Dane Haylett-Petty recovers and sevens star set for Super Rugby AU debut while Force tweak their backline
Olympic Sevens hopeful Lachie Anderson is set to make his Super Rugby AU debut in Melbourne’s must-win last-round clash with the Western Force in Newcastle on Saturday.
Anderson has been a key part of the Australian Sevens team since 2017 but joined the Rebels program this year when the World Series was cut short and Tokyo Olympics delayed due to the coronavirus.
Named on the Rebels bench, he’s a former teammate of gun Melbourne Storm fullback Ryan Papenhuyzen, with the pair lining up in their school rugby team.
“Lachie has been consistently good in training and he’s genuinely quick,” Melbourne coach Dave Wessels said on Thursday.
“He’s got genuine speed and he’s quite a big body so I think he’s going to develop into a really good outside back for us.”
Among the other changes to the Rebels line-up is the return of injured skipper Dane Haylett-Petty at fullback, forcing sweeping backline changes.
Fellow Wallaby Reece Hodge shifts to outside centre to partner Bill Meakes, with Matt Toomua and James Tuttle the new halves combination and Marika Koroibete and Tom Pincus the wingers.
The Force have their leading tryscorer winger Byron Ralston back after he was rested against the Brumbies with Wallaby hopeful Kyle Godwin returning to outside centre.
“It’s really nice to have Dane’s experience back in the team; he adds a calming voice to the team and we’ve missed him,” said Wessels.
“I thought Reece has played really well at 15 so it wasn’t an easy decision but Campbell Magnay is out so we decided to move Hodgey to 13.”
Bustling prop Pone Fa’amausili is missing from the squad with Wessels saying he tweaked his hamstring at training after putting on a linebreak followed by a chip and chase.
“He was thinking he was Christian Cullen or something,” Wessels said.
While the floodgates aren't opening, there will certainly be a few more high-profile players heading offshore in the coming years. #Wallabies #SuperRugbyAUhttps://t.co/DoUa42Jv6j
— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) August 27, 2020
Despite the showboating, the Rebels are deadly serious about what’s at stake – needing to beat the winless Force by four points or more to secure the spot over NSW in the qualifying final against Queensland.
The Brumbies have already advanced to the grand final on September 19.
“We are going to have to play well on Saturday because the Force play with a lot of spirit and they will be wanting to finish the season on a high,” Wessels said.
“There’s no time for excuses now – we’re at the business end of the comp and we feel like if we can put the performance on, and everyone is desperate to do that for all the people of Victoria … we want to do that and win this comp.”
Rebels: Dane Haylett-Petty, Tom Pincus, Reece Hodge, Bill Meakes, Marika Koroibete, Matt Toomua (c), James Tuttle, Isi Naisarani, Richard Hardwick, Michael Wells, Trevor Hosea, Matt Philip, Jermaine Ainsley, Jordan Uelese, Cameron Orr. Reserves: Efitusi Ma’afu, Cabous Eloff, Matt Gibbon, Michael Stolberg, Esei Haangana, Frank Lomani, Andrew Deegan, Lachlan Anderson.
Force: Jack McGregor, Byron Ralston, Kyle Godwin, Henry Taefu, Marcel Brache, Jono Lance, Ian Prior (c), Henry Stowers, Brynard Stander, Fergus Lee-Warner, Ollie Atkins, Jeremy Thrush, Kieran Longbottom, Andrew Ready, Pek Cowan. Reserves: Heath Tessmann, Chris Heiberg, Dominic Hardman, Johan Bardoul, Kane Koteka, Nick Frisby, Nick Jooste, Jake Strachan.
– Melissa Woods
Comments on RugbyPass
Bar the injuries, it’s pretty much their top team …
2 Go to commentsDon’t disagree with much of this but it appears you forgot Rodda and Beale, who started at the Force on the weekend.
9 Go to commentsExcept for the injured Zach Gallagher this would be Saders best forward pack for the season. Blackadder needs to stay at 7, for all of Christies tackling he is not dominant and offers very little else. McNicholfullback is maybe a good option, Fihaki not really upto it, there was a reason Burke played there last year. Maybe Havilli to 2nd five McLeod to wing. Need a strong winger on 1 side to compliment Reece
1 Go to commentsTo me TJ is clearly the best 9 in the competition right now but he's also a proven player off the bench, there's few playmaking players who can come off the bench as calm and settled as he is, Beauden can, TJ can and I doubt any of the scrumhalves in contention can, if they want to experiment with new 9s I want him on the bench ready to step in if they crumble under the pressure. The Boks put their best front row on the bench, I'd like to see us take a similar approach, the Hurricanes have been doing similar things with players like Kirifi.
35 Go to commentsROG has better chance to win a WC if he starts training and make himself eligible as a player. He won’t make the Ireland squad but I reckon he may get close with Namibia (needs to improve his Afrikaans) or Portugal. Both sides had 1000:1 odds to win the RWC in 2023 which is an improvement on ROG’s odds of winning a RWC as a coach. Unlike Top 14 teams, national teams can’t go shopping and buy the best players - you work with the available talent pool and turn them into world beaters.
2 Go to commentsthat backline nope that backline is terrible why would you have sevu Reece when he’s not even top 5 wingers in the comp why have Blackadder when there’s better players no Scott barret isn’t an automatic the guy is more of a liability than anything why have him there when you have samipeni who’s far far better
35 Go to commentsAh, good to find you Nick. Agree with everything about Cale. So much to like about his game
49 Go to commentsNot too bad. Questions at 6, lock and HB for me. The ABs will be a lot stronger once Jordan and Roigard return. Also, work needs to be made to secure Frizzell back for next season and maybe also Mo’unga; they’re just wasting time playing in japan
35 Go to commentsOn the title, i wonder for many of those people it is a case something like a belief in working smarter, not harder?
1 Go to commentsForget Sotutu. One of those whose top level is Super Rugby. Id take a punt on Wallace Sititi Finau ahead of Glass body Blackadder.
35 Go to commentsI’m a pensioner so I've been around a bit. My opinion of SBW is he is an elite athlete and a great New Zealander and roll model. He has been to the top and knows what he's talking about. To all the negative comments regarding SBW the typical New Zealand way, cut that tall poppy down.
17 Go to commentsI'm not listening to a guy moralise over others when this is the guy who walked out mid season on Canterbury RLFC when he had a contract with them, what a hypocrite. All the Kiwis sticking up for this unprincipled individual because they can't accept justified criticism, he has zero credibility or integrity. Those praising him are a joke.
17 Go to commentsI’d put Finau at 6 instead of Blackadder but that’s the only change I’d make. Can’t wait to see who Razor picks.
35 Go to commentsTamati Williams, Codie Taylor, and Same Cane? Not sure about Hoskins Sotutu at test level. Wasn’t that impressive last season. Need a balance between experience and talent/youth.
35 Go to commentsInteresting insight. Fantastic athlete, and a genuine human being.
17 Go to commentsThey played at night in Suva last weekend and it’s an afternoon game forecast for 19 degrees in Canberra this weekend. Heat change is a non issue.
2 Go to commentsWishing Rosie a speedy recovery
1 Go to commentsObscene that SA haven’t been knocking
1 Go to commentsChances of Blackadder being injured seem too high to give him serious consideration. ABs loosie combination finally looked good with 2 committed to tackling and clearing rucks in the centre and Ardie roaming. Hoskins/Ardie together would force one of them into where they don’t excel and don’t get to use their talent, or require a change in tactics. If we continue to evolve last years systems I would take Papali’i and Finau at 6 and 7 (conceding that Blackadder will be injured) and Ardie at 8.
35 Go to commentsArdie’s preferred position 7? Where do they get these writers from? I've no idea where he's playing in Japan, but the previous two seasons he wore the 7 jersey exactly twice.
18 Go to comments