Australia A - Back on the Cards

[Rugbyman2023]

Sitting here watching the cricket thought I might throw up a team. Minus the Wobs & 20's squad

1 Gibbon
2 Faessler (assuming DP, LL,FF (Folau Fainga'a) (Folau Fainga'a) in the wobs squad)
3 HJH (Harry Johnson-Holmes) (Harry Johnson-Holmes)
4 Canham
5 Rodda
6 Hanigan
7 Wilkin
8 Wilson/Gleenson (who ever is really stiff to miss wobs)
9 Gordan/Lonergan (cant see 4 hb's in the wobs squad)
10 Noah/Donaldson (assuming Cater is in the wobs squad & one of these blokes wont)
11 Suli
12 Hamish Stewart
13 Flook
14 Lachie Anderson
15 Campbell

16 Uelese
17 Shoupp
18 Talakai or RVnoNEK
19 Uru
20 Gamble
21 Tuttle
22 Perese
23 Pietch

Great idea
I are aus a more important then ever this year, last head Gleeson and marky n came from no where to make the wallabies Europe tour
This year it will
Help eddy decide his fines RWC squad
Allow us to see who can stand up
Allow players in the rugby champs squad not in the 23 get game time and compete for final RWC spots
Allow good game time againt good opposition for players coming back from injury like Tupou, bell, rodda, Phillip and leota

my wallabies 23
Slipper
Porecki
Allalatoa
Skelton
Frost
Holloway
Hooper
Valetini
White
Cooper
Korobeti
Kerevi
Ikitau
Kellaway
Wright

bell
Lonergan
Tupou
Neville
Samu
McDermott
Gorden
Petaia

next 10 to be sent back to aus a
Sio, Fainga'a, faamausili, Phillip, Mcreight, Wilson, Lonergan, Foley, hodge, marky n

so aus a if including wallabies not in 23

1. Sio / gibbon / robertson (now injured) / schoupp
2. Mafi / uelese / pollard
3. Faaumasili / HJH (Harry Johnson-Holmes)/ talaka
4. Phillip / rodda / Arnold
5. Swain / hooper / Hanigan
6. Leota / Wright / kemeny / swinton
7. Mcreight / wilken / gamble
8. Wilson / Gleeson / Uru
9. Lonergan / Gorden / IFL / Tuttle
10. Foley / loloseio / o Conner
11. Suli / Toole / pietch
12. Foketi / paisami / Henry
13. Flook / Perese / daugunu
14. Marky n / Jorgensen / Anderson
15. Hodge / Campbell / muirhead

thats 23 wallabies and strong 45 aus a, even if you take out 10 wallabies players from aus a still 35 man squad

there is some serious depth, with potential form, injuries to swing some squad selections

only Robertson who wa possible for squad ruled out so far, not def for squad but possible the the 3rd LHP only

 

[The Ghost of Raelene]

Absolutely. Look at Hodge last year. Was cast aside then played Aus A and became one of the key guys on the tour when everyone was dropping.

should be every year and pushed hard with NZ Maori, Pacific nations and any others like Japan/Japan A.

 

[Rugbyman2023]

Absolutely. Look at Hodge last year. Was cast aside then played Aus A and became one of the key guys on the tour when everyone was dropping.

should be every year and pushed hard with NZ Maori, Pacific nations and any others like Japan/Japan A.

Totally agree
Need to be every year with nz Māori or so 15, Pac islands and Japan, should all join Pac nations cup
And we still need some sort of 2nd tier like nrc again

 

[upthereds#!]

They won't send the wallaby WC squad back to 'Aus A'.

Aus A for the WC is mainly to ensure there are fit, ready and able replacements bodies on hand available at a moments notice in case injury strikes. They will be training in the Wallaby systems as Eddie will dictate, in Europe. It will be the next best players outside the 33.

 

[WorkingClassRugger]

Totally agree
Need to be every year with nz Māori or so 15, Pac islands and Japan, should all join Pac nations cup
And we still need some sort of 2nd tier like nrc again

We could always look to expand on our Pacific involvement and sort of meeting that requirement by creating a Pacific Rugby Championship featuring our 5 franchises and the three PI squads.

 

[Members Section]

They won't send the wallaby WC squad back to 'Aus A'.

Aus A for the WC is mainly to ensure there are fit, ready and able replacements bodies on hand available at a moments notice in case injury strikes. They will be training in the Wallaby systems as Eddie will dictate, in Europe. It will be the next best players outside the 33.

That was the basis of 'my team' none of the 36 wobs or u/20's.

I'd love to see an aus a july tour of sth america or spring tour of Europe one day

 

[Stockade1988]

Pietch over Anderson fair enough, yeah just got a sneaky feeling Toole will get a gig. The old man used to always say there is no substitute for raw pace in any form of footy

Anderson over Pietsch doesn’t make as many mistakes

 

[liquor box]

Absolutely. Look at Hodge last year. Was cast aside then played Aus A and became one of the key guys on the tour when everyone was dropping.

should be every year and pushed hard with NZ Maori, Pacific nations and any others like Japan/Japan A.

I would avoid NZ Maori, we want Australia A to improve our chances of beating teams that are better than the Wallabies, why help a feeder to the All Blacks?

 

[Rugbyman2023]

They won't send the wallaby WC squad back to 'Aus A'.

Aus A for the WC is mainly to ensure there are fit, ready and able replacements bodies on hand available at a moments notice in case injury strikes. They will be training in the Wallaby systems as Eddie will dictate, in Europe. It will be the next best players outside the 33.

Oh right I thought they were playing in the next in the next couple of months like they did last year while wallabies still in aus playing rugby champs and aus a play v Pac nations teams around same time
But sounds like it’s not until Sep when RWC is on

would make sense then but also now to get game time for aus a players and help Eddie select his team. As Eddie likes players actually playing rugby and not just training and being part of a squad

 

[Highlander35]

Is this a real game or not? The attached link is dead lmao

EDIT: OK game appears real but not finalised: https://www.smh.com.au/sport/rugby-...-world-cup-giant-killers-20230614-p5dggn.html

The Tonga squad will gather for a camp at the end of the month ahead of a six-game warm-up, including the Pacific Nations Cup, two Tests against Canada and a clash with Australia A in Tonga.

The game will double as a 50-year anniversary of Tonga’s famous victory over the Wallabies in 1973, Kefu said.

Rugby Australia says details are still be finalised, but it is expected to be on July 14, a day before the Wallabies’ clash with Argentina in Sydney. Some Wallabies squad members are expected to fly over and join the Australia A squad.

It may cover some of that "everybody is getting a call up" stuff going on in this weeks training camp lmao

 

[upthereds#!]

That was the basis of 'my team' none of the 36 wobs or u/20's.

I'd love to see an aus a july tour of sth america or spring tour of Europe one day

It would be good if the pacific nations cup (with aus A and maori Abs, tonga, samoa, fiji) played at the same time as the Rugby Championship.

Then as Rugbyman said you could release some of your RC Wallaby squad for Australia A duty week to week. Maybe not ALL those who don't make the 23 as you always need to take a few extras with you to game day in case someone gets sicked or injured at the final hurdle, but yeh definiately a handful.

That way you know (as like the upcoming Aus A game as back up to the WC squad) all players are being trained and developed along the same lines for the same outcome.

 

[upthereds#!]

Oh right I thought they were playing in the next in the next couple of months like they did last year while wallabies still in aus playing rugby champs and aus a play v Pac nations teams around same time
But sounds like it’s not until Sep when RWC is on

would make sense then but also now to get game time for aus a players and help Eddie select his team. As Eddie likes players actually playing rugby and not just training and being part of a squad

Yep I just wrote a reply - I'm with you about the Pacific Nations cup coinciding with Rugby Champs - acting as division 2 almost!

 

[Stockade1988]

If Wrights at WC it will be absolute joke deciding which players go wallabies won’t have a chance go the All Blacks

 

[Adam84]

If Wrights at WC it will be absolute joke deciding which players go wallabies won’t have a chance go the All Blacks

That’s a bit silly.

He isn’t in the best starting team on consistency, but to say it would be a ‘joke’ if he were in the wider RWC squad is a bit of a stretch.

 

[The Ghost of Raelene]

Yeah look he’s going to be there. He’s had plenty of very good moments for the Wallabies.

I will say he may have hurt his chances of being the Fullback though.

 

[Members Section]

It would be good if the pacific nations cup (with aus A and maori Abs, tonga, samoa, fiji) played at the same time as the Rugby Championship.

Then as Rugbyman said you could release some of your RC Wallaby squad for Australia A duty week to week. Maybe not ALL those who don't make the 23 as you always need to take a few extras with you to game day in case someone gets sicked or injured at the final hurdle, but yeh definiately a handful.

That way you know (as like the upcoming Aus A game as back up to the WC squad) all players are being trained and developed along the same lines for the same outcome.

i personally believe Fiji should be in an expanded RC.

the pacific nations cup has to be in the July test window because of the amount of players who play in the north. The clubs won’t release them

 

[Mr Pilfer]

my wallabies 23
Slipper
Porecki
Allalatoa
Skelton
Frost
Holloway
Hooper
Valetini
White
Cooper
Korobeti
Kerevi
Ikitau
Kellaway
Wright

bell
Lonergan
Tupou
Neville
Samu
McDermott
Gorden
Petaia

This has been my exact 23 as well but I have doubts now over Hooper and Wright. I think I would start McReight and leave Hooper out and then move Kellaway to fullback and play Marky M (Nawaqanitawase). Hodge at 23 instead of Petaia

 

[RebelYell]

This has been my exact 23 as well but I have doubts now over Hooper and Wright. I think I would start McReight and leave Hooper out and then move Kellaway to fullback and play Marky M (Nawaqanitawase) (Nawaqanitawase). Hodge at 23 instead of Petaia

Hard to argue too much as well. I would have Faessler over Lonergan, not sure on backup scrumhalf. I would make the same move at fullback as you but have Petaia on the wing (not Marky Mark (Nawaqanitawase)) and then Wright and Hodge on the bench.

 

[Rugby King]

No

It does now.
Part of the RA plan to secure talent.

 

[KevinO]

i personally believe Fiji should be in an expanded RC.

the pacific nations cup has to be in the July test window because of the amount of players who play in the north. The clubs won’t release them

July is off season in the North, so no issue with releasing players.