Aussie Player Exodus
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wamberal99
Alex Ross (28)
Tupou in his current form? He can go.
PhilClinton
Paul McLean (56)
Losing Wallaby level props isn’t great but yes Tupou is overpaid and shedding that money isn’t a bad thing.
rugboy
Jim Clark (26)
I wonder if Wright's last RWC experience means he'd rather take the certainty of getting paid.
Wilson
John Eales (66)
Yeah, it seems pretty clear the chaos under Eddie is and has factored into a lot of players decision making. At the very least it's really brought home the fact that it's a short career and you're subject to the whims of coaches with an ever present risk of injury, so why not take the simple, guaranteed payday.
Ignoto
Peter Sullivan (51)
This is such silly rheotric. We saw this play out in 2023. Tupou was half cooked and then we lost Alan in the lead up.
This then stretched our TE stocks significantly and as much as people like to shit on Taniela, we don't have a factory just spitting out international ready props.
It's one thing to not pick Taniela in the 23, it's a completely different thing to not have him available immediately for selection if needed.
wamberal99
Alex Ross (28)
Tupou is two years older, and is playing like a 40 year old. It's not "silly", nor is it rhetoric. It is a sad fact.
Exactly. We actually need Tupou to get us to the next World Cup while the other props come through IMO. Just can’t afford him to pay him like we once did.
PhilClinton
Paul McLean (56)
Taniela as a prop to have in our squad is great.
Taniela as a prop being paid $1M+ isn’t great.
Unfortunately those two things can’t really coexist anymore because of the price tag RA put on him and we no longer can afford that. But clearly other organisations can.
Taniela as a prop being paid $1M+ isn’t great.
Unfortunately those two things can’t really coexist anymore because of the price tag RA put on him and we no longer can afford that. But clearly other organisations can.
Strewthcobber
David Codey (61)
Just pick him for the Wallabies from overseas?
PhilClinton
Paul McLean (56)
With the amount of players reported to be leaving, having him as one of our three overseas picks isn’t a given.
You’d think Ikitau and Wright would be auto selections based on current form which only leaves one more slot.
HogansHeros
Alex Ross (28)
I dont think Wright is an auto pick. We have plenty of talent in the back 3, sure a bit of step down from Wright, but our THP stocks are thin.
He’s a given if we don’t want our scrum to get smashed. Ikitau and Wright round out the others. We have the depth to cope with the other positions.
PhilClinton
Paul McLean (56)
I mean the reality is we won’t know which positions are most needed until all the players make their decisions and we assess injuries etc.
The only real definitive statement is this situation is going to cause some potential issues.
The only real definitive statement is this situation is going to cause some potential issues.
I can tell you what positions we don’t need depth in right now. Hooker, back row, 2nd row, halfback and wing.
Wilson
John Eales (66)
There could be some pretty significant changes coming to the Japanese player market:
www.smh.com.au
Article talks about a requirement of 8 players of "Japanese blood"in match day squads on the field at anytime - that's not just qualified or capped, but ethnically Japanese, with a 30+ cap exception for naturalised foreigners.
Not sure how I feel about it, would be very good for Australia, particularly in holding on to younger talent and super rugby level players (the stars will still be sort after, maybe even more so), but it's seems really punitive to those players who've already made the jump. Not to mention the discomfort I have introducing race/ethnicity into the mix, rather than just nationality.
I'm not so sure this will be a huge help to Japanese rugby either, you'd assume it will mean more local players are produced eventually, but the shock of the changeover may see the national team fall right back in the rankings at a time they should be trying to assert themselves. It could also really hurt the prospect of a crossover comp with super if there is a significant decline in the quality of league one sides as a result.
The ‘Japanese blood’ plan that could drastically change rugby’s player market
For years, cashed-up clubs in Japan have raided Australia, New Zealand and the Pacific Islands for stars. But the numbers of players being poached may soon dry up.
Article talks about a requirement of 8 players of "Japanese blood"
Not sure how I feel about it, would be very good for Australia, particularly in holding on to younger talent and super rugby level players (the stars will still be sort after, maybe even more so), but it's seems really punitive to those players who've already made the jump. Not to mention the discomfort I have introducing race/ethnicity into the mix, rather than just nationality.
I'm not so sure this will be a huge help to Japanese rugby either, you'd assume it will mean more local players are produced eventually, but the shock of the changeover may see the national team fall right back in the rankings at a time they should be trying to assert themselves. It could also really hurt the prospect of a crossover comp with super if there is a significant decline in the quality of league one sides as a result.
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Dismal Pillock
Michael Lynagh (62)
Current problem is it all looks a bit daft to the local viewers, esp in 99% racially homogenous Japan and their "national pride" in their own team.
As it stands, actual Japanese players are bit part players in their own national team.
rugboy
Jim Clark (26)
Sounds like the perfect ready-made excuse for a consistently underperforming National Head Coach
Derpus
Phil Waugh (73)
I'd say their best ever side, under Jamie Joseph, actually had a pretty strong majority Japanese presence.
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Wilson
John Eales (66)
I get that angle and the need to boost local talent to get buy in, but you can't just invent it out of thin air, you have to invest in the pathways and bring them up through the system.
I'm not sure this will particularly help things there either - because of the on field requirements I think when picking foreigners teams will invest deep in certain positions - e.g. all their locks and 10s will be foreigners so they don't have to worry about what happens when they make subs.
I guess they alternate perspective is the South African quotas for black players ended up being hugely successful and transformative for the boks (after an initial period of downturn), but I don't think it's the same situation here - is the system really setup to discriminate against ethnic Japanese in Japan? And even if it is can the Japanese union afford to take the hit that south Africa took when they re-aligned or do they need to be a bit more considered about it?