Wallaby 31 players for 2015 RWC

[Dave Beat]

Instead of looking at the captains choice look at what the game gave us, there have been allot of questions on line outs - I thought the tah's line out performed the Brumbies line out (thought - are there any stats).
How did the attacking line outs go?
How did the defensive line outs go?
Who challenged on the opposition throw?
Looking at these questions when thinking about the loosies selections - could Poey & Hooper work.

 

[Joeleee]

I don't watch a whole lot of NH rugby, but that scrum at the beginning of that clip looks extremely different to Super/Test scrums. It was off balance, but stayed up and corrected itself to be straight again. I don't think I've seen that happen since I don't know when. Is that common up there?

 

[RugbyReg]

Ah my bad. Seemed a bit out of character.

you mean it was funny?

 

[hammertimethere]

Drew is certainly in some reasonable form up there. The problem there is no way to tell how that will compare to players in form in Super Rugby. It would be appropriate to give Mitchell and Gits time in the RC to show that they are worth considering for the big dance

 

[BDA]

definitely. If they aren't in the RC, surely they cant be in the world cup squad.

Will Cheika name them in the RC extended squad?

 

[light]

Pretty much certainties to get a run in the RC as far as I'm concerned. Chieka would be very ill-advised to not give Gits and Mitchell a go, especially considering they are proven test players and there's not exactly multiple blokes screaming for selection in their respective positions.

George Smith I am not so sure about. In the case that we lost Pocock and/or Hooper (touch wood we don't), I'd be more inclined to look towards LFG.

 

[ACT Crusader]

I reckon if you lost Pocock and Hooper, the coaches would look to Hodgson and then Gill.

 

[qwerty51]

Drew is certainly in some reasonable form up there. The problem there is no way to tell how that will compare to players in form in Super Rugby. It would be appropriate to give Mitchell and Gits time in the RC to show that they are worth considering for the big dance

There's a good argument his form in the Euro Cup final is more relevant to the RWC than Super Rugby however.

This constant put down of Euro rugby needs to stop, if Super Rugby was so superior to the stuff up North we'd be dominating the Euro teams. SA included.

 

[Braveheart81]

I definitely think Giteau and Mitchell will both be in the Rugby Championship squad. I'm not convinced everyone will get a game though to test how they are going with such a limited preparation.

Some of the squad will be judged on the training park because there is such limited time to try get our side together.

The Rugby Championship can't just be used to determine our best squad for the RWC. It has to also provide the preparation of our best 23 for the RWC. There isn't the luxury of doing that much experimentation for that reason.

I think we could quite easily see a couple of players included in the RWC squad who don't play in any of the lead up tests and likewise, some squad members will miss out on the RWC squad without playing a test beforehand.

 

[Micheal]

I'd be curious to see how Toulon's strength and conditioning program would compare to some of the Super sides down here in Aus.

Drew seemed to be getting pretty sloppy in his last few down heres in the same way that KB (Kurtley Beale) / AAC (Adam Ashley-Cooper) are today. When you look at the latter two, you've really got to wonder how much time they actually spend in the gym, despite being professional rugby players.

In comparison, Drew seems to be in pretty good shape now. It looks as if the body fat percentage has fallen and he's gained a bit more muscle mass. Matt Giteau likewise looks to be in extremely good shape even though he's getting on a bit.

We all knew Drew was a great player, but I don't know if his body let him fulfil that potential in his last few years in Aus.

Who knows? It could be clean eating and sunshine in the South of France. Only a hunch...

 

[hammertimethere]

Apparently the Toulon S & C boss is Paul Stridgeon who was RFU/England head of S & C for many years and along with Adam Beard was the fitness coach for the Lions in 2013

 

[Froggy]

A bit off topic, but a lot of names are being tossed around and dismissed as "great potential but not yet". You could put a team of those together that might look like this;
1 Toby Smith
2 Tolu Latu
3 Paul Alo-Emile
4 Adam Coleman
5 Rory Arnold
6 Sean McMahon
7 Jordy Reid
8 Ita Vaei
9 Nick Stirzacker
10 Jack Debreczeni
11 Sefa Naivalu
12 Kyle Godwin
13 Samu Kerevi
14 Taqele Nayarovoro
15 Dane Haylett-Petty

I know that won't ever happen, because a) some of the incumbents are actually younger than these b) People will get injured, go overseas etc c) some will lose form, other stars will emerge. Never-the-less, it's encouraging group.
Not many Tahs or Brumbies, obviously, because a lot of them are already there. Not many Reds, which is a worry.

 

[Chris McCracken]

A bit off topic, but a lot of names are being tossed around and dismissed as "great potential but not yet". You could put a team of those together that might look like this;
1 Toby Smith
2 Tolu Latu
3 Paul Alo-Emile
4 Adam Coleman
5 Rory Arnold
6 Sean McMahon
7 Jordy Reid
8 Ita Vaei
9 Nick Stirzacker
10 Jack Debreczeni
11 Sefa Naivalu
12 Kyle Godwin
13 Samu Kerevi
14 Taqele Nayarovoro
15 Dane Haylett-Petty

I know that won't ever happen, because a) some of the incumbents are actually younger than these b) People will get injured, go overseas etc c) some will lose form, other stars will emerge. Never-the-less, it's encouraging group.
Not many Tahs or Brumbies, obviously, because a lot of them are already there. Not many Reds, which is a worry.

Some are not eligible, either. I think Smith, Naivalu, Nayarovoro may be in that boat, but I'm happy to be corrected.

 

[Highlander35]

Toby has an aussie mum or something. Naivalu isn't eligible till September/October 2016, and too many syllables spent enough time in the NRL reserves that he's got 3 years total.

 

[KevinO]

Toby Smith was born in Queensland.

 

[Scrubber2050]

Toby Smith was born in Queensland.

Knew there was an undefinable quality about the bloke

 

[Omar Comin']

I think we could quite easily see a couple of players included in the RWC squad who don't play in any of the lead up tests and likewise, some squad members will miss out on the RWC squad without playing a test beforehand.

If the USA test match happens then I doubt this would be the case.

Perhaps the ARU would be wise to organise an Australia A match or 2 during the Rugby Championship to give some more opportunities for these fringe guys. Surely a match against the Maori or Junior All Blacks (which is a confusing name for their A team), or any of the Island teams would at least break even.

 

[Braveheart81]

If the USA test match happens then I doubt this would be the case.

Perhaps the ARU would be wise to organise an Australia A match or 2 during the Rugby Championship to give some more opportunities for these fringe guys. Surely a match against the Maori or Junior All Blacks (which is a confusing name for their A team), or any of the Island teams would at least break even.

I can't see us using our last match before the RWC as a game to play the players outside our best 23. Trying to get our best team into peak form will be the major aim of this game in my opinion. I think we'll field a team very close to full strength.

 

[Viking]

I really like this quote from George Gregan regarding players we need for RWC (especially once you get to the quarter-finals).

"It is not necessarily who is best on paper,but who can deliver under extreme pressure and make good decisions, come away with the critical points, but also play those critical moments very well.

So before you name players like Beale in your squad just remember the above quote.

Also, its concerning that our key play-makers like Foley, Lilo, White, Genia probably a lesser extent To'omua, have all made poor decisions or cracked under pressure recently.

Referece:http://www.canberratimes.com.au/rug...w-should-stay-at-3-years-20150506-ggv4xa.html

 

[Braveheart81]

So before you name players like Beale in your squad just remember the above quote.

Also, its concerning that our key play-makers like Foley, Lilo, White, Genia probably a lesser extent To'omua, have all made poor decisions or cracked under pressure recently.

By the same token, Beale is also one of the few players we can select who has delivered in clutch situations for the Wallabies (and like most of our players, also failed in those situations).

I agree with the premise, but it doesn't really help the situation. Cheika will pick who he thinks the best players are.

It's not like we have a whole bunch of players (or perhaps any players) who fit the bill for being able to deliver under extreme pressure but would be less favoured on form or ability compared to other players who are likely to be selected.

If anything, selecting a team with this idea in mind is likely to be a positive for Beale rather than a negative against some of the players he is up against for selection.