Thursday’s Rugby News has the Brumbies in the Wallabies squad, Kane Douglas and Rob Simmons thinking aloud, and a resignation at ARU HQ.
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(Brum + Walla) Bies
The names of the Brumbies in the Wallabies squad has been announced finally.
rugby.com.au reports that Allan Alaalatoa, Scott Sio, Rory Arnold, Sam Carter, Joe Powell, Henry Speight and Tevita Kuridrani have all been added to squad. No Scott Fardy, no Tom Banks.
The Rugby Report Card’s favourite player, Kyle Godwin, wasn’t considered due to injury.
The Wallabies squad is currently in Newcastle, running up hills and doing beep tests and what not. They’ll go back home at the end of the week.
On 6 August, the camp – which will at that stage be the squad named for the Bledisloe test – will head up to Cessnock, and then head back down to Penrith in the final few days before the game that will be known in the future as the 19 August Bloodbath.
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Kane Able
Kane Douglas, like Rob Simmons, is somehow in the Wallabies squad and he ain’t letting go.
“I’ve been trying to do everything I can to get back into the Reds team to get back in the Wallabies team,” Douglas said, via Fox Sports and AAP.
“I still think I’ve got a few good years left in me and I can still play my best footy, hopefully that’s still in front of me.
“I’m loving being back involved (with the Wallabies) and I’m just trying to do what I can and improve on a few things this week.
“Hopefully when the squad gets culled down a bit I might be left standing, but I’ve just got to do my best while I’m here, it’s all I can do.”
Douglas was left out of the riveting June series, but Cheika has seen fit to recall the 38-test Wallaby.
“With Kane, there’s a bit of me there just saying ‘I know what this guy can do, and I want to have the chance at least to get him back at that level.”
Meanwhile, when Kane was asked by what Cheika had told, Kane replied:
“I had a good chat with him one day. It was more about me just putting my hand up and getting stuck in.”
Ah, that old chestnut.
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No Todd Day Today
There’s been a resignation at ARU HQ, as Chief Financial Officer Todd Day as decided to do one to the Australian Olympic Committee.
Day had been in the job for 6 years, and his resignation comes in the wake of Chief Operating Officer Rob Clarke hanging up his laptop in May.
Some peeps – cough The Rugby Insider cough – believe that Day’s and Clarke’s resignations signal a coming flood of ARU staff turnover, but Day has told the SMH that that ain’t true.
“No, I don’t think so,” he said.
“There’s always going to be conjecture and perception around that [decision], given it is so soon after Rob leaving. While I love the game and I’m passionate about the game…after a long time professionally it is a good time to move on and do something different.
“I handed [my resignation] in a couple of weeks ago to Bill. He tried to talk me out of it but I probably made the final decision a couple of weeks ago.”
Asked whether he’s a quitter because the Super Rugby cut saga Day – who’s believed to have been a significant influence on the decision to snip – said it did get a bit tough.
“I’d be lying if I said it didn’t have an effect and take a toll,” said Day. “There’s an enormous amount of pressure put on key members in the ARU. We’ve tried to sort through a process as best we can. We’re confident there will be a resolution.
“That’s not the reason for this decision.”
Asked if the ship could stay afloat before he jumped off, Day answered:
“The 2011 to 2015 period was quite tough financially for a number of reasons. The new broadcast deal that was done was a big result for us. We’re in a good spot. We’re in good shape and we’ll get through this.”
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Simmons Thinking
Rob Simmons has got himself into the Wallabies camp, despite not having a club next year, and the dissonance is making him quite philosophical.
“It’s hard to say [why I haven’t been playing well] – if I knew I’d probably fix it,” Simmons said, via rugby.com.au. “It’s been tough – I’ve tried to figure that out myself.
“Maybe I’ve been focusing on other things, been in other roles within other teams instead of focusing on myself and getting my own things done and trying to help others.
“I don’t think that’s an excuse, it’s just what’s happened and I’ve probably let myself down in that area.
“At the end of the day, to be a leader, (setting) the example is always going to win and that’s probably where I let myself down is not looking after my own backyard first.”
Despite getting the chop from the Reds, Simmons is determined to move on and prove himself.
“It’s definitely been a tough year for me. I’m not shying away from that, it has been hard,” he said.
“It’s hard to take a positive but I use it to try and motivate myself or something like that.
“I don’t want to throw my toys out of the cot or anything, say someone’s wrong or right. I just try and use it and be constructive with it and move forward.
“This is an opportunity. That’s what I’ve got to realise now, this is an opportunity to be taken and improve myself.”
Without a club, Simmons has been looking for new work with the Waratahs a possible destination. But that’s also proving a bit hard for Simmons.
“I’d love to get [a contract] done but I can understand from all parties that it isn’t as easy as saying, ‘Let’s get it done’,” he said.
“I know they’re announcing guys, I don’t know how they’re doing it but it’s hard to make calls on guys coming in I think, it’s just that they’re at someone else’s mercy a bit, so (I’m) just waiting to see what happens.”
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