Deans names Wallabies 34 man squad
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Robbie Deans today announced the Wallabies team to play on the Spring tour of Europe during November and early December.
Deans unveiled a side with 4 debutants in James O’Connor, the bolter from the Western Force at just 18. Quade Cooper from the Queensland Reds, Sekope Kepu from the Waratahs and David Pocock from the Western Force all make their first Australian squad.
A number of domestic players who have played little part for the Wallabies throughout the year will also make their appearance in the squad such as Digby Ioane, Mark Chisholm and Lachlan Turner.
Several notable absentees from the squad are Brumbies trio Mark Gerrard, Stephen Hoiles and Clyde Rathbone, all can wonder why they have been overlooked and what they have to do to win back favour.
Nathan Sharpe dodged a bullet will tour with the Wallabies, it may be his last chance to salvage a test career that only a few weeks ago looked over.
The Wallabies squad is;
Forwards:
Ben Alexander (Brumbies)
Alastair Baxter (Waratahs)
Richard Brown (Western Force)
Mark Chisholm (Brumbies)
Matt Dunning (Waratahs)
Adam Freier (Waratahs)
James Horwill (Reds)
Sekope Kepu (Waratahs)
Hugh McMeniman (Reds)
Dean Mumm (Waratahs)
Stephen Moore (Reds)
Wycliff Palu (Waratahs)
David Pocock (Western Force)
Tatafu Polota-Nau (Waratahs)
Benn Robinson (Waratahs)
Nathan Sharpe (Western Force)
George Smith (Brumbies)
Phil Waugh (Waratahs)
Backs:
Adam Ashley-Cooper (Brumbies)
Berrick Barnes (Reds)
Luke Burgess (Waratahs)
Quade Cooper (Reds)
Sam Cordingley (Reds)
Ryan Cross (Western Force)
Matt Giteau (Western Force)
Peter Hynes (Reds)
Digby Ioane (Reds)
Drew Mitchell (Western Force)
Stirling Mortlock (Brumbies)
James O’Connor (Western Force)
Brett Sheehan (Waratahs)
Timana Tahu (Waratahs)
Lote Tuqiri (Waratahs)
Lachlan Turner (Waratahs)
Deans to announce Wallabies squad tomorrow
Auatralian Wallabies coach Robbie Deans will tomorrow announce his 33 or 34 man squad for the European Spring tour. His squad will hinge on the fitness of Lote Tuqiri who is under an injury cloud as he recovers from knee surgery.
The Wallabies who will play six matches on tour including a clash against New Zealand on 1 November in Hong Kong will take a side very much focused toward the future as the blooding for the 2011 World Cup continues.
Several well known stars could be left out of the side with some doubts over the continuing international future of Nathan Sharpe and Phil Waugh as new talent emerges. Former test players such as Stephen Hoiles, Mark Gerrard, Mark Chisholm are all in consideration to return the squad.
We will bring you all the news tomorrow on the Wallabies selections.
Christchurch to be Wallabies 2011 Rugby World Cup base
Early planning for the 2011 Rugby World Cup in New Zealand has the Australian Wallabies based in Christchurch.
Although the plans are only preliminary it is likely Christchurch is likely to host the Wallabies enabling Robbie Deans to return hack to the home where he provided the Crusaders with five Super 12/14 championships.
It is expected final plans for where each team will be based will be formally announced towards the end of 2009.
Tuqiri in doubt for Spring tour
Lote Tuqiri is in some doubt for the upcoming Spring tour of Europe after undergoing an arthroscopy on Monday that will see him out of action for six weeks. Tuqiri has some loose knee cartliage removed that has caused him some difficulty throughout the Rugby Tri-Nations.
Tuqiri will be named in the Wallabies touring squad of 33 but will be monitored to ensure he is fully fit before the Wallabies depart on 27th October.
The star winger had an arthroscopy on Monday to remove loose knee cartilage and may be on the sidelines for up to six weeks before returning to full training.
Waugh fighting for place on Spring tour
Phil Waugh is under significant pressure to retain his spot on the Wallabies Spring tour in November 2008. Waugh was did not play against the All Blacks in Brisbane started the season regarded as the equal of George Smith but is now clearly down the pecking order after Smith excelled at every opportunity.
Phil Waugh, 28, has been a tireless performer for the Wallabies and Waratahs over the years but his time is looking nigh as a brood of young players emerge to take his place. The Ruck and Maul posed the question only several weeks ago if we have seen the end of Waugh and it seems we may have been on the mark then.
Waugh will struggle to hold his spot with Western Force young gun David Pocock, 20, and Richard Brown, 24, the debutant that had a cracker of a game breathing down his spot. Both players could easily be included in the squad ahead of Waugh and backup George Smith as the Wallabies openside flanker.
THe 33 man squad will be announced soon before the Wallabies go into a series of training camps before the end of season tour.
Palu in doubt for November tour
Wycliff Palu is in doubt for the Wallabies tour of the northern hemishphere in November. Palu suffered a grade two knee injury in the first half of the clash against the All Blacks in Brisbane.
If the grade two injury is confirmed then Palu is likely to be out for up to six weeks which would cast considerable doubt on his tour prospects in November. Richard Brown who had a sensational match last night would be a certain starter in Palu’s position at the back of the scrum.
All Blacks retain Tri-Nations & Bledisloe Cup: Video Highlights
The All Blacks were too good for the Wallabies 28-24 last night reclaiming the Tri-Nations and Bledisloe Cup. The Wallabies who have not won the Tri-Nations in 7 years has their chances but were unable to seal the victory with the All Blacks surging home and the Wallabies employing inferior tactics when they were leading 17-7.
Watch the match highlights from Fox Sports below.
Tri-Nations - New Zealand 28 Australia 24
The All Blacks came from a 17-7 deficit early in the second half to storm home to win 28-24 in a sensational Tri-Nations and Bledisloe Cup decider.
The All Blacks were near dead and buried with the Wallabies leading 17-7 until coach Graham Henry inspired the All Blacks with three key positional changes bringing on Weepu, Donald and Mealamu. The masterstroke changed the tide of the match as the All Blacks through fresh legs scored three tries in a row through sheer weight of possession and dominating the breakdown.
The All Blacks were dominating and the Wallabies had no answers only bringing on fresh legs in the last 10 minutes. at this stage the match was virtually gone. The Wallabies scored a late Ryan Cross try and with less than two minutes remaining the Wallabies trailed 28-24. The Wallabies were deep in attack but the ball was turned over at the breakdown and the match was lost.
The All Blacks had recliamed the Tri-Nations and Bledisloe Cup for 2008.
The match started promisingly for the All Blacks with an early lead 7-0 through a Mils Mulieana try. The Wallabies dominated possession in the first half as Carter and McCaw were neutralised. It was not until just before half-time that the Wallabies scored with a fantastic try to Adam Ashley-Cooper. The Wallabies went into the break 10-7 leaders.
Apart from the first few minutes of the second half where the Wallabies looked like they could have runaway with the match the All Blacks soon upped a few gears and eventually took the match out with a greater degree of tactical nous and determination at the breakdown.
On a losing side George Smith did everything to nullify McCaw and did but ended up on the losing side. The Wallaby forwards were sensational, Sharpe and Horwill were exceptional and Richard Brown who replaced Palu in the first half has a long future with a great performance off the bench with a high workrate and hard running. Ryan Cross and Adam Ashley-Cooper constantly challenged the defence with direct running and evasive skills.
The All Blacks were well served by the replacements Weepu, Donald and Mealamu who added zest off the bench. Kaino was also strong with some massive hits and constant involvement. It was hard not to be impressed with the team effort from the All Blacks, what makes them different to other teams is they know how to dig deep and play for each other. The All Blacks were deserving winners on the night.
The less said about the pathetic effort from the referee Kaplan the better.
New Zealand 28
Tries: Mils Mulieana, Tony Woodcock, Piri Weepu, Dan Carter
Goals: Dan Carter 4 conversions
Australia 24
Tries: Adam Ashley-Cooper, James Horwill, Ryan Cross
Goals: Matt Giteau 3 conversions, penalty
Tri-Nations: Australia vs New Zealand Preview
Brisbane will stage the final of the Tri-Nations tomorrow in a match that will decide the winner of the 2008 Tri-Nations series between the Wallabies and All Blacks.
Brisbane has been a bit a fortress for the Wallabies but the last team to beat them here was a Richie McCaw inspired All Blacks in 2006 that triumphed 13-9. The match will be a tough uncompromsing encounter with the All Blacks keen to retain their silverware and the Wallabies wanting to claim it.
The Wallabies have been critised heavily after their defeat to the Springboks 53-8 and the critism has stung them, they will not repeat the disaster at Ellis Park. Robbie Deans has worked on the mental issues within the team and will have them primed for the match.
Graham Henry knows all about pressure, he has been under it since before the World Cup loss in 2007. Henry has a team that on their day can blow anyone of the park and they have McCaw. McCaw is the best player in the game and is always virtually unstoppable. If McCaw and Carter the next best player in the game get on a roll then the All Blacks will win.
The Wallabies will need to shape up in the forwards, without a solid platform the Wallabies will be beaten. The battle of the backrow will be perhaps the highlight, the winner will take the Tri-Nations Trophy. THe big battle is Smith vs McCaw. McCaw can’t be stopped but his influence can be reduced.
If the Wallabies run continually at McCaw and get him involved in alot of tackles they have a chance to stop his involvement through fatigue. This has worked against McCaw in the past, it will not stop him but the more tackles he has to make then the less his involvement at the breakdown will be.
The All Blacks will look to dominate the scrum hoping to dent the Wallabies front row. If they dominate early the Wallabies will not have a platform to go forward. The Giteau, Mortlock, Cross combination is another area that will have plenty of runners heading their way. The All Blacks will aim to exploit this new combination and will heavily pressure Giteau’s kick all night.
The Ruck and Maul Verdict: Maybe I am crazy but I reckon the Wallabies will win by 5. George Smith will play the game of his life and will control McCaw as best as possible and Ryan Cross will do all the damage.
Australia
Adam Ashley-Cooper, Peter Hynes, Ryan Cross, Stirling Mortlock, Lote Tuqiri, Matt Giteau, Sam Cordingley, Wycliff Palu, George Smith, Rocky Elsom, Nathan Sharpe, James Horwill, Al Baxter, Stephen Moore, Benn Robinson.
Reserves: Adam Freier, Matt Dunning, Hugh McMeniman, Phil Waugh, Richard Brown, Brett Sheehan, Drew Mitchell.
New Zealand
Mils Muliaina; Richard Kahui, Conrad Smith, Ma’a Nonu, Sitiveni Sivivatu; Dan Carter, Jimmy Cowan; Rodney So’oialo, Richie McCaw, Jerome Kaino; Ali Williams, Brad Thorn; Greg Somerville, Andrew Hore, Tony Woodcock.
Reserves: Keven Mealamu, John Afoa/Neemia Tialata, Anthony Boric, Adam Thomson, Piri Weepu, Stephen Donald, Isaia Toeava.
Elsom sits out Wallabies training
Rocky Elsom sat out training today after being hit with a virus. Instead of Elsom training he spent his time back at the hotel but team management assure that he will be ready to take his place at the side of the scrum for the Wallabies in his 39th test on Saturday.
Hugh McMeniman took his place but come game time it will be Elsom back in action in what will be his final appearance for the Wallabies in the near future as he will move to Leinster after the match.