G’day G&GRs. Well, the BIL tour is over, and the Rugby Championship is about to begin. That Rugby tournament where only the ‘Real’ Southern hemisphere men play. Unlike that Nancy-Boy Northern Hemisphere crap.
So, on a quiet non-rugby week, let’s have a look at the Rugby news doing the rounds. So prepare yourself for another bumper edition, Brisney style. Pour a large cup of the good stuff☕, and let’s talk rugger, the game they play in heaven.
Jordan Petaia – Sitting on the Fence
Former Wallaby wunderkind Jordan Petaia – yes, that Jordan Petaia, the youngest Aussie ever to grace a Rugby World Cup – has gone from Queensland Reds flyer to LA Chargers tight end to, well… the injured reserves list. And all in less time than it takes Eddie Jones to change his coaching philosophy.
The story goes like this: Petaia, chasing the NFL dream through the International Player Pathway, got himself a three-year deal with the Chargers back in April. Blink and you’d have missed his debut – a late cameo in their first pre-season hit-out last week that came with the grand total of zero stats. Now, after a minor hammy tweak (because of course it’s a hammy – his old rugby nemesis), he’s been waived and replaced by fellow Aussie and ex-schoolboy teammate Thomas Yassmin. The Chargers then chucked him onto injured reserves, which in NFL-speak means, “We’ll call you… probably not.”
But don’t cue the sad violins just yet. This is the NFL, where contracts are about as solid as a soggy Weet-Bix, and Petaia’s keeping his cool. There’s still a chance another team could scoop him up – Atlanta, Cleveland, and Kansas City were sniffing around earlier – or he could dust off the boots and head back to rugby. The Reds have left the door wide open, but there’s no binding handshake here. For now, the lad’s weighing his options, resting that hammy, and proving that whether it’s 15-man rugby or the gridiron circus, he’s not afraid to roll the dice.
Queensland Reds nab two young speed merchants – Nick Conway & Finn Mackay
The Ballymore talent conveyor belt just spat out a couple of shiny new models — and the Reds have slapped “Do Not Touch” stickers on ‘em. Yep, Nick Conway and Finn Mackay are the latest backline bolters to ink two-year elite development squad deals. Translation? They’ll be sharpening their blades in the Ballymore dojo, waiting for the day they get unleashed on Super Rugby defences.
The QRU’s clearly been doing laps of the local rugby nursery, because this comes hot on the heels of multi-year deals for the young guns Taione Taka, Treyvon Pritchard, Kingsley Uys, Will Ross, Bennett Armistead, and Levi Slater. All of them now get the golden ticket — top-level coaching, the flash BMS National Rugby Training Centre, and the chance to rub shoulders (and maybe even shoulders directly into) with the big dogs in the Reds squad.
Conway — fresh outta Nudgee College and fresh off torching England at the U20s with an 80m intercept try — is pure pace with a bit of mongrel. The Broncos came sniffing (dad Bob wore the maroon jersey for them back in the day), but Nick’s stuck with the rugby tribe. Mackay, meanwhile, has been running the show at fullback and flyhalf for Souths in the Hospital Cup like a bloke twice his age. St Laurence’s College will be claiming bragging rights on this one. And as talent guru Paul Carozza reckons, both lads have been turning heads in Queensland age-grade colours for years. The future’s looking red — and pretty bloody quick.
Wallabies muscle up for Bok bash – LSL back, Skelton in, Lonergan finally gets the nod
Well, folks, Joe Schmidt’s packed the Wallaby suitcase with plenty of beef for the trip to South Africa. After sitting out the Lions series, Lukhan Salakaia-Loto has been recalled for the first leg of The Rugby Championship – and it’s not for the weather. Schmidt’s brought four locks, including the big French-based unit Will Skelton, because if you’re going to face the Springboks, you’d better pack heavy.
Nic White has pulled the shortest retirement in rugby history – hanging up the boots on Thursday, only to be dragged back into Wallaby camp when Jake Gordon went down at training. But the big news is Brumbies halfback Ryan Lonergan is finally in the squad and staring down the barrel of a debut. He’s been the bloke hanging at the bar all night, waiting for a dance, and now he’s finally got the tap on the shoulder. He joins winger Corey Toole and prop Aidan Ross (yep, the former All Black) as the fresh caps in the 35-man squad.
Tane Edmed’s back too, after his head knock nightmare in Dublin, stepping in for young Tom Lynagh, who copped a high shot from Dan Sheehan during the Lions’ win. Sheehan’s now suspended, but it’s little comfort to Lynagh after his third concussion in six months. Ben Donaldson looks set to steer the ship at 10, with James O’Connor and Edmed in reserve. Rob Valetini’s been named (thank the rugby gods), and Taniela ‘I have my Mojo back’ Tupou’s in, though he’ll need to get through a toe test before boarding the plane. Hooker stocks are patched with Josh Nasser after Dave Porecki’s shock retirement and Matt Faessler’s calf issue.
Tom Hooper and Langi Gleeson – who were on the naughty list earlier this year for heading overseas – have earned their way back with big Lions series shifts. Rugby Australia’s Peter Horne has now cleared the air on eligibility: if you’re Aussie and good enough, Schmidt can pick you. The Wallabies go in as massive underdogs, but this is as close to a litmus test as you’ll get – Ellis Park against a Springbok side drilled to within an inch of its life by Rassie Erasmus. Last year, the Boks smashed us. This year, Schmidt’s betting on a bigger, meaner, hungrier pack to see if we’ve really come that far.
Anyway, enough of this old man dribbling💩. Over to you, GAGRs! Have at it!
