Waratahs 2013

[Lee Grant]

To be honest I think that Peter Samu who is in the EPS offers more then lopeti. I'm tipping big things for him over next couple of years.

Good player (Randwick MVP) and a star ball runner at club level. The 2012 import from Victoria is training well with the Tahs, but he doesn't shift bodies, with and without the ball, as Lopeti does.

But Lopeti has to watch his discipline at the ruck

Talk is cheap though - let's see how both players go in 2013.
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[Pete King]

Good player (Randwick MVP) and a star ball runner at club level. The 2012 import from Victoria is training well with the Tahs, but he doesn't shift bodies, with and without the ball, as Lopeti does.

But Lopeti has to watch his discipline at the ruck

Talk is cheap though - let's see how both players go in 2013.
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True. Still yet to turn 21 (Samu) so if he can put some size on over the next 18 months he could be a huge prospect. Happy to see him run around for Randwick again this year . With Seilala Lam (2012 EPS) back from Injury. The wicks could have a pretty handy back row (2012 was a hard year to swollow)

 

[Lee Grant]

It is my understanding that most ITM Cup players who aren't Super Rugby players have regular jobs to maintain a reasonable level of income.

Mine also - I class them as semi-pros - i.e. pros for part of the year.

Playing for an ARC is not going to keep them in the country for long, but it could give them confidence that they can stake a claim to a Super gig on the back of it. At the same time they would know that it would give overseas scouts a decent look at them.

So it could keep them in the country for a little while.

The other side of it is that playing in an ARC would give Super coaches a higher level of rugby to assess future recruits in.
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[en_force_er]

Mine also - I class them as semi-pros - i.e. pros for part of the year.

Playing for an ARC is not going to keep them in the country for long, but it could give them confidence that they can stake a claim to a Super gig on the back of it. At the same time they would know that it would give overseas scouts a decent look at them.

So it could keep them in the country for a little while.

The other side of it is that playing in an ARC would give Super coaches a higher level of rugby to assess future recruits in.
.

A hypothetical ARC would have to be primarily about exposure and development of players, coaches, managers, medical staff, etc; not entertainment or revenue (though these would be secondary goals of course).

If a tournament like this existed we would lose a heap of players to overseas (mostly PI players, their passports are more hireable than Aussie ones) but we'd gain heaps more. The original ARC was still influencing recruitment decisions until last year or the year before.

I'd have no qualms with a 21 year old getting noticed in the ARC, learning the trade of a full professional in Japan or French D2 for 2 years, and then coming back to prove himself in Aus.

 

[Jets]

Good player (Randwick MVP) and a star ball runner at club level. The 2012 import from Victoria is training well with the Tahs, but he doesn't shift bodies, with and without the ball, as Lopeti does.

But Lopeti has to watch his discipline at the ruck

Talk is cheap though - let's see how both players go in 2013.
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That was part of the reason he didn't play Premier at Sunnybank in 2011 along with consistency issues. He developed well in the Dragon's 7's team that won the Central Coast 7's and on the tour to Singapore and was being penciled in as a Premier #8 before leaving for Sydney at the start of last year.

 

[rugbysmartarse]

Lee Grant - from what you've seen has Lopeti worked on his ball handling? I recall from a trial v Fiji A 2 years ago he dropped about 5 balls from the back of the ruck/scrum, and in games since has had a poor carry as well

 

[qwerty51]

Watching him for Souths he definitely has, he was the hardest #8 to handle from the back off the scrum and hit like a truck.

 

[Braveheart81]

Lopeti's problem is 2012 wasn't his ball handling. It was turning over the ball in the tackle (generally by being held up).

Like many young players, his issue was mostly due to trying to beat a tackle he was never going to beat and ending up isolated with poor body height.

 

[Hawko]

Lopeti's problem is 2012 wasn't his ball handling. It was turning over the ball in the tackle (generally by being held up).

Like many young players, his issue was mostly due to trying to beat a tackle he was never going to beat and ending up isolated with poor body height.

That should be easily coached out of his game.

 

[Lee Grant]

rugbysmartarse

You're right about that - I was at the game. Big brother had the same problems as did biggest (eldest) brother, Sione, who is with the Scarlets now.

Lopeti's handling improved since then as did Sita's but I think Sita regressed in 2012.

Eldest brother Sione.

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[qwerty51]

McKibbin captain for the first 2 trials

 

[Jets]

That makes sense when you read Chekia's comments that no Wallabies will play the first game and the second trial will have some Wallabies but is a chance for players who fighting for contracts to play.

http://www.smh.com.au/rugby-union/u...-as-stars-scrap-for-spots-20130124-2d9qd.html

 

[Hawko]

That makes sense when you read Chekia's comments that no Wallabies will play the first game and the second trial will have some Wallabies but is a chance for players who fighting for contracts to play.

http://www.smh.com.au/rugby-union/u...-as-stars-scrap-for-spots-20130124-2d9qd.html

This does mean that all the fringe players should get a chance to impress and I like that. The downside is that at least some of the Wallabies will have only one trial to show they can play to the new team method. Given that they also have a pretty truncated preparation and therefore less training in the new gameplan, they are likely to start the season without much of a clue about how to play Cheika rugby. From what I've seen, its some of the Wallabies who will struggle to adapt more than those players in the rest of the squad. For virtually the whole of their Wallaby career and certainly for the last two years as Waratahs they have not had to show much skill in catch/pass/run or fast realignment!

I think there is a serious possibility we could be 0 from 2 or 3, before some of the Wallabies either learn or get dropped.

 

[Ruggo]

I am sure he has his plans but I would of thought the best use of the trial was to establish combinations.

On the other hand what he is saying to the Wallaby players is that I don't give a shit if you are a Wallaby as these fellas are hungry for your spot and it is open to whoever earns it. Given he surely has a mandate to reform the culture within the player group, this is a most plausible explanation. If I were a Tahs fan I would be very encouraged by this approach.

 

[It is what it is]

I am sure he has his plans but I would of thought the best use of the trial was to establish combinations.

On the other hand what he is saying to the Wallaby players is that I don't give a shit if you are a Wallaby as these fellas are hungry for your spot and it is open to whoever earns it. Given he surely has a mandate to reform the culture within the player group, this is a most plausible explanation. If I were a Tahs fan I would be very encouraged by this approach.

Agree, no pain no gain.
Doing more of the same as the last few years would be madness.

 

[Jets]

He probably is going to have the Wallaby players working their buts off to catch up to the other guys. He seems very focused on changing the work ethic of these guys.

Apparently from data taken last year the Tah's were the unfittest of all the Australian teams and the Brumbies were the fittest. In 2011 the Reds were the fittest. There seems to be a pattern to this.

 

[Ruggo]

Maybe they can go the in house chef option like the Brumbies and serve up a feed of crow.

 

[TOCC]

He probably is going to have the Wallaby players working their buts off to catch up to the other guys. He seems very focused on changing the work ethic of these guys.

Apparently from data taken last year the Tah's were the unfittest of all the Australian teams and the Brumbies were the fittest. In 2011 the Reds were the fittest. There seems to be a pattern to this.

I think the Tahs will find it hard to replicate the fitness levels that those teams had achieved...

A lot of the success in both the Brumbies and Reds been able to raise the fitness level of their teams was the respective lack of Wallabies in the team at the time, i.e. they had a full pre-season with the bulk of the squad. The Tahs already have a large number of their players involved in the Wallaby camp

 

[Jets]

I think that is why Chekia doesn't want the Wallabies playing in the early trials. I would expect he is going to have them working their buts off to get up to speed fitness wise. I also think he probably was honest when speaking to them about this and that is why so many of them were back at training early.

 

[Orange Peeler]

My view is that Mr Michael Chekia is working out what positional coverage he has within his squad other than his current Wallaby players. I would also like to think that giving uncontracted players an opportunity is one way of sending a message that their are no favourites and everyone has a shot.