Wallabies EOYT 2017
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So this was the sabbatical in Folau's contract where he had the option to go and play in Japan to make more money.
He has opted to just take time off which is a big win for Australian rugby.
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He has opted to just take time off which is a big win for Australian rugby.
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RoffsChoice
Jim Lenehan (48)
Hoping to see Paia'aua and Banks in and around the squad on the tour. Though there's still the understanding that our best backline is Genia-Foley-Hodge-Beale-Kuridrani-Koroibete-Folau.
mst
Peter Johnson (47)
I think you will find Folau's reasons are more about below article. Good opportunity for them to spending time as the Netball season is over and he can use his sabbatical time.
Its also a good indication of his care for the records that people keep banging on about.
I would hazard a guess that the "sabbatical" may influence where he plays Super Rugby post 2018.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/lifestyle/news/article.cfm?c_id=6&objectid=11911744
Its also a good indication of his care for the records that people keep banging on about.
I would hazard a guess that the "sabbatical" may influence where he plays Super Rugby post 2018.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/lifestyle/news/article.cfm?c_id=6&objectid=11911744
Dismal Pillock
Michael Lynagh (62)
I'm not scrubbing some fat pricks boots clean outside the frozen grey Torquay Bog & Squat Rec Centre, do it your bloody self
T
TOCC
Guest
The sabbatical was for 2015-2016 season post RWC which he couldn’t make because he injured in ankle, the team he had signed for was them relegated for 2016-2017. He had an agreement for 2 sabbaticals, and as I said at the time, it was fools gold.
Micheal
Alan Cameron (40)
I think both Duncan Paia'aua and one of Quade Cooper, Mack Mason or Hamish Stewart will go on the EOYT with the Wallabies to build depth at flyhalf, and I'd love to see one of them start against both Japan and Wales (with Foley on the bench to steady the ship if all goes to shit).
Having not seen a huge amount of Mason or Stewart, I think I understand why Cheika *seemingly* prefers Paia'aua to Cooper at this stage, and I think the reason lies within the new Australian game plan, which I believe is heavily modelled off the All Blacks and the wider concept of 'Ultimate Rugby'.
A lot of Foley-bashers like to compare him to Quade Cooper and shriek to the heavens "he's not a playmaker!" and, to be honest, I, a massive Foley fan, tend to agree with you. He's not a playmaker, *atleast* in the way that a playmaker is commonly defined but I'm ok with that. Why? Because I think that definition is changing.
If you look at Barrett, I don't think he's a traditional playmaker either, certainly not in the Quade Cooper / Carlos Spencer triple-cut-out, fancy-pants-footwork, around-the-back-flick-pass mould. Instead, I think Foley's a pretty similar player to Barrett in his profile, although he obviously lacks much of the ability that Beudan possesses.
I think that the game has largely moved past the Quade Cooper / Carlos Spencer style of flyhalf, and this transition occurred as the All Blacks adopted 'Ultimate Rugby'. When they did that, 'play making' went from the responsibility of the flyhalf to the responsibility of the entire team. These days, both the Wallabies and the All Blacks rely on their forwards, just as much as their backs, for deft inside passes and to move the ball into space. In hindsight, such a reliance on a single player is mind blowing. If they have a bad game, the team has a bad game, and we've seen that regularly at the Reds / Wallabies during Cooper's tenure.
Instead, we can now have our two generals, Kurtley and Foley, have a pretty awful game and still beat the best team in the world reasonably convincingly, as we did last night. Their role is now to oversee the shape of the team, instead of define it, and to exploit opportunities as they see them, instead of create them.
So why Paia'aua?
Like Foley and Barrett, his default option is to run the ball, and like Foley and Barrett, he's pretty good at it. In fact, according to the very basics of the game, a player should only pass the ball if the player they are passing to is better positioned to take it into contact, and I think both Hanson / Cheika want every single player on the field to be a legitimate running threat.
Aside from that, I think we've seen pretty strong match awareness from Paia'aua and a real ability to identify opportunity. Finally, to top it all of, he has all the skills required to capitalise on these opportunities with a firm grasp of both long and short balls, as well as the ability to kick reasonably well out of hand.
I think if we understand that Cheika is looking for such players to lead the team at 10/12, Paia'aua certainly makes more sense than Cooper or Lance.
Just me two cents, innit.
Having not seen a huge amount of Mason or Stewart, I think I understand why Cheika *seemingly* prefers Paia'aua to Cooper at this stage, and I think the reason lies within the new Australian game plan, which I believe is heavily modelled off the All Blacks and the wider concept of 'Ultimate Rugby'.
A lot of Foley-bashers like to compare him to Quade Cooper and shriek to the heavens "he's not a playmaker!" and, to be honest, I, a massive Foley fan, tend to agree with you. He's not a playmaker, *atleast* in the way that a playmaker is commonly defined but I'm ok with that. Why? Because I think that definition is changing.
If you look at Barrett, I don't think he's a traditional playmaker either, certainly not in the Quade Cooper / Carlos Spencer triple-cut-out, fancy-pants-footwork, around-the-back-flick-pass mould. Instead, I think Foley's a pretty similar player to Barrett in his profile, although he obviously lacks much of the ability that Beudan possesses.
I think that the game has largely moved past the Quade Cooper / Carlos Spencer style of flyhalf, and this transition occurred as the All Blacks adopted 'Ultimate Rugby'. When they did that, 'play making' went from the responsibility of the flyhalf to the responsibility of the entire team. These days, both the Wallabies and the All Blacks rely on their forwards, just as much as their backs, for deft inside passes and to move the ball into space. In hindsight, such a reliance on a single player is mind blowing. If they have a bad game, the team has a bad game, and we've seen that regularly at the Reds / Wallabies during Cooper's tenure.
Instead, we can now have our two generals, Kurtley and Foley, have a pretty awful game and still beat the best team in the world reasonably convincingly, as we did last night. Their role is now to oversee the shape of the team, instead of define it, and to exploit opportunities as they see them, instead of create them.
So why Paia'aua?
Like Foley and Barrett, his default option is to run the ball, and like Foley and Barrett, he's pretty good at it. In fact, according to the very basics of the game, a player should only pass the ball if the player they are passing to is better positioned to take it into contact, and I think both Hanson / Cheika want every single player on the field to be a legitimate running threat.
Aside from that, I think we've seen pretty strong match awareness from Paia'aua and a real ability to identify opportunity. Finally, to top it all of, he has all the skills required to capitalise on these opportunities with a firm grasp of both long and short balls, as well as the ability to kick reasonably well out of hand.
I think if we understand that Cheika is looking for such players to lead the team at 10/12, Paia'aua certainly makes more sense than Cooper or Lance.
Just me two cents, innit.
Viking
Mark Ella (57)
I disagree, I don't think the All Blacks 'transitioned' away from the traditional flyhalf. Carter and Cruden seem to be their preferred style of flyhalf, Barrett is an anomily, in that he just played so damn good that they made it impossible not to pick him. Foley isn't chosen because he is a good runner, he's chosen because he is less of a liability then Cooper, and generally is in way better form. Was it only last year Cheika had Cooper/Foley at 10/12. Give me an all-round 10 who is a traditional playmaker any day - too bad we don't have one. Funnily/Ironically enough, Foley is the most all-round 10 we have.
tragic
John Solomon (38)
I think Hunt and Beale should duke it out for 12/ bench utility.
Move hodge to 15 and play Speight or naivalu on the wing.
Continue to solidify the midfield combinations that worked in Bled 2/3.
Great opportunity to see what Hodges boot has to offer at the back against England’s kick for territory and wait for penalties game.
Move hodge to 15 and play Speight or naivalu on the wing.
Continue to solidify the midfield combinations that worked in Bled 2/3.
Great opportunity to see what Hodges boot has to offer at the back against England’s kick for territory and wait for penalties game.
mst
Peter Johnson (47)
By the time he finished with the Wallabies EOY tour, if he went directly to the Top League he would arrive in time for round 10 of the 13 round regular season. That's if he was actually signed.
Player limits and eligibility requirement have seen Japanese clubs increasingly looking for players who don’t want to play Super Rugby and will make it worth their while to do so.
I think it was almost fait au complet that he would not be playing in Japan and that the flexi contracts were an ill-conceived fantasy They do nothing now but provide an opportunity for an unplanned (on the ARU side) player sabbatical.
RoffsChoice
Jim Lenehan (48)
Maybe moving Hodge to fullback will add to his game. Maybe it will distract him from the job of being a winger when Folau comes back. I think this is something that needs to be decided after a conversation with Wessels about where Hodge is going to play next year.
Rugbynutter39
Michael Lynagh (62)
And spend time with the fiancee'
TSR
Andrew Slack (58)
Most teams play with at least one winger who is a second fullback. I don’t think Hodge playing fullback for the Rebels would be such a bad thing from a wallaby perspective. Except of course that he plays more of a wing/centre hybrid at the moment than wing/fullback.
Edit : I guess what is more relevant is if that is the best fit. If the Rebels pick up DHP I guess it probably won’t be.
Edit : I guess what is more relevant is if that is the best fit. If the Rebels pick up DHP I guess it probably won’t be.
Up the Guts
Steve Williams (59)
Against England I would like multiple kicking options in the backline. I know we've been able to get away with Beale and Foley, with Hodge filling a 3rd role if need be, but I think a lot of England's tactics are based around pinning down a winger who can't kick. So I don't think Koroibete with Naiavalu should be the option we go for, leave Hodge on the wing and sub in Hunt to 15 as a straight swap for Folau. Still have bad memories from England's tour last year when we could never get out of our own half.
mst
Peter Johnson (47)
Thank you Captain Obvious for informing us about his option in his contract. I only wish some one in the media had done so in the few years we have know about his flexi-contract, how it works and the options he has.
First up the key issue with the reports of him supposedly going to Japan is he has no contract to go to. The team he did have a contract with was relegated.
Ironically a typo in my previous post may have confused some people who didn't take the time to fact check before posting.
So if he went RIGHT NOW he would arrive for round 10.
If he waits until AFTER the EOY tour he will arrive for round 10. Ah, yes; the Top League has a month off between today and the first weekend in December.
Most know with the changes in the dates for the Top League (not sure if the ARU have worked it out yet) unless you skip the RC you will now miss half the Top League season. That's why most that can read and / or google the Top League fixture laugh at the flexi-contact rubbish for Wallaby players.
Jerry West
Sydney Middleton (9)
9. Genia
10. Foley
11. DHP
12. Hunt
13. Kuridrani
14. Hodge
15. Beale
21. Phipps
22. Kerevi
23. Koroibete
Strongest backline probably available at the EOYT
10. Foley
11. DHP
12. Hunt
13. Kuridrani
14. Hodge
15. Beale
21. Phipps
22. Kerevi
23. Koroibete
Strongest backline probably available at the EOYT
Slim 293
Stirling Mortlock (74)
Except that DHP is not available, and wouldn't displace Korobeite on the wing if he was, nor should we shift Beale to fullback.........
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