Monday’s Rugby News looks at Dave Rennie’s tight-lipped approach to the Wallabies squads, a recap of clubland, a new pay deal for the Wallabies and the appointment of Michael Cheika on the Pumas coaching staff
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Tight-lipped
After arriving in New Zealand ahead of the opening two Bledisloe Cup fixtures, Wallabies coach Dave Rennie is keeping his cards close to his chest, refusing to give any hints about the make-up of his side.
The Wallabies arrived in Christchurch on Friday night, with the side set to be unleashed into full training in three days time after serving their mandatory quarantine period.
With the make-up of the side seemingly up for grabs apart from captain Michael Hooper, Rennie was keeping all options open before he announces his first squad of 2020.
“I’m not going to answer that question,” Rennie said when asked about which positions were open.
“There are a number of positions where it’s tight.
“Some may depend on combinations but I think how some people train may tip the scales.
“We want guys to understand they’ve got to earn the right to play, so that’s not just by how they perform on game day, it’s all the work they’re doing off the field, in the gym and in front of computers, to influence or earn the right to play.”
Despite the youthful nature of the 44-man squad, Rennie is living by the attitude of ‘if you’re good enough, you’re old enough’.
“We’ve been constantly talking about a first Test team against New Zealand, whenever that comes,” Rennie added.
“We’ve got a bit of an idea but there’s still some positions up for grabs and we’ll let the players do the talking over the next few days.
“We’ve always said we’re going to pick on form and if you’re good enough you’re old enough. There is no doubt some of these young men are going to put serious heat on a spot within that 23. We’ve got to make sure we’ve got a good blend and support around them.
“We’ll be a bit clearer in the next few days.”
The new Wallabies coach is expected to have a full squad to pick from, with Jordan Petaia expected to be fit in time after picking up a hip flexor issue.
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Club recap
With the Super Rugby season over, all attention turns to clubland as numerous competitions prepare for finals time.
Starting in NSW with the Shute Shield and it was Norths that continue to impress, defeating Souths 35-17 whilst Gordon maintained their favourites tag after overcoming defending champions Sydney Uni 34-24.
In other results, West Harbour cruised to a 40-15 victory over Western Sydney, Randwick dominated Manly 34-15, Easts defeated Penrith 56-18 whilst Warringah accounted for Hunter 50-15.
Heading up north and it was Brothers that would come out victors in the northside derby, overcoming Norths 38-21 in a thrilling contest.
Along with this, Easts sent Ben Mowen out a winner as they held off Wests 22-15, GPS dominated Souths 47-15 and Bond Uni outgunned Sunnybank 59-43.
In the final round of the John I Dent Cup, Gungahlin booked their finals place with a thumping 62-0 win over defending premiers Royals, Wests overcame Queanbeyan 45-7 whilst Vikings stamped their mark on the competition as they defeated 2nd place Owls-Norths 49-12 to ensure the minor premiership.
Heading to Adelaide with the Coopers Premiership wrapping up its regular season, Brighton would claim the minor premiership as they easily accounted for Onkaparinga 59-29.
Meanwhile, Southern Suburbs cruised home against Port Adelaide 55-17, Elizabeth blanked Barossa 31-0, Adelaide Uni held off Woodville 37-32 whilst Old Collegians were too strong for Burnside 19-12.
Finishing in the west with the Fortescue Premier and it was Kalamunda who caused one of the upsets of the round as they defeated Nedlands 31-24 with Palmyra booking their finals spot with a thumping 67-12 over Wanneroo.
Around the grounds, Cottesloe pumped ARKs 73-5, Joondalup held off Coastal 36-12, Wests shutout Bayswater, Associates cruised home against Southern Lions 66-5 and UWA mollywhopped Curtin Uni 92-15.
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New deal
Rugby Australia and the Rugby Union Players Association (RUPA) have agreed to a revised pay deal that will see the Wallabies squad return to full pay ahead of the Rugby Championship.
With the Wallabies arriving in New Zealand ahead of the Bledisloe Cup, the two parties came to a deal which will see the full playing squad return to their full contracted remuneration, whilst the rest of the Super Rugby contracted players receive 70% of their pay until the end of the year.
“I want to thank Justin Harrison and his team at RUPA for their collaborative approach during these negotiations. We are obviously not alone in the financial challenges that we are facing but our playing group have stood up and acknowledged their role to play in securing the game’s future in Australia,” RA CEO Rob Clarke said in a statement.
“The players put on a terrific show during Vodafone Super Rugby AU. It was a great season and it wouldn’t have been possible without the numerous sacrifices made by each of our five teams and their playing squads.
“We are now all extremely excited about the upcoming Test season. The Wallabies squad trained exceptionally hard before their departure to New Zealand to ensure they were in the best possible condition ahead of two Tests next month.
“There have been countless success stories in the community game too. We’re entering finals time for a lot of Premier Rugby competitions around the country – and that is thanks to each of the Member Unions as well as the army of volunteers, that truly are the lifeblood of the game in this country.”
RUPA president Justin Harrison thanked Clarke and RA for its co-operation, recognising the fragile state that the sport and governing body finds itself in.
“Australia’s professional rugby players recognise the current state of the game and requirement to make these commitments for Rugby in Australia,” Harrison said.
“RUPA would like thank Rugby Australia for the honest and forthright approach, that was founded on the principles of transparency and participation, in solving for a common problem.”
According to the Sydney Morning Herald, Wallabies players have voted to pool a portion of Test-match payments – understood to be around $10,000 per match – and give them to those Super Rugby players still on pay cuts.
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Trading sides
Do you know the enemy? Do you know your enemy? Well, gotta know the enemy!
This is not just what Green Day/Rage against the Machine preached but what the Pumas are putting into practice after hiring former Wallabies coach Michael Cheika as a coaching consultant.
Despite emphatically stating that he would never coach against Australia, Cheika was more than happy to answer Mario Ledesma’s call considering the extensive lengths that the Pumas have gone to in order to compete in the Rugby Championship.
“I think considering what Argentina is doing for the game coming here, no footy at all under their belt this year, short-runway to play six Test matches in a row, I think it’s a huge effort from their players,” he told rugby.com.au
“They’ve been in a bubble in Argentina, now they’re in one in Uruguay, they’re going to be away from home for a long time, they’ve got players coming from Europe, they’ve had to go through a heap already so they can play footy and keep the competition going and make it happen.
“I just think it’s the right thing to do and have some fun as well.
“I love the Argentinian mentality and they’ve had such a great history around the game, to have the chance to help them out, especially in Australia my home country, and make this Championship happen you couldn’t ask for much more. What an opportunity.”
With the games confirmed to be hosted in Australia, Cheika believes that the doubleheaders will help boost the profile and image of the Wallabies provided they can manage to produce some positive results.
“It’s great for Australia that the games are here,” he said.
“They did a really great job in getting the games here.
“I was so pleased when they (Rugby Australia) went out to bat for it and they brought it here. The more noise we can make the Championship being here, double-headers the better.
“More chance for us to win the World Cup if we can show that we can do this during a difficult period here in Australia.”
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