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Wallabies 2024

TSR

Andrew Slack (58)
In hindsight it's pretty easy to see why Sua'ali'i was thrown straight into the starting XV.

It would have been hard seeing that ability at training and deciding he wasn't in your best team.

The point Schmidt made about him being named as a starter and that being beneficial for his preparation was a good insight as well. For a player short on reps, being the starter is really important for having a lot of involvement in the week leading up to the game.
It was obvious to me. I just didn’t get around to posting it on here. I can’t believe you lot doubted him. Hang your heads.
 

Yoda

Cyril Towers (30)
They haven't updated the ladder yet (despite it saying otherwise up top), and will probably show the changes tomorrow but it will be as SMI mentioned...


1(↑2)South Africa92.46(+0.69)
2(↑3)New Zealand91.21(+1.55)
3(↓1)Ireland90.58(-1.55)
4France86.96
5(↑6)Argentina85.60(+1.30)
6(↑7)Scotland82.70(-0.69)
7(↓5)England82.62(-1.81)
8(↑9)Australia81.14(+1.81)
9(↑10)Fiji80.07(+1.00)
10(↓8)Italy78.67(-1.30)


Who seriously worries about bloody rankings? Apart from who is top dog? World Champs. We just showed as underdogs we can beat England. No one gave us a chance because we were ‘9th’ in the world…and they were ‘5th’… I don’t care what ranking we are. I always think we can win every Test match on our day…I’m sure the players do too..
 

noscrumnolife

Bill Watson (15)
I will say with JAS the most positive aspect of the performance was that he showed skills I didn't necessarily expect him to have i based on his league performances. As an avid rooster fan who has watched just about every game he has played in the NRL, I thought he would be a very hard running, physical player on both sides of the ball who could also compete in the air. I didn't expect him to show soft, silky hands and a good awareness of space. In fact, I have found him very frustrating as a League center because he tended to go looking for contact above all else. On Saturday I think he only hit the deck once when he was tackled (and had a very clean presentation for quick ball when he did - not something you'd see from many league converts).

If he can combine that kind of performance with the intensely physical side of the game (especially on D - still remember him dropping Kikau as an 18 yo) could have some player.

Equally its early days - real test for me will come against Ireland and Scotland - two teams with better coaches than Borthwick/Gatland who will have a bit of tape and a plan for him.
 

Wilson

Phil Kearns (64)
Who seriously worries about bloody rankings? Apart from who is top dog? World Champs. We just showed as underdogs we can beat England. No one gave us a chance because we were ‘9th’ in the world…and they were ‘5th’… I don’t care what ranking we are. I always think we can win every Test match on our day…I’m sure the players do too..
The rankings are used to seed the pool draw for the world cup, being done at the end of next year. With a lions tour next year reducing our opportunity to improve our rankings it's pretty important we come out of this tour with some improvement. Ideally we want to make it into the top 6 by the end of last year to avoid being paired with a top seed team.
 

The_Brown_Hornet

John Eales (66)
Had a chat with a work colleague yesterday whose partner is involved with the elite level of the game here and obviously knows a good number of the Wallaby players well. She reported that morale in camp is apparently very, very good right now and that was before the weekend. I can only imagine it now.

They're reportedly a very together bunch who are playing hard for each other and their coach. You can actually see it in their body language out on the paddock too.
 

Dctarget

Tim Horan (67)
Had a chat with a work colleague yesterday whose partner is involved with the elite level of the game here and obviously knows a good number of the Wallaby players well. She reported that morale in camp is apparently very, very good right now and that was before the weekend. I can only imagine it now.

They're reportedly a very together bunch who are playing hard for each other and their coach. You can actually see it in their body language out on the paddock too.
Amazing what not playing NZ or SA can do to the spirit.
 

Wilson

Phil Kearns (64)
...Can Sua'ali'i qualify for WR (World Rugby) (World Rugby) (or Australia's) breakout player of the year?
He's pretty much a dead cert to get the rookie of the year at the 2025 RA awards at this point.

For the World Rugby ones I'm not sure if they're calendar year or test season (starts with the EOYT/Autumn internationals). He's not going to trump someone like Wallace Sititi or Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu for this year, but if he qualifies for next years then he'll be pretty well placed to pick it up.
 

Dctarget

Tim Horan (67)
He's pretty much a dead cert to get the rookie of the year at the 2025 RA awards at this point.

For the World Rugby ones I'm not sure if they're calendar year or test season (starts with the EOYT/Autumn internationals). He's not going to trump someone like Wallace Sititi or Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu for this year, but if he qualifies for next years then he'll be pretty well placed to pick it up.
Yeah Sititi has to be an absolute guarantee at this rate. Shame we haven't seen more of Sacha.
 

dru

David Wilson (68)
He's pretty much a dead cert to get the rookie of the year at the 2025 RA awards at this point.

For the World Rugby ones I'm not sure if they're calendar year or test season (starts with the EOYT/Autumn internationals). He's not going to trump someone like Wallace Sititi or Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu for this year, but if he qualifies for next years then he'll be pretty well placed to pick it up.

He's played one game.
 

Wilson

Phil Kearns (64)
He's played one game.
I'm not anointing him World player of the year or the John Eales medal, but as a rookie of the year for 2025 he's in very good stead. Particularly from the Australian awards where the Rebels demise means there are fewer spaces and a flood talent on the market that will mean fewer rookies getting less time in super rugby.

On the world rugby side of things (assuming they use the same voting period) then debuting in the first available test match and looking like he's not going to be outside of the 23 when fit will make it hard for many players to compete with that. Obviously there's a lot of rugby still to be played but it's not at all outlandish to suggest he's an early favourite for these awards.
 

Wilson

Phil Kearns (64)
Pietsch officially out for the rest of the tour:
1000024201.jpg


Flook called up to the main squad.
 

Derpus

Nathan Sharpe (72)
With Pietsch out it makes even more sense to bring Kerevi in IMO. Wales in a relatively meaningless Autumn international is surely the best (and probably last) chance to see if he still has it.

I would leave Jorgensen covering from the bench.
 

dru

David Wilson (68)
With Pietsch out it makes even more sense to bring Kerevi in IMO. Wales in a relatively meaningless Autumn international is surely the best (and probably last) chance to see if he still has it.

I would leave Jorgensen covering from the bench.

Keeping hopes of a slam alive is hardly meaningless. imho.
 

dru

David Wilson (68)
It would be absolute madness from Schmidt to break up the Ikitau/JAS combo after a single successful game...

Whether or not Kerevi still has it seems far less important than continuing on from last weekend and establishing this current centre partnership.

Strangely enough, I'd consider Kerevi at #11 looking to hunt for ball opportunities off the centres. Yeah it's along shot. Personally if we want to see Kerevi in action there is Aus A, isn't there. Right now I think we have more important outcomes to be building in the centres.
 

Derpus

Nathan Sharpe (72)
Fair enough.

I look forward to Kerevi starting against the Lions in a years time with no caps in 2 years because Ikitau or JAS go down injured.
 
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