Wallabies 2024

[molman]

People were up in arms about the lack of experience that was picked last year and now we aren’t happy that a 95 test veteran is picked?

Not to mention that the armchair pundits feel that they have more capacity to make an informed decision than a coach/coaching team who has been on the ground at many games, seen all the things we don't see on TV, spoken to their Super Rugby coaches and in the case of Schmidt is now involved in the process of selecting his third international squad having been in the Ireland and All Blacks setups. I don't know, I just suspect they might know what they're doing and why.

 

[KOB1987]

On the old hobby horse again KOB. For your edification, there are 10 Brumbies in the squad and I expect all 10 will be in the 23 for the first test.

My expected team for June 6 is:

Slipper, Faessler, AAA, Frost, LSL (Lukhan Salakaia-Loto) (Lukhan Salakaia-Loto), Valetini, McReight, Cale, White, Lolesio, Kellaway, Paisami, Ikitau, Daugunu, Wright.

Bench : Pollard, Hodgeman, Tupou, Smith, Hooper, McDermott, Donaldson, Flook

Interesting, not a single Tah and that's too many, but would you believe 23 Wallabies.

Of course you do. There are actually only 9, but yes they will probably all be there, except maybe Charlie Cale.

 

[TSR]

Whilst I think Flook is a better rugby player, Dylan Pietsch would add more on the wing than Flook. He’s a 13 and Ikitau should have pressure on him for that spot.

We really need to find two world class players at 9 and 10.

I think Flook is a pretty decent option for wing out of the players available. He has played plenty of wing for Qld and does a good job there. He has the speed, defensively is sound, has a kicking game and reads the game well/turns up at the right time to create opportunities. He has an innate ability to find the try line.

I’m not really expecting him to be named there, but I think he would do a very good job and has plenty of experience playing wing to fall back on.

 

[Brumby Runner]

I thought it would be an interesting exercise to 'select' a team based on number of caps. Probably not by coincidence, there are 2 neat XVs and an 8 man bench. A 'probable' 23 and a development XV if you like.
Before someone has a meltdown about 'player x should be there ahead of player y', first tie break was number of caps (which is how Beale ends up at fullback), and second tie break is recency, which is how Gleeson ends up on the bench over Wright.
I DON"T EXPECT THIS TO BE THE EXACT TEAM, IT WAS JUST AN EXERCISE! That said, it will be pretty close. Realistically we won't have all of those 3 up the back, but put Daugunu on the wing and drop Beale back to the bench it's very much possibly the starting point 23 that Schmidt is going to work from.
Potentially up to 714 caps in the match day 23.
Contrary to BR's post above, the props on both sides of the scrum are amongst our most experienced position, hooker is our least experienced position, but I wouldn't call Faessler or Pollard 'weak'.

Most Capped

1 J Slipper 135
2 M Faessler 5
3 A Ala'alatoa 66
4 N Frost 15
5 L Salakai-Loto 30
6 R Valetini 39
7 F McReight 17
8 H Wilson 12
9 N White 66
10 N Lolesio 20
11 T Wright 23
12 H Paisami 24
13 L Ikitau 29
14 A Kellaway 26
15 K Beale 95

Bench

16 B Pollard 1
17 A Hodgman 4
18 T Tupou 51
19 T Hooper 8
20 L Gleeson 5
21 T McDermott 29
22 B Donaldson 7
23 F Daugunu 7

Least Capped

1 I Kailea 0
2 J Nasser 0
3 Z Nonggorr 4
4 A Blyth 0
5 R Smith 0
6 J Williams 0
7 L Wright 5
8 C Cale 0
9 J Gordon 20
10 T Lynagh 0
11 D Lancaster 0
12 D Feliuai 0
13 H Stewart 0
14 D Pietsch 0
15 J Flook 0

Hopefully KOB we don't end up with that second XV backline playing a test. Aside from Gordon, not a single test among them. That is pretty extraordinary, I would think.

 

[Brumby Runner]

Of course you do. There are actually only 9, but yes they will probably all be there, except maybe Charlie Cale.

Slipper, Pollard, AAA, Frost, Hooper, Valetini, Cale, Lolesio, Ikitau and Wright. 9?

 

[TSR]

Not to mention that the armchair pundits feel that they have more capacity to make an informed decision than a coach/coaching team who has been on the ground at many games, seen all the things we don't see on TV, spoken to their Super Rugby coaches and in the case of Schmidt is now involved in the process of selecting his third international squad having been in the Ireland and All Blacks setups. I don't know, I just suspect they might know what they're doing and why.

I understand your comment - this is a rugby blog for the general public. I know Matt Burke would like opinions restricted to those with test experience but most of us wouldn’t be here if that was the requirement.

At the same time, it’s not hard to point to a bunch of decisions by test coaches that - with the benefit of hindsight - seem pretty clearly to be incorrect. They may well have had a sound rationale at the time and, no doubt, were privy to a whole bunch of info that we weren’t - but the decisions have turned out to be flawed.

Eddie Jones is renowned for his work ethic and level of detail - I’m not sure too many people would argue that all the decisions he made last year were on the money.

 

[molman]

Surely we remember the hype from the lead up to the RWC. Wallabies were going to win all tests in 23 leading into France and then take Bill in a smash and grab. And we all fell for at least part of the drivel, some fell for the lot. How did we finish? Wins against Georgia and Portugal and kicked out of France earlier than expected.

We won't have as much drivel this year, but we will have a new squad, new 23, a new coach and assistants, new game plan and just two weeks to forge a team to be competitive with Wales who beat us handsomely last year and Georgia who were no easy beats. I don't see it happening. Probably two losses to Wales, and if Schmidt and Co can actually put and keep a team together without too much chop and changing and allowing the players some time to find their feet in this new environment, maybe a win against Georgia. We need it or we'll find ourselves out of the top ten ranked sides internationally.

The team to play in the RC will be strengthened by including some overseas players, Skelton, Koroibete, BPA, and hopefully by some returning injured players, Bell especially. If the basis for a competitive team can be put together now, then there is hope for further success later in the year.

Schmidt has more experience behind him now, so I'm sure he has a broader view, but if you look back on some of the core attributes he demanded from his Ireland squads, it really was around workmate and consistency. Some of those early Irish teams I don't feel had man for man some of the best players in the world, but they got good results by working tirelessly at their roles and cohesively as a team. I can see some of his selections leaning that way, players who toil away at their craft, Smith and Blyth both strike me as examples of those players. Faessler and Frost I suspect will be the kind of players he'll love to have in his squad.

I think this is a pretty raw squad in some ways, but I'm so much more excited to see this incarnation than Eddies baby out with the bathwater approach.

 

[KOB1987]

Slipper, Pollard, AAA, Frost, Hooper, Valetini, Cale, Lolesio, Ikitau and Wright. 9?

Sorry my bad. It took me ages just then to work out where I had got it wrong, but yesterday when I was sorting them by origin I accidentally put 'REB' next to Valetini because he is from Vic.

 

[TSR]

I thought it would be an interesting exercise to 'select' a team based on number of caps. Probably not by coincidence, there are 2 neat XVs and an 8 man bench. A 'probable' 23 and a development XV if you like.
Before someone has a meltdown about 'player x should be there ahead of player y', first tie break was number of caps (which is how Beale ends up at fullback), and second tie break is recency, which is how Gleeson ends up on the bench over Wright.
I DON"T EXPECT THIS TO BE THE EXACT TEAM, IT WAS JUST AN EXERCISE! That said, it will be pretty close. Realistically we won't have all of those 3 up the back, but put Daugunu on the wing and drop Beale back to the bench it's very much possibly the starting point 23 that Schmidt is going to work from.
Potentially up to 714 caps in the match day 23.
Contrary to BR's post above, the props on both sides of the scrum are amongst our most experienced position, hooker is our least experienced position, but I wouldn't call Faessler or Pollard 'weak'.

Most Capped

1 J Slipper 135
2 M Faessler 5
3 A Ala'alatoa 66
4 N Frost 15
5 L Salakai-Loto 30
6 R Valetini 39
7 F McReight 17
8 H Wilson 12
9 N White 66
10 N Lolesio 20
11 T Wright 23
12 H Paisami 24
13 L Ikitau 29
14 A Kellaway 26
15 K Beale 95

Bench

16 B Pollard 1
17 A Hodgman 4
18 T Tupou 51
19 T Hooper 8
20 L Gleeson 5
21 T McDermott 29
22 B Donaldson 7
23 F Daugunu 7

Least Capped

1 I Kailea 0
2 J Nasser 0
3 Z Nonggorr 4
4 A Blyth 0
5 R Smith 0
6 J Williams 0
7 L Wright 5
8 C Cale 0
9 J Gordon 20
10 T Lynagh 0
11 D Lancaster 0
12 D Feliuai 0
13 H Stewart 0
14 D Pietsch 0
15 J Flook 0

Gee - that really makes it look like a changing of the gaurd when you look at that development XV.

Having said that, I’m pretty happy with the squad and a bit surprised at some of the more pessimistic comments. Yes - there is a bit of pressure on the fitness of Sipper, Ala'alatoa and Tupou but the first two in particular are proven test players who may not be in their prime but I think will turn in solid performances. Hodgman is a good back up at LHP and I think Nonggorr has really improved this year. Our 10s still lack experience/class but they are better now than they were 8 mths ago. Lolesio & Donaldson both now have some experience - good and bad - to fall back on.

This is by no means a test squad for the ages, but I’ve think we’ve had far worse.

 

[Derpus]

Man I really hope Paisami and Ikitau stay fit for most of the test season.

 

[TSR]

Man I really hope Paisami and Ikitau stay fit for most of the test season.

Paisami is a definite first choice IMO, but I wouldn’t mind seeing Stewart get a crack. Works hard and gets a lot of the detail right.

 

[KOB1987]

Man I really hope Paisami and Ikitau stay fit for most of the test season.

You are right, but we do have experienced options elsewhere in the squad with Kellaway, Daugunu and Beale all capable in the centres. I think it does highlight that Kerevi will likely get the call up for the TRC, even if it's just as a back up.

 

[rugbyAU]

Is BPA likely to come in for TRC given our hookers only have 6 tests between them

 

[eastman]

I think Flook is a pretty decent option for wing out of the players available. He has played plenty of wing for Qld and does a good job there. He has the speed, defensively is sound, has a kicking game and reads the game well/turns up at the right time to create opportunities. He has an innate ability to find the try line.

I’m not really expecting him to be named there, but I think he would do a very good job and has plenty of experience playing wing to fall back on.

I think it says more about how poor our depth at wing that we are even considering Flook, and have selected Pietsch.
Its not an exaggeration to say that neither would make any starting side of the NZ teams; we’re really missing Petaia.

 

[Derpus]

I think it says more about how poor our depth at wing that we are even considering Flook, and have selected Pietsch.
Its not an exaggeration to say that neither would make any starting side of the NZ teams; we’re really missing Petaia.

Flook would, IMO. There are some pretty bodgy wingers in the NZ Super sides IMO.

 

[eastman]

The squad is pretty weak in across the entire front row, centres and wings- apart from that its adequate.

 

[eastman]

Flook would, IMO. There are some pretty bodgy wingers in the NZ Super sides IMO.

Highlanders maybe at best- he would not make any other teams (and we can do the exercise and list them too).

 

[molman]

You are right, but we do have experienced options elsewhere in the squad with Kellaway, Daugunu and Beale all capable in the centres. I think it does highlight that Kerevi will likely get the call up for the TRC, even if it's just as a back up.

I haven't been following Kerevi closely of late. How is he travelling? At 30/31 and with some of the injuries he's had, he is getting on somewhat.

 

[Derpus]

Highlanders maybe at best- he would not make any other teams (and we can do the exercise and list them too).

I mean, the Hurricanes still have Rayasi starting...

 

[eastman]

And he’s a better winger than Josh Flook, especially considering the style of rugby they play.