Wallabies 2023

[LeCheese]

5 Rebels players promptly joined by 25 Force, Reds & Waratahs the following week?

Quade, Kerevi & Foley are available too.

Have a bit of faith

 

[Rugbyman2023]

Out of Exeter's 20 premiership games he started 10 games, came off the bench in 3 and missed 7 games.

And Angus bell had a full 20 min of super rugby this year

it’s just opinion in the end Jones will get what he needs to try and win the World Cup, is he only needs 3 or 4 players or needs 6 or 7

I would be happy with a gibbon but understanding it was gibbon, Robertson or schoupp they would be 3rd choice only

jones has mentioned he was to use the Pacific Islanders and adapt with their side and power game which could bring sio into equation

with
LH - slipper / bell and sio
TH / Allalatoa / Tupou and faamaausili
We would have a power front row

the part that concerns me is still no stand out hookers

lonergan playing well but size not on his side

 

[John S]

‘Almost a volunteer’: Eddie reveals love, not money, drove Wallabies return

Back in London as Barbarians coach, Eddie Jones revealed his salary sacrifice to return to the Wallabies job and likened Quade Cooper to Dan Carter.

www.smh.com.au

“Post-England I always knew there were possibilities. There was a country that was going to pay me as much as I’m getting — look, I’m almost a volunteer in Australia — that was going to pay me as much not to coach. So, there was always going to be a job there,” Jones said.

Interesting comment from EJ (Eddie Jones) here - at least he's still got a bit of passion for the job!

 

[qwerty51]

Also read the RFU are still paying him which I found surprising, I assumed the reason he had no non-compete clause was that he forfeited the rest owed to him. What a fuck up by the RFU to still pay him and let coach a rival. Imagine if we knock England out of the RWC - you've paid him to do it!

 

[LeCheese]

Also read the RFU are still paying him which I found surprising, I assumed the reason he had no non-compete clause was that he forfeited the rest owed to him. What a fuck up by the RFU to still pay him and coach a rival. Imagine if we knock England out of the RWC - you've paid him to do it!

In the above quote, the use of "was" several times would imply that he did forfeit payment to remove the non-compete, no?

 

[qwerty51]

Without a “no-compete” clause in his contract, Jones was free to jump immediately to another country. So while the RFU is still paying off the final year of his deal, he is plotting to beat England at the World Cup. Jones insists it is not about revenge. He is just desperate to finally win the tournament as a head coach – the most glaring absence from his CV.

 

[LeCheese]

Also nice to hear from the horse's mouth that Sua'ali'i was, for all intents and purposes, a marketing exercise with added benefit of nabbing a player with potential.

“When the opportunity came I jumped at it because rugby is in a fairly dark place and needs a bit of energy, needs a bit of direction and I can only do my bit coaching the national team but obviously I can do a job selling the game there, which I have taken on, so I am enjoying it,” Jones said.

“We definitely bought a rugby league player to get back in the shop window, that is 100 per cent true and now people are talking about rugby again. Then the other bits are just a bit of fun.”

 

[Dctarget]

Will Skelton was again a pivotal figure in the game at the Aviva Stadium last Saturday.

• 
  
• He finished second in ball carries (13), behind only number 8 Gregory Alldritt in the number of ball carries on both sides, and topped the offloading charts with three
• He had eight touches at first receiver, with only outside-half Antoine Hastoy enjoying more (18)
• He was first in defensive ruck attendances (8)
• He won the most lineouts in the game (5), joint-first with Paul Boudehent and Jack Conan
• He went through the whole 80 minutes penalty-free.

in Top 14 play this season, one in every five of Skelton’s carries results in a tackle bust – the same as Greg Alldritt – and the ratio of successful offloads is double: one in seven carries compared to Alldritt’s one in 15.

Good analysis of Skelton's game by Nick Bishop.

Why the Wallabies cannot do without Will Skelton at the World Cup

Will Skelton has sent Eddie Jones a timely reminder of what Australian rugby is missing.

www.rugbypass.com

 

[Braveheart81]

Eddie's comments make it pretty clear that you can just about write Will Skelton's name in the RWC squad list with pen.

 

[Mr Pilfer]

Skelton will be one of the first picked
I think if you have Frost in second row and Holloway at 6 with him it is quite well balanced

 

[The_Brown_Hornet]

Eddie's comments make it pretty clear that you can just about write Will Skelton's name in the RWC squad list with pen.

Yep and Cooper and Kerevi will likely be his 10/12 combo. Skelton's form clearly warrants squad selection at the very least.

 

[The_Brown_Hornet]

Skelton will be one of the first picked
I think if you have Frost in second row and Holloway at 6 with him it is quite well balanced

Picking Skelton for mine means you almost have to also pick Holloway.

 

[cyclopath]

Picking Skelton for mine means you almost have to also pick Holloway.

I think that is close to guaranteed, given the almost certainty of the 1st premise, and the likelihood of the second.

 

[Dctarget]

Wright re-signs for another 2 years.

thought this was already announced but either way good news. Man’s clearly got talent and with a bit of refinement could be something special.

 

[Dctarget]

Also just realised that Salakai-Loto will be eligible for the RWC without whatever giteau law we have. I assume he’s back onshore already.

 

[Members Section]

Also just realised that Salakai-Loto will be eligible for the RWC without whatever giteau law we have. I assume he’s back onshore already.

*when he signs

 

[Marce]

Skelton will be one of the first picked
I think if you have Frost in second row and Holloway at 6 with him it is quite well balanced

And you could use Skelton as first jumper option in a hypothetical RWC Final, just as O'Gara did. To surprise your rival

 

[The Ghost of Raelene]

Wright re-signs for another 2 years.

thought this was already announced but either way good news. Man’s clearly got talent and with a bit of refinement could be something special.

Great signing. I've always been pretty critical of his Amber Heard moments but he's improving quite a bit. The natural talent is clear to see. He's a bit suss in defence but if we're relying on the Fullback that much to notice then we have bigger problems.

Also just realised that Salakai-Loto will be eligible for the RWC without whatever giteau law we have. I assume he’s back onshore already.

Could be an option. Wouldn't mind seeing him in the A games but I think he falls just outside of the squad currently if we have all 2nd Row options and the way Holloway is playing.

 

[Namerican]

Great signing. I've always been pretty critical of his Amber Heard moments but he's improving quite a bit. The natural talent is clear to see. He's a bit suss in defence but if we're relying on the Fullback that much to notice then we have bigger problems.

Could be an option. Wouldn't mind seeing him in the A games but I think he falls just outside of the squad currently if we have all 2nd Row options and the way Holloway is playing.

It sounds like he has played well in Europe and is a like for like substitute for Holloway as both can play 6 and jump well, but also fill in at 2nd row. You'd also think Eddie might have told him to get back sooner than later as he likes him, but that's pure speculation. More competition and depth can only help either way.

 

[scrans21]

The more I think about the more I think it's likely we'll see LSL (Lukhan Salakaia-Loto) at the world cup. He's purpose built to fill the 19 role on the bench considering he can cover 6 as well at a pinch. He made the Prem team of the year in his first season up north, he's got plenty of experience in the Wallabies system, and if we are planning on starting Skelton (which we 100% should be) alongside Frost, then he'd be the perfect guy to replace one of them 50 minutes into a test match. Even better now that we don't have to use a Giteau law spot on him. There are plenty of great locks playing in super rugby right now, but apart from Frost I don't think many of them have really been standing out from the pack. Holloway will be at 6, Philip and Rodda have only just come back, Swain and Neville are good but not world beaters.