Wallabies 2024

[Sully]

I sincerely hope everyone is now off the Rodda bandwagon. There were three other starting locks in the game much better than Rodda, and that has been consistent most of the year. IMO he is lazy, jogging around behind the ruck area trying hard to not be involved. Seems to only hit rucks when there is likely to be a turnover, and that is rare. And he's never the first to the ruck, usually third or later. He still falls off too many tackles he should be making (witness McReight breaking his tackle to score) and if he's made a couple of metres after contact with the ball, then that is flying high for him. In other words, he has little involvement in games other than as a lineout receiver and mostly is ineffective in other aspects of the game.

The Topou effect

 

[Joe Blow]

Holloway is our only forward who can capably play 4,6 or 8. That makes him pretty valuable in a Wallabies set up.

Uru? Hooper? Frost and LSL (Lukhan Salakaia-Loto) can do 4 and 6.
I don’t think Holloway has done enough this year.

 

[Dctarget]

Latu, Fainga'a Latu couldnt get a gig in Tah's colours last time out here, and Fainga was usually slammed on these boards. BPA's back in Oz and we also have Pollard, and Dolly and Poreki

Our OS backrow is tipping to be better: McMahon, Gill, Samu, soon to be Swinton, Kemeny, Hanigan > McReight, Valetini who else

Wilson, Wright, Leota, Cale, Hooper, Holloway, Tizzano, Uru

All are just as good or better

Philip, Staniforth, Simmons, Arnold x2 ... long fucking bow to pick any of these guys as better the Rodda, Swain, Frost, Smith, Hooper, Holloway.

Samu < Ikitau and was pants during the world cup

Koroibete is great but one player compared to Kellaway, Wright, Marky Mark (Nawaqanitawase) (Nawaqanitawase), Toole, Ryan, Lancaster..

Hansen, has played well for Ireland but lets not forget he couldn't get a start at the Brumbies.

This is what I was talking about, you've brought up heaps of young promising players that have barely completed a super season let alone play international rugby. We're so starry eyed and optimistic about these young guns who only have potential and nothing to show for it. We have so much experience and rugby IP that we immediately pretend is useless once they go overseas as a defense mechanism.

 

[Braveheart81]

i think the complete opposite.

Too often we hear that these guys have gone OS and are suddenly killing it. Then they come back and they aren’t particularly better they left. There are exceptions but there aren’t many.

Historically I agree with you. We tended to discuss the overseas form of players with very rose coloured glasses but most of those players tended towards players who had been good but not great Super Rugby players.

E.g. we were excited by the return of Leroy Houston based on his overseas form.

We're now very much in the situation where a lot of the overseas players in question were semi-regular (or better) Wallabies when they left and the guys we have here tend towards being younger and less experienced which I think is a bigger factor in test rugby.

 

[Tomikin]

This is what I was talking about, you've brought up heaps of young promising players that have barely completed a super season let alone play international rugby. We're so starry eyed and optimistic about these young guns who only have potential and nothing to show for it. We have so much experience and rugby IP that we immediately pretend is useless once they go overseas as a defense mechanism.

And you picked guys like Gill / McMahon, who hardly played internationals, and both left Gill because he couldn't get a gig and McMahon because his body wasn't up to it. Talk about romancing players from overseas.

I'd say Hooper and Holloway have played more than both of them. McReight and Valetini have as well.

Same with Locks, Staniforth never got close to the Wallabies he struggled at both the Brumbies and Tahs..., Rodda, Swain, Frost forgot LSL (Lukhan Salakaia-Loto) would have played more then Richie Arnold. granted Simmons and Rory played a lot but my god no one wants Simmons back and Philips is in the same boat as ours.

Kellaway , Wright and Marky Mark (Nawaqanitawase), are now into there 3rd or 4th season internationals.

How many times have we seen these super-star overseas players come back and been also run? I don't think you named anyone other than Koro and Skelton who would start for the Wallabies.

 

[Dctarget]

England want a Skelton or Meafou type – Rusi Tuima is an intriguing project player

Suva-born 24-year-old is a different type of lock and Steve Borthwick is clearly interested by his potential

www.telegraph.co.uk

Left without comment

 

[TSR]

Braveheart I think that’s overly simplistic.

We have a couple of key positions issues which OS guys could help in. But the fact people are still trotting out Cooper and Foley and ignoring that last time they both played for the Wallabies neither played well (Cooper was injured admittedly) speaks to the fact we are looking at these guys more favourably because we don’t watch them.

I won’t repeat my previous assessment of all the positions but I just don’t agree at all with the initial statement that most of our best players are overseas. I’d say 2-3 players and there are probably another 3-4 who would compete for spots.

Would that make a material difference to the Wallabjes performance if they were available all the time. 100%. Especially when we get a few injuries.

But by far the biggest issue is the impact on our Super Rugby teams. Start adding young guys like Lucas & Hockings & Maddocks in and there must be an entire squad of players at Super level who aren’t currently part of our squads here and many of them would be regular starters.

 

[TSR]

I sincerely hope everyone is now off the Rodda bandwagon. There were three other starting locks in the game much better than Rodda, and that has been consistent most of the year. IMO he is lazy, jogging around behind the ruck area trying hard to not be involved. Seems to only hit rucks when there is likely to be a turnover, and that is rare. And he's never the first to the ruck, usually third or later. He still falls off too many tackles he should be making (witness McReight breaking his tackle to score) and if he's made a couple of metres after contact with the ball, then that is flying high for him. In other words, he has little involvement in games other than as a lineout receiver and mostly is ineffective in other aspects of the game.

Don’t agree at all - although the weekend wasn’t his best. But happy to wait and see what the selectors think.

 

[Yoda]

Don’t agree at all - although the weekend wasn’t his best. But happy to wait and see what the selectors think.

Brumby Runner is not Wallaby coach, otherwise I think it would be 95 % Brumbies!

 

[Highlander35]

Anybody know what the plan is for the timing of Wallaby training squads over the finals?

Will we see a Tahs & Force (apologies Westies, I think the Drua have a lot lot more to play for at us and at home) group named to begin training following this weekends games, or will it likely be week or two later

 

[TSR]

Brumby Runner is not Wallaby coach, otherwise I think it would be 95 % Brumbies!

To be fair to him a lot of the Brumbies players have consistently been putting up their hands. A lot of his selections are probably fair enough.

We seem to have a history of disagreeing over locks though.

 

[Brumby Runner]

I'd hope that those who are in contention for the squad are announced immediately a side is no longer in the finals. That would keep their enthusiasm and fitness up during a period where not much else is going on for them.

So. I'd like to see players from the Tahs announced after their game this weekend, and ditto the Force if they lose to the Drua.

My guess at likely squad participants from those sides would include:

Bell (if likely to be fit in time), Holloway, Hanigan, Foketi, Nawaqanitawase and Jorgenson (if likely to be fit in time). Gleeson a maybe.

Hoopert, White, and Donaldson.

 

[Strewthcobber]

Rennie picked his squad for the England series on 9 June 2022. After the Super Rugby quarters, Brumbies were still in the comp

 

[Wilson]

I'd be very surprised if a partial squad was named while some teams were still playing finals. There might be a wider training group named with some players to drop out, but I think it's more likely the whole squad will be named at once, whether that's before or after all teams are out of contention. There's not much point in naming a group of tahs and Force as being in the squad only to have standout performances from the fringe options in the Brumbies/Reds/Rebels knock them out with stand out performances in the finals.

 

[Raytah]

Don’t agree at all - although the weekend wasn’t his best. But happy to wait and see what the selectors think.

2nd this. He was fine and still a premier lock for me. Was usually defending at pillar which Reds didn't challenge much.

Was pressuring the box kick from an offside position a number of times in the first half so needs to sort that out.

 

[fatprop]

Holloway is our only forward who can capably play 4,6 or 8. That makes him pretty valuable in a Wallabies set up.

and why does a bench option need to play 4,6 & 8?

Valetini & McReight are bolted on and both can be budgeted for 80 minutes- so whoever is selected to start and "finish" should be picked to complement them

 

[Strewthcobber]

Finally found a source for SR2024 kicking percentage - thanks to Union Live app

Name	Penalties	Conversions	Percentage
Lynagh	6	16	69%
Lolesio	17	34	85%
Donaldson	17	25	76%
Gordon	6	24	70%
Edmed	16	19	83%

 

[LeCheese]

Finally found a source for SR2024 kicking percentage - thanks to Union Live app

Name	Penalties	Conversions	Percentage
Lynagh	6	16	69%
Lolesio	17	34	85%
Donaldson	17	25	76%
Gordon	6	24	70%
Edmed	16	19	83%

It paints a picture, but percentages are really only part of the story - as mentioned, they're incredibly influenced by the difficulty of the kick. For instance, Reds have scored a hell of a lot of tries out wide this season, so I'm not surprised Lynagh's stats are down.

 

[Tomikin]

Brumby Runner is not Wallaby coach, otherwise I think it would be 95 % Brumbies!

This is just isnt true... really. He regularly picks players from other teams over Brumbies, e.g., he wants Carter at 10, not Noah. He does though have strong opinions and does voice why he has those at the same time. This puts him off side with some people but I dont think you'd get many people who aren't selecting mostly Brumbies or Reds for the majority of the squad..

 

[Yoda]

I'd be very surprised if a partial squad was named while some teams were still playing finals. There might be a wider training group named with some players to drop out, but I think it's more likely the whole squad will be named at once, whether that's before or after all teams are out of contention. There's not much point in naming a group of tahs and Force as being in the squad only to have standout performances from the fringe options in the Brumbies/Reds/Rebels knock them out with stand out performances in the finals.

Not sure if a stand out performance in finals will swing a squad change. I reckon Schmidt and co have a pretty good idea by now.