Today the Waratahs named 23-year-old Bryce Hegarty as the last player in their core playing squad of 30.
Head Coach Daryl Gibson recruited him for one year for a few reasons, and one was to allow Bernard Foley to ease back into rugby in Australia after the Rugby World Cup and a stint in Japan.
As Foley is still there, involved in a relegation battle, Gibson said he “wanted the luxury of not having to play him ”
Another reason was to allow Kurtley Beale to play fullback instead of subbing for Foley early in the season and this would allow Israel Folau to to play at outside centre, when he was back to full fitness.
Still another, according to Gibson, was to allow David Horwitz, to concentrate on his preferred position of inside centre, and not be side-tracked should there be a need for him to play flyhalf
And should injuries occur Hegarty could always play fullback and release the versatile Beale to cover elsewhere.
Gibson said that Hegarty had excellent skills and experience, with two years of Super Rugby as a fly-half under his belt and was a solid all-rounder, capable of playing at 10 or full-back.
He is a great addition to the squad and I think our system will suit his style of play.
Beale was close to his old Melbourne Rebels’ team mate Hegarty throughout the morning explaining the nuances of the Waratahs’ training system to him.
Hegarty said later that the mechanics of training were basically the same as at the Rebels but after his one training session he thought there was more emphasis on attacking flair at the Tahs and playing what was in front of you.
He preferred playing flyhalf but fullback would do if he got a chance there.
After starts for the Rebels as a 20-year-old in 2013, Hegarty ”ran-on” in most games for them in 2014, at flyhalf. But a delayed pre-season, the arrival of young gun Jack Debreczini, and also that of versatile Mike Harris— himself a flyhalf and fullback— meant that he started in only three matches in 2015, and two of those as a winger.
Anticipating the possibility of Jonno Lance and Ben Volavola moving on, the Waratahs put feelers out to Hegarty’s management last year. He committed a couple of months ago and now he is in Sydney.
Gibson added that it was time to give Folau a shot at outside centre:
Gibson confided that Rob Horne and Will Skelton should be fit for the second and third trials, in New Zealand. and that Folau should be ready for the third trial against the Highlanders.
As for Foley: Gibson will assess him “when he rocks up here”.
More action at Moore Park
As the Waratahs trained this morning there was this buzzing sound like the mosquitoes from hell.
It was hell alright— they were chain-sawing down trees on Anzac Parade.
What a pity, I thought, those beautiful old trees must be diseased.
“Not so”, said an informant, ” they’re making way for a light-rail system.”
Wow, those Moreton Bay Figs, some over 100 years old, were being chopped down for light rail ? Shame.
And when the Tahs Under 20s were training late in the afternoon these tree-huggers came with a sign but they left my line of sight.
Good luck to them.
We shouldn’t be political? So lets talk about the swans – no, not AFL, but the birds.
The male and female have finished their nest in the middle of Kippax Lake and although the female wouldn’t move it is reported that she has laid her eggs.
The male was, well, just swanning around the lake.
That’s better news than the chainsaw massacre.
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