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Its certainly the best backrow in Oz by a country mile, even without Pocock. Probably only a couple of NZ backrows that would be as good. If Valetini plays to his reputation he'll solve our Fardy problem and be in a huge fight with Dempsey for the 6 jumper. Right now spare a thought for the...

My bad. I thought they were all related. Remove foot, start again.

And from another thread, he's in Tonga with his brother for the anniversary of his father's passing and to help after the cyclone.

I'm trying to write the preview for the blog today because I have to go out this evening and somehow write it with no announced team and absolutely no idea who Gibson will select in the pack or in the outside backs. Marketing wankers!

Clearly secret squirrel stuff. It is beyond understanding why a good PR team couldn't have announced that there were injury problems with the signing, which has been deferred to some point in the future.

Swap Brumbies and Waratahs, Highlanders and Blues and I think you've nailed it!

With the Sunwolves in the conference there is little chance of the spoon.

A lot of this comment would better reside in the match thread! This thread is for discussion of long term/whole-of-team/season issues.

Much of this discussion (including my own contribution) would probably go much better in the match thread.

Leaked team in the SMH is a long way from yours and not in a good way IMO.

That team does not look to have a lot of weaknesses. If Debs goes tits-up then Maddocks goes to 10, Meakes to 13 and English to 14. Not sure that the front row will cope with the Reds scrum, but unless the team gets the dropsies and it becomes a scrum-fest it should be manageable. I'm tipping...

I'll wait till the actual side is announced, but if this is the team then its proof positive that Gibson does not understand the role that power plays in the modern game.

Watched both SA conference games back to back and the Stormers/Jaguares lacked a great deal of fizz compared to the Lions/Sharks. The Lions/Sharks intensity was off the scale compared to the Stormers, who should have put the pedestrian Jaguares to the sword and snavelled themselves a bonus...

The Waratahs start their campaign at Allianz next Saturday night against the Stormers, who are already on four points after their win last night against the Jaguares. Have at it:

Enforcers? We don't have any except maybe Meafua. Some say Staniforth is an enforcer but I haven't seen it yet.

This is baffling. JD is not in the main squad but is the likely starting 10 next week. The 10 is the most important player in the team after no. 3 and no. 18 but he's not in the main squad???

Just too inject a bit of hope (or maybe delusion) into the discussion, I reckon the Highlanders are not looking that swish yet. Its early days, but I reckon the Blues will win at least one of these derbies and maybe both. That gives them a real good chance of ending up 4th in the NZ conference...

Needs another smiley after the second line otherwise people will think you're trolling.

From a Rebels viewpoint, I reckon he would look pretty bloody awesome in any shirt except a dark blue one with stars on it.

I thought both Verity-Am and Erasmus looked really good in the 10's, I'm surprised they didn't get bench spots. Verity-Am played much better than Newsome did for the Tahs.