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5 huge names who could go the RWC with little or no game time
The road to the Rugby World Cup in France has not been without obstacles for some of the sport’s biggest names.
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Injuries and other circumstances have left several prominent players with little or no game-time leading up to the tournament. Despite these challenges, their proven track records and immense talent have put them in a position where they are likely to be selected with or without any game times in the Summers Nations Series.
Here are five players facing going into the Rugby World Cup undercooked.
1. Johnny Sexton – Ireland
Experienced fly-half Johnny Sexton is facing a much-publicised setback on his journey to the 2023 Rugby World Cup. Following an incident in which he verbally ‘sprayed’ officials after the Heineken Cup final between Leinster and La Rochelle, Sexton has been banned by the EPCR, meaning he won’t feature for Ireland in the Summer Nations Series. Ireland are scheduled to face Italy on August 5 in their opening warm-up game, followed by matches against England and Samoa later in the month – all of which Sexton will miss. Ireland’s first World Cup fixture against Romania is set for September 9 in Bordeaux, which the 38-year-old will be available for.
2. Handre Pollard – South Africa
South African fly-half Handre Pollard is dealing with an injury sustained while playing for Leicester Tigers in the Gallagher Premiership. Despite limited game-time, the fact that Pollard has repeatedly shown his capabilities on the international stage means he will go whether he plays any warm-up games or not. The Boks’ coaching staff is closely monitoring his recovery and will assess his availability for the tournament based on his fitness and match-readiness.
3. Siya Kolisi – South Africa
As with teammate Pollard, Kolisi is also contending with an injury concern. Despite his limited recent game-time, Kolisi will go to the Rugby World Cup. “The thing with Siya and Handre is that they’ve repeatedly shown us what they’re capable of on the international level and that’s a fact that counts in their favour when it comes to selection,” said Bok head coach Jacques Nienaber. “What I’m trying to say here is that you’d probably take those two men to France without them actually having seen any competitive action in the build-up.” The coaching staff remains hopeful that he will be back playing towards the end of the warm-up window.
4. Taulupe Faletau – Wales
Wales’ dynamic back row, Taulupe Faletau, is another player facing challenges in the lead-up to the Rugby World Cup. Injuries have kept him out of action since April, and his selection will depend on his recovery and match fitness. However, as with Pollard and Kolisi, he could well go without playing any rugby. “If he doesn’t feature it’s not going to necessarily rule him out. I’m not sure if he will play (in the warm-up games),” said Wales forwards coach Jonathan Humphreys. “Hopefully he will, but I don’t think it’s something we’ll massively push if he’s not 100 per cent.”
5. Sam Whitelock – New Zealand
All Blacks icon Sam Whitelock is currently on the comeback trail having recovered from an injury that he played through in the final of Super Rugby Pacific. Although he is likely to feature from an unfamiliar bench spot in tomorrow’s game against the Wallabies in the Rugby Championship, his motivation to win back his jersey is clearly still there. “My hunger is exactly the same as it always is – I want to be out there and playing good rugby for myself, but also helping the team in any way, whatever role that is.”
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Comments on RugbyPass
Amazing. The losing team’s ratings are higher than the winning team’s. Mallia definitely didn’t deserve a y. What game were you watching? Should have got a w or an x. ADP hardly featured in that second half. At one point I wondered when he’d been subbed. Seems to me as if he gets an automatic 9 just for getting onto the team sheet.
1 Go to commentsI’m sorry. That second half was far from enthralling. It was painful to watch.
1 Go to commentsVery generous! If you’d missed the game, reading this you’d conclude that it was the Quins front row that cost them the game. Marler getting a blanket 6 for his demented contribution to the game. Puzzling.
1 Go to commentsCan’t see Toulouse beating Leinster at this rate.
7 Go to commentsADP was having a very average game until winning that penalty for Toulouse, sticking his big head in the way. “The head of God”?
7 Go to commentsHarlequins doing their best to do as little damage as possible with all the possession. Looks like they skipped catch and pass drills this week.
7 Go to commentsSeeing pictures of Jacques high-fiving it with Irish players breaks my heart. Too soon. I need more time.
1 Go to commentsquins is all over the place. The minute they get the ball they panic. Quins can still win tho just need to win all rucks otherwise just don't bother.
7 Go to commentsGreat wins for the male & female kiwi sides. Ireland not far away..
1 Go to commentsWhy is this dude getting so much coverage? Usually knobs like this get cancelled.
2 Go to commentsWow. What was that? A 3 million word meandering article about what exactly?
2 Go to commentsNice piece of writing. And yes the Sharks pulled a rabbit from the hat and were a little lucky with that penalty try that wasn’t given… however the Sharks (with their resources) should be way more consistent and should be putting teams like Claremont away for breakfast. I expect more from them and hope they kick on now.
8 Go to commentsJust what the Sharks needed to get things going in the right direction Defence on the outside really creates havoc for the whole team and needs to be addressed.
8 Go to commentsWell done guys both teams will be ready to play knockout rugby.
1 Go to commentsSurprised that Ramos isn't starting at 15. But what a squad of galacticos!
2 Go to commentsWhy is it a snub? What journalistic garbage is that? Sure the guy is a great player, but there are plenty of loose forwards and not all of them can be Springboks. Also, I know of no-one who doubts Rassie’s judgment. South Africa has a conveyor belt of loose forwards that just keeps producing, so the competition is intense. I certainly wish him well, but there is no entitlement and there is no snub.
17 Go to commentsSkelton may be brought back for the Wallabies so that would be the only reason that may hinder Wilson. Easily the form, most skilful and game IQ of any Oz 8. Valentini’s best and favourite position is 6, but lineouts may be an issue with Skelton, Valentini and Wilson. Will be interesting what Schmidt goes for but for me Wilson should be picked on form. Schmidt rewards work rate, skill and consistency. All that glitters every so often won’t be in contention. Greely is one of those players that has a knack of making the right decision. A coach is going to love him because he knows week in week out he’s going to get the job done. The second try Greely wasn’t the guy who made the initial break it was Flook, Greely was at the bottom of the ruck when Flook was off along the sideline. Greely got up and made the effort to catch up with play but also read the play nicely and hit the pass from Campbell at pace and then held the pass beautifully to Ryan.
6 Go to commentsSpot on Ben. Dead right. Havili looked great at 10. Easily the highest rugby IQ of any NZ player these days. Getting a kick charged down is a result of getting used to adjusting your depth to the line at 10, which he will sort out with time. But other than that it was an outstanding first effort in that position this year. I think the NZ media has misunderstood this directive from Razor. Havili might rank behind B Barrett this year, but Beuden is 33 this month and won't last much longer. DMaC is great but flaky and not really a test match animal (his efforts in Dunedin versus Aus last year for example). If Razor can't have Mounga, DMaC is too unstructured for Razor (and is just too small for test rugby). Havili will end up our first choice first five, and in partnership with Jodie will be excellent. Two triple threat operators in tandem, and big bodies and tough tacklers to boot. Jordoe will be the ABs goal kicker. I am an Aucklander and Blues (and Warriors) fan, but Havili at 10 is going to be sensational in time… he can be the best first five in the world by the end of this year. No question.
6 Go to commentsSharks deserved to be far further back by the last quarter. Their tackling was awful, their set pieces were disappointing, their defensive organization was poor (especially on the Kok side of the D line), they kept making unnecessary errors, and they never looked like cracking the Clermont defense during those first 60m. Masuku kept them in touch, with some help from the Clermont generosity on penalty opportunities. Agree with the writer of this article. It was belligerence, and ability to raise their pressure game just enough, that turned the last quarter into a Bok-style shutout. Clermont have a reputation of not playing the full 80m, and there was a bit of that for sure. But, quite often when the intensity of a team drops off in the last quarter credit is due to the opponent for tiring them out. At 60m, with the Kok try, you thought that just maybe the game was on. At 70m, with the Mapimpi contribution, one felt that Clermont were fading, while facing a team that would maintain the pressure game through the final whistle. Good win in the end, but the Sharks are still playing way below their potential. And with their resources, and a coach that has had enough time to figure things out, they are running out of excuses.
8 Go to commentsGood riddance
1 Go to comments