Monday’s Rugby News has the squad for November, more stuff on the IPRC, angry Alan Jones, pensive Luke Jones and Reece Hodge at flyhalf?
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Squad
Michael Cheika has announced his squad for the November Internationals, to play against Japan, Wales, England and Scotland.
There are a few surprises in the 32-man squad (including two development players – more on them later). Most notably, the uncapped Brumby Blake Enever, Force lock Matt Philip, Izaia Perese and Billy Meakes have all been included this time around. Ben McCalman also comes back into the team having only played something like 1.5 games this year due to a crazy shoulder injury.
Enever and Philip owe their selections, in part, to a Steven Bradbury-esque injury crisis. Rory Arnold did his quad in, Lukhan Tui hurt himself and Jack Dempsey ripped the hamstring off the bone against the Barbarians, leaving the Wallabies short of tall men.
“I spoke with [Brumbies coachj] Dan McKellar, spoke with Stephen Larkham and I saw [Enenver’s] potential,” Cheika told rugby.com.au.
“You look back 18 months when we brought Adam Coleman into the squad people thought the same thing in that first series.
“He had a few more runs on the board than Blake but still pretty new.”
The Tongan Thor, Taniela Tupou, will link up with the squad after the NRC is over. He will become eligible for the Wallabies in a month. Rugby.com.au also reports that Cheika thinks Kurtley Beale and Reece Hodge are cover enough for Bernard Foley at flyhalf.
Squad: Forwards Allan Alaalatoa, Adam Coleman, Blake Enever*, Tetera Faulkner, Ned Hanigan, Michael Hooper (c), Sekope Kepu, Ben McCalman, Sean McMahon, Stephen Moore, Matt Philip*, Tatafu Polota-Nau, Tom Robertson, Rob Simmons, Scott Sio, Lopeti Timani, Lukhan Tui, Jordan Uelese. Backs Kurtley Beale, Bernard Foley (vc), Will Genia (vc), Reece Hodge, Karmichael Hunt, Samu Kerevi, Marika Koroibete, Tevita Kuridrani, Billy Meakes*, Izaia Perese*, Nick Phipps. Joe Powell. Curtis Rona, Henry Speight.
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Twiggy in Heaven
Andrew Forrest has revealed the plans for his IPRC, despite not having any other teams locked in except for the Force.
Forrest will formally announce his competition at World Rugby’s board meeting on 14 November.
“He spoke of China, Fiji, Hong Kong, New Zealand, Japan, Korea Republic, Malaysia, Samoa, Singapore, Sri Lanka, India and Tonga as potential candidates, and bringing back some of Australia’s top overseas-based stars and implanting them in those foreign teams to help develop talent,” the Daily Telegraph reports.
“But the timing remains in the air. Forrest had proposed starting the IPRC in October 2018, but that clashes with the ARU’s third-tier National Rugby Championship season, and it is also monsoon season in Asia. The other option is delaying it until March 2019, but then it would clash with Super Rugby.
“Forrest expects the ARU to make a decision on the timing of the tournament by November 2.”
Wimps. Anyone can play rugby in monsoon weather.
Anyway. Forrest also wants his IPRC to be a stepping stone to the Wallabies. It already has World Rugby’s backing (according to the report) and will feature 33 games (assuming that includes finals) in its first year.
“This will not be short of risk,” Forrest contnued, when asked how big his balls were, adding that a private ownership model of clubs is not in the immediate plans.
“This is not for the faint-hearted,” Forrest said. “It’s not within the budget of any realms of imagination of the ARU.
“I’m prepared to underwrite that. If an investor wants to come in and they’ve got more than capital to offer I’ll look at it. If it’s just capital I’m not interested.”
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Alan Jones Angry
Alan Jones was angry after the Barbarians game, and yammered on at the press conference like no one was listening. He’s really good at it.
“Rah!,” began Jones, these quotes pulled from his immediate post-game reaction (via Fox Sports).
“If that’s the way you grow the game, then it’s most probably a good thing I’m not in it. I just found the whole thing astonishing.
“It’s a Barbarians game and you’re playing with 13 men and the bloke kept blowing the whistle — I think it was 16 penalties to four or something.
“The bloke was clearly out of his depth. Thank God I’m out of the game.”
In particular, Jones was upset by the up the jumper-huddle trick play thing that the Barbarians tried to pull off.
“Before the game started Quade and I thought it was a courtesy because we are the Barbarians, we have a couple of free kick moves up our sleeve, and one of them you saw,” he continued.
“It’s very disappointing. You can brand me as a whinger or whatever you want… you’re telling me that’s how you grow the game?”
Back in the proper presser, Jones kept rattling on.
“Well firstly I’m really proud of my people, when they were given the chance to play rugby they played rugby,” Jones said, according to ESPN. “But if that’s the way you grow the game, it’s most probably a good thing I’m not in it. I just found the whole thing astonishing, that it’s a Barbarians game and you’re playing with 13 men and the bloke kept blowing the whistle; I think it was 16 penalties to four or something. So we’re four times more [undisciplined] than the other side?
“The bloke was clearly out of his depth, thank God I’m out of the game but if Michael Cheika’s got to deal with this sort of stuff all the time it’s a wonder he isn’t at The Gap.”
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Reece Hodge A 10?
Dave Wessels has talked to Michael Cheika about playing Reece Hodge at flyhalf, the Australian reports.
At the moment, Australian rugby is a bit threadbare on international quality flyhalves (or is it flyhalfs?), with Foley being daylight ahead of Quade and Jono Lance in the ranks.
Although Kurtley Beale is an option, and Mack Mason and Duncan Paia’aua being potentials, there’s still a shortage.
“Cheika and I chatted about that (playing him at five-eighth),” said Wessels.
“We want to see the Wallabies go well. We all understand that if the Wallabies are going well, that creates a whole lot of momentum for the rest of us.
“The real answer to that is that Reece and I need to spend some time together. I have never coached him before.
“I need to spend some time to work out if that is a feasible option for us. If we think it is then we’d certainly support that and try to help the Wallabies.
“But to Cheik’s credit, he’s also not being proscriptive on that. He’s not saying that’s 100 per cent what we have to do. He’s looking at some options.”
Meanwhile, rugby.com.au has a little ditty about Luke Jones. Jones is one of the best Australian players currently overseas.
Apparently, Jones was set to return to Australian rugby this year. However, the Force were cut and all that, and contract negotiations became delayed, so he signed on for another year at Bordeaux. Jones, of course, rocked up for the Barbarians on Saturday.
“There could be some sort of motion to try and come back still but if it happens, it happens that would be fantastic and I’d definitely consider doing that but I understand if it doesn’t,” Jones said.
“I was put under some serious pressure to stay (in Bordeaux) because they’re happy with my playing and I’m enjoying my time there. They were pretty keen to wrap it up pretty quickly.
“If Australia came knocking, I think Bordeaux would understand if I wanted to go back.”
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