Would Lote Tuqiri make your Wallaby 22?

[Aussie D]

Yes. I think you need to have different types of players in your team. Amongst the back 3 Tuqiri fulfils the role of tall bruiser (also good for diffusing cross-field kicks), with Turner / Hynes the flyer and JO'C the playmaker (which is important for counter-attacking).

 

[waratahjesus]

absolute yes for me.

as mentioned lote provides a magnet for at least two defenders and in a team with a good passing game can open up the other side of the field.

he also provides more metres up the middle than most forwards stats wise most games.

i think the "coasting on reputation" crap that comes out every time doesnt really take into account the workload he manages for a winger every game. if Nathan Sharpe could match lote in metres gained in close then we wouldnt need lote on the wing.

 

[farva]

Lote is a class player undoubtably. The reasons have been nutted out on this thread. But that is not the question being asked. To make the 22, Lote would essentially need to make the 15. He isnt versatile enough to make the bench.
So he needs to therefore be one of the best two wingers in the country. As has said he is a flanker style winger, which I would like to have on one of my wings. Had Ioane been fit, he would be the first choice to cover this position, but he isnt. So Tuqiri would get the other spot. On the other wing I would have Mitchell or Turner, with the other at fullback. AAC (Adam Ashley-Cooper) would be on the bench. Once Ioane is fit, then Tuqiri will drop out of my 22.

 

[Gagger]

$600,000 Lote Tuqiri facing the axe


Article from: The Daily Telegraph

By Iain Payten

June 01, 2009 12:00am

LOTE Tuqiri's long-term Test future hangs in the balance with speculation that he will be overlooked for the Wallabies team today.

The star winger's shock omission looms after a quiet season for NSW and would represent the first time in seven years Tuqiri has not been chosen for the Wallabies on form reasons alone.

Given Tuqiri's status as a specialist winger, the 29-year-old could even suffer another blow of being left out of the 22-man squad to play the Barbarians on Saturday night due to a lack of versatility.

If Tuqiri misses a spot in the starting line-up, players with more experience in playing several backline positions like Drew Mitchell and Adam Ashley-Cooper may have the edge for a bench spot.

All will be revealed this afternoon when Wallabies coach Robbie Deans will name his squad for the winter.

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Deans already has stressed several times this year that no Wallabies' positions are guaranteed and despite being one of Australian rugby's top earners, the 67-Test veteran Tuqiri shapes as the Kiwi's first high profile casualty.

The Wallabies coach was on hand to watch Tuqiri playing for West Harbour at the weekend, but the preceding Super 14 season was not up to the former NRL star's usual high standards.

On the end of a misfiring Waratahs backline much of the year, Tuqiri only scored two tries and was down in several key performance stats from the previous season.

The big No. 11 was down in runs, run metres, tackle busts and linebreaks from his 2008 Super 14 season.

Playing under NSW's conservative tactics, Tuqiri made less than half the amount of linebreaks from last year and only a third of tackle busts.

The make-up of the Wallabies' team was difficult to ascertain at Wallabies training yesterday, with Tuqiri and other players doing the standard switch and swap now familiar under Deans' regime.

Queenslander Peter Hynes is one incumbent winger and Tuqiri, Ashley-Cooper, Mitchell and Lachie Turner are the other speedsters in the squad. Turner could prove a smokey after a late-season burst of form.

If Tuqiri was to miss selection - and continue to be overlooked by Deans this winter - his long-term future could become clouded.

Signed to a $600,000-a-year deal with the ARU until the end of 2011, a player of Tuqiri's calibre may opt to seek a release and pursue other options.

All that remains to be seen, however, and Deans' plan may simply be to provide Tuqiri with motivation to bounce back to peak form this winter. At his best, there are few wingers in world rugby who can match the dual international's power, speed and intimidation.

Playing under Deans' game plans, and alongside stars like Matt Giteau, Berrick Barnes and Stirling Mortlock, would present more opportunities for Tuqiri than NSW provided.

 

[Spook]

Interesting, would anyone care if he left? The money would be well spent elsewhere I'm sure.

 

[fatprop]

I predict he will be back in the side and starting by the Tri Nations.

He is the best defensive back and specifically blindside winger we have with Digby wounded.

 

[disco]

Interesting, would anyone care if he left? The money would be well spent elsewhere I'm sure.

I know I wouldn't, for the money he earns that could cover MMM, Ioane & Will Genia for the Reds & Wallaby squads.

 

[fatprop]

Interesting, would anyone care if he left? The money would be well spent elsewhere I'm sure.

I know I wouldn't, for the money he earns that could cover MMM, Ioane & Will Genia for the Reds & Wallaby squads.

Only if you could talk Vodafone into transferring their sponsorship to those guys as rugby ambassadors.

 

[barbarian]

Surely now with Hynes injured you would think he would pick up a spot?

 

[cyclopath]

Interesting, would anyone care if he left? The money would be well spent elsewhere I'm sure.

I know I wouldn't, for the money he earns that could cover MMM, Ioane & Will Genia for the Reds & Wallaby squads.

Fixed. Agree with the other 2 though.
I doubt the money would - 2 of these guys are looking at quite a bit above what they might get here. If they are after the coin, there wouldn't be enough to go around to keep them from his ARU money alone.

 

[Sully]

This is a bit of an Eye opener for me. Interesting article on foxsport from Lote

http://www.foxsports.com.au/story/0,8659,25599895-23217,00.html

Lote Tuqiri determined to win back his Wallabies spot

The coaching staff want him to spend more time on the wing! I'm sure most of us have thought that more than once.

Robbie has said he wants me to play more of a pure finishing role

I especially like the last 2 paragraphs

This latest setback has stirred the fight inside me. Wearing the Wallabies jumper is an honour, certainly not something you take lightly, and you wear it with a huge sense of pride. To have that taken away hurts, but I am committed to getting it back.

You certainly can't take it for granted and I don't think I ever have. In my mind, there's no question I still want to represent Australia in the 2011 World Cup. The challenge starts now.

Looks like Lote has taken it as a challenge from Robbie Deans to step up. And he has excepted!

 

[disco]

You certainly can't take it for granted and I don't think I ever have. In my mind, there's no question I still want to represent Australia in the 2011 World Cup. The challenge starts now.

Thats good, I hop he can re-capture his form of 2004.

 

[Scotty]

In Robbies interview by Greg Martin before the start of the game, he focussed on the attitude of the players and the honour of representing the wallabies. He seems to be really driving this home, especially to guys like Tuqiri and Sharpe.

 

[Pfitzy]

http://www.rugbyheaven.com.au/news/news/why-tuqiri-had-to-be-dropped/2009/06/06/1244234416271.html

...Tuqiri's speed has also been brought into question, with some suggesting he was overlooked because his rivals were faster, but Mitchell told The Sun-Herald that simply wasn't the case.

"Over 60 metres, I'd say the fastest in the squad would be between Lachlan Turner and Lote," Mitchell said.

I probably care more about 20-30 metres, because anything else is a breakout, which is more about support play than out-and-out pace.

 

[Scotty]

Tuqiri would be left for dead by Mitchell and Turner over 5-10m, which is the distance over which most breaks would be made. Measuring anything over about 40m is pointless as Nick says.

 

[Pfitzy]

Yep - the NFL (grid iron) measures key stats on 40 yards. I reckon its not a bad thing to look at because you want the guy to secure the first-down in that game, and be able to create space from nothing in ours.

 

[Gagger]

Thought this was an excellent article - rarely see such honesty

Some great indications about the coaching set up and interesting comments on the Tahs:

Along with new skills coach Richard Graham, the three of us spoke about some of the shortfalls in my game and where I need to sharpen my skills

We spoke about the year I had at Super 14, the style I'd been playing and what he liked and didn't like about my game. At the Waratahs, I was coming in off the wing a fair bit and getting involved where there's a lot more traffic.

 

[Langthorne]

No way. I'd prefer he wasn't in the Waratahs 22 either.

Not fast enough (especially lacking in acceleration).
Poor kicking skills.
Poor passing skills (though that can be overlooked somewhat in a winger).
He insists on carrying the ball in one hand (until he almost inevitably drops it - TWO HANDS FOR BEGINNERS).

I don' think it is fair to suggest he doesn't put in his all.

If he is planning on working on his rucking, mauling, scrummaging and line out jumping then I'd be happy for him to replace Sharpe and bring his strong running in close to the forward pack. Interestingly, he did look pretty handy in that game where he had to cover No6 - does anyone remember when that was?

If we want to talk about value for money, then I wouldn't be spending money on him - but I wouldn't spend any extra cash on luring league players over (surely they'll see the light in the end...)

 

[Spook]

Lote Tuqiri fails to shine playing for West Harbour in club rugby

June 14, 2009 Towards the end of his club rugby game at Concord Oval, some vocal West Harbour lower-graders were drinking in the grandstand and calling for Lote Tuqiri to be benched.

"Put Tito on," they shouted after Tuqiri failed with a chip-and-chase.

Tito Mua was the man Tuqiri replaced in the West Harbour starting team.

Even for a $600,000-a-year Wallaby, park rugby doesn't come with instant respect.

This wasn't the best day of Tuqiri's rugby career.

West Harbour, who had been on a six-game winning streak, lost to struggling Northern Suburbs 25-21.

Tuqiri had been out-paced to the corner for the first try of the match and torpedoed one pass over the sideline to botch an attacking raid.

He touched the ball just five times in the second half.

But Tuqiri was upbeat at the end of the game, heeding the words of Wallabies coach Robbie Deans.

"He just said keep being positive," Tuqiri said.

"I think I've been doing that at training and coming out here playing club rugby. It's been all right. He said there'll be a time I get a run, I've just got to bide my time."

Deans believes Tuqiri needs to play more like a rugby winger. To stick more to the sideline, stay out of the the rucks and mauls.

Basically to go against the instincts that made him the best rugby league winger in the world, when involvement was the key.

In an alternate universe, Tuqiri would have been selected in the Queensland State of Origin team this week to play in Sydney next Wednesday week.

Instead, he was at Sydney's Concord Oval playing in front of maybe 500 people.

Another former NRL star, Timana Tahu, was supposed to play in the same West Harbour backline, but he was a late withdrawal because of a hamstring twinge.

Nothing serious, only a week on the sidelines.

Both will be back training with the Wallabies this week, not knowing if they will be playing against Italy in Melbourne next weekend, or returning to Sydney to play for West Harbour.

Tuqiri says he won't get negative, either way.

He's got to look on the bright side.

Missing Wallabies selection meant he was at home for his son Samson's fourth birthday last Thursday.

See, there is always a bright side.

 

[naza]

His son's name is Samson ? What a dick.

And like Phil Waugh, he's completely deluded about his form and Wallaby prospects.