27 May 2025
Good morning readers, and welcome to another episode of Tuesday’s news. If you’re new to the site, welcome; if you’re are a regular, welcome back. There’s a bit to cover today, some news about the Wallaroos including a brief summary of the game against Canada, some general news and a Wallabies team of the week.
Wallaroos
Rugby Australia broke the news on Sunday that Wallaroos coach Jo Yapp will finish her time in charge of the Wallaroos after the World Cup in England in August and September this year. You can read Nathan Williamson’s article here.
The Wallaroos have shown a lot of improvement in the last 18 months with Yapp in charge, the most obvious success being the victory in the WXV2 tournament in South Africa last year, which is the first piece of silverware that the Wallaroos have ever won.
Director of High Performance Peter Horne thanked Yapp for her strong contribution to the Wallaroos and Australian Rugby. “Jo has made a positive impact on the Wallaroos since relocating to Australia 18 months ago and we wish her and her family all the best for the future,” RA Head of High Performance Peter Horne said. “The growth of women’s rugby in Australia has been evident during her tenure and this is a credit to Jo and her staff as they build towards the Rugby World Cup. It’s an exciting period for the Wallaroos with a home World Cup in 2029 on the horizon and we will look at the best possible candidates to fill the role for next year.”
Rugby Australia has announced that it will start looking for a new coach after the World Cup, which will allow Yapp and the team to focus on the World Cup.
To quote Jo Yapp herself: “My family and I are very grateful for the opportunities we’ve had in Australia and I am proud of the progression the Wallaroos program has had over the past 18 months,” Yapp said in a statement. “This was a difficult decision, as I thoroughly enjoy coaching the Wallaroos, but my family always come first when considering future plans and we have decided to return to the UK once my contract expires. There is still a lot of rugby ahead and the key reason for announcing this now is to avoid any distractions before the critical preparation period for the World Cup begins. I want to thank everyone at Rugby Australia who has made me feel so welcome. I am now focused on leading this talented and exciting Australian team into the 2025 World Cup.”
The Wallaroos have three games before the World Cup, the first against the Kiwis on 12 July in New Zealand, before hosting Wales at Ballymore on 26 July and again on 1 August at North Sydney Oval.
Then it’s off to the World Cup where they will play Samoa, the USA and England. You would think the Wallaroos will need to beat Samoa and the USA to go through the finals.
From those of us at G&GR, thank you Jo for your contribution to the Wallaroos, and we wish you the best in your return to England .
Wallaroos v Canada
The Wallaroos took on Canada at Suncorp Stadium on Friday night, and I think it’s fair to say they were outplayed in every facet of the game as Canada ran away by 45 points to 7. The Wallaroos made a number of changes across the team as they sought to find an advantage and test their broader squad.
It was a poor start for the Wallaroos, letting the ball bounce from the kickoff, and Canada scored the first of their 7 tries in just the second minute. Canada scored 2 more tries in the first half, and 4 in the second half, while the Aussies scored their sole try in the 43rd minute with Desiree Miller finding her way over the line.
For large parts of the game, the Canadians dominated the Aussies, stealing the lineout seemingly at will, and winning scrum penalties in addition to completely controlling possession and territory. The Canadians combined brutal physicality in the forwards with brilliant pace and handling in the backs when they ran it. It seemed so easy for them to create the extra player with more runners in motion. Credit to Canada for a dominant performance that reinforces their world ranking.
The Wallaroos stuck at it and had good periods of play where they held their own, it’s just that Canada were better for longer periods of the game. For the Wallaroos, Palu was strong, the locks Leonard and Leaney tackled everything they could, Emily Chancellor was good when she came on and Caslick and Friedrichs went well in the centres. Caitlyn Halse was excellent at fullback and really brings speed and a physical presence. Flyhalf Faitala Moleka had an indifferent game, mixing good play with errors, but she wasn’t Robinson Caruso there. Tia Hinds got some important minutes off the bench, looking sharp with the ball, and kicking well.
The Wallaroos forwards looked better when they used footwork as they carried the ball into the defensive line to find a softer shoulder and get quick ball.
Plenty to work on for the Wallaroos over the next 3 games and 3 months before the World Cup.
Coaching the First Nations and Pasifika Invitational XV Match.
Rugby Australia has announced the coaching team that will support Toutai Kefu against the Lions in Melbourne on 22 July. Kefu will be supported by Tana Umaga, Sekope Kepu, Simon Raiwalui, and Glen Ella. There are some serious playing and coaching credentials in that group, and I hope they can bring out the best of the squad they choose for the match. The match is a mid-week game, and while all of the Lions squad are test match players from up north, maybe a lack of combinations will even the playing field. Either way, it should be great to watch.
Wallabies team of the week
It’s Tuesday so it’s time for a look at a potential Wallabies team of the week. I watched the Reds game in full, rewatched the mini match, and watched the mini match of the Force v Tahs shambles twice. Based on the commentary on the G&GR whatsapp chat, and BLLs review, I couldn’t make myself watch the full game. So here we go.
- Angus Bell – going to go with Bell, although, maybe don’t throw the ball into your opponent’s head after your team wins a penalty.
- Richie Asiata – the Reds had a 100% lineout, and scrum success rate on Friday night. Meat and potatoes type stuff.
- Zane Nonggorr – maybe he needs to rethink the grubber kick on half time, but otherwise a solid performance.
- Jeremy Williams – such an important player for the Force and the Tahs lost 5 lineouts. Found the ball in space and made tackles.
- Darcy Swain – good combination with Williams, and in a game that had a lot of niggle, he didn’t seem to be involved.
- Joe Brial – scored a great try, and played well. Improved on last week with another personal best performance.
- Fraser McReight – a good all around game, and getting back towards his best with.
- Harry Wilson – paayed the full 80 minutes and got better as the game went on.
- Tate Mcdermott – A great game by Tate, scored two tries and challenged the defensive line. If only his box-kicking were a bit better.
- Tom Lynagh – did the unthinkable and kicked a couple of penalty goals when the Reds needed points.
- Darby Lancaster – scored a double including the match winner in golden point. I’ll let the Force fans debate if he lost control of the ball while doing so.
- Hamish Stewart – a very good all around game, scored an excellent try, but did start a fight which he was penalised for.
- Bayley Kuenzle – had some really good touches for the Force.
- Harry Potter – another good game from the winger, is able to create space for others, and use it himself.
- Mac Grealy – made way for Beale, but was very busy in his time on the field, including scoring a try in the first half.
- ??? ?????? – not sure who to pick here.
- Jeff Toomaga-Allen
- Tom Robertson
- Ryan Smith – a bit of an unsung hero in the reds pack.
- Carlo Tizzano – another try, and good all around performance.
- Nic White – some good early composure and his box kicking is excellent.
- Harry McLaughlin-Phillips – it was a close loss to the Canes, and HMP almost got the Reds home.
- Filipo Daugunu – was good in attack and defence against the Canes. Almost made the starting side at 13.
That’s a wrap
As always, thanks for making it this far, and look forward to the chat throughout the day in the comments.
Cheers – RAWF
