby is live to the issue and plans on ensuring more balanced pools are drawn for the next RWC to be hosted in Australia in 2027. Pushing the draw later will likely be a factor, though Bill Beaumont was at pains to point out match fixtures need to be determined early enough for host cities to adequately prepare.
While objectively we can all agree a more equitable draw is good for the tournament and the game as a whole, Aussie fans may begin to worry that this year’s seemingly golden run for the Wallabies may be the last such easy ride we are afforded.
Hump Day hypothesis
Behind the scenes here at G&GR the newsroom functions like a well-greased innovation incubator, with new ideas constantly tossed back and forth, your correspondents spurring one another on to new and previously unattained heights in order to seed your weekly news with only the best and most well-crafted intellectual delicacies.
This week, however, things have descended into a modicum of chaos, as the reality check of two TRC rounds combined with key squad injuries and an impending Bledisloe bloodbath really starts to bite down on even your most optimistic gold-tinted-glasses-wearing keyboard warrior.
Selection of the 23 to take on the Nearlies is chief among the sujets du jour that are really getting the blood pumping, with Eddie’s assembled Bledisloe squad containing the seemingly perfect mixture of deserved and perplexing omissions, prodigal sons and last-chance salooners, and whatever the hell a utility is supposed to be. Forming a functional side to try and win back a trophy not held for twenty years would seem a mighty task, though I suppose a man has to earn $750K p.a. somehow.
But this got me thinking: maybe there’s another plan? Maybe the supercoach is playing 3D-chess with us, seeking multiple alternative objectives other than returning the Bledisloe to its rightful place? What if ‘functional’ is not the name of the game?
So G&GRs, your task today is to select for me your ultimate XV – wrong positions only. The only rules are you must select from the current Wallabies squad, with no player in his preferred position. I’ll name my full side in the comments below so as not to prejudice you, but to start with I’ll pick:
- Quade Cooper at #2 – I’ve seen enough Tiktok reels to suggest his gridiron pass can double as a half decent lineout throw, so he slots in up front.
- Nic White at #5 – Gives away some advantage in height, but logically can be thrown much higher by the lifters, so should compete well at the set piece.
- Taniela Tupou at #9 – His silky service to set up the winning try of the Reds’ 2021 Super Rugby AU title lands him the reins at the ruck.
- Ben Donaldson at #13 – Supposedly our super utility covering all manner of backline sins, so of course can be expected to boss this simple, straightforward, not at all complex position he’s never played.
