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Union benches used to be 7 until they brought in HIAs and concussion protocols, that's when the 8th player was added alongside the requirement to have a full replacement front row

Unless they're getting a similar offer from NSW for those world cup games

I haven't heard anything but I assume so, the city is very much home for him, even before his stint with the Reds. I know all the talk at the time was some sort of role in pathways or under 20s, hopefully we see something like that soon. It was where he did his best work and I think he's just...

I'm trying not to get too excited to soon, but the more I hear from and about Les Kiss and the coaching team the better I feel going into this season: There's absolutely going to be an adjustment period and we can't expect it'll all be smooth sailing from the start of the season, but it does...

Not sure where everyone is getting this idea that it's all a scheme by RA to bring the rebels into the fold, all the reporting has been that the rebels were keen to follow the tahs but RA are the ones not keen on it. If RA wanted control of the rebels that badly they would've taken it weeks ago.

Fair enough. Last I heard was Jorgo should be good for round 1 and might trial but they won't rush him, though now that I think about it that could've been about Harrison. Makes sense to be looking for 15 coverage outside the starters with Donaldson gone. If Walton takes to it he makes for a...

Are you sure that's even Walton? Looks as much like Jorgensen as it does Walton to me.

It's bang on standard - each of the Australian super sides have 4 coaches (Head coach and 3 assistants). The breakdown of those is a bit variable depending on the skillsets of the team. Some of them list strength and conditioning or academy/pathways alongside that but I don't think that means...

Tasmania gets left out again :(

Yeah, if we want crossover between current super coaches and the national setup than the short shifts coaching Australia A are were it should happen. Otherwise focus on a single role. The absolute most I'd accept is one of the assistants coming from a super side joining the wallabies at the...

Haven't heard anything but De Lutiis is a Southport boy so bond wouldn't be surprising. That said, from a development perspective I wouldn't mind if he ended up at Easts packing down with Max Craig at hooker week in week out. Edit: now I feel like I might have already known he was headed to...

Sorovi has two caps for Fiji, but more to the point he never left Wests - he was the starting halfback in the final last year. Would be a bit disingenuous to tease a players 'return' from the summer break. My guess was Teti Tela, but I figure we'll find out in due course who it is.

Seperate to the one he just had surgery on? https://www.newcastleherald.com.au/story/8491842/white-on-track-to-start-super-rugby-with-force-despite-surgery/ It'd be an absolute cluster fuck if he had a serious shoulder injury only a few days after surgery for a minor one.

Yeah, if you're talking year on year improvements then, Tupou, Hoopert and Jones didn't play in 2023 so they were already "losses" (or never there in the case of Jones). Add to that a guy like Nasser coming back in after missing the all of 2023 and the front row is light years ahead of where it...

Haven't heard anything specific yet but they always have been in the past, so your chances are pretty good.

Squad is significantly stronger than last year when you consider the talent that was stuck on the sidelines and the age profile of the squad, so there's reason to hope for more.

McDermott and Wright continue on as co-captains: Pretty happy with that

I'd be very surprised if we adopted the Irish system wholesale. The demographics and politics are very different here to Ireland and it doesn't make sense for us to invest heavily in one province, all the way down to a few schools feeding it in the way they have. The knowledge guys like...

I agree that Grant didn't look like much when he was in Australia, but he was young and in that awkward squad fringe where you're not good enough to get game time in super but missing out on club game time to be part of a super squad - he played maybe 10 games of Super/NRC/GRR in 4 years with...

I don't think anyone is calling for RA to "break the bank" to get him home, but I thought it was worth celebrating his return to form given there were reports out of the UK a couple of weeks ago that Harlequins won't be re-signing him and he's looking to come back to Australia to push for the...