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Rugby World Cup Depth Chart - Australia

By RugbyPass
How are the Wallabies placed in the lead up to the Rugby World Cup?

When Michael Cheika’s first Wallabies squad of the year was announced, there was plenty of talk about the players that had missed out.

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Halves Quade Cooper and Nick Phipps, who many had expected to be selected for vastly different reasons, were the two big omissions. Also absent were the likes of experienced hooker Tatafu Polota-Nau and returning utility back James O’Connor – but as it turned out, there were other factors keeping Polota-Nau and O’Connor out of the squad.

All absences aside, there’s still plenty of firepower in this Wallabies side that has had plenty of preparation time together.

Australia have all their bases covered with their current squad (Sam Stevens).In the front row, there’s a fine balance of form players, experienced heads and up-and-comers.

Scott Sio will maintain his role as the starting loosehead prop, likely partnering Sekope Kepu or Brumbies teammate Allan Alaalatoa. Kepu has split his time between both sides of the scrum over the last few years and with Taniela Tupou’s rise, Kepu may find he’s best utilised from the loosehead side.

The three hookers, Folau Fainga, Tolu Latu and Jordan Uelese are all great prospects for the Wallabies, but they’re also vastly inexperienced. Uelese spent most of the year recovering from an injury he suffered in 2019 whilst Latu sat out a number of matches due to misbehaviour both on and off the field. Whether Polota-Nau comes into the squad for one of these two hookers will be an interesting watch – he’s hardly been on-form himself, but he is vastly more experienced than the current options.

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Izack Rodda has been great as both a player and a leader for the Reds this season and Rob Simmons has been consistent for the Waratahs. Luke Jones has found a new lease of life this year and could spend time in either the second or third rows of the scrum.

Lukhan Salakaia-Loto, who spent the latter half of last year away from rugby, could slot straight back into the 6 jersey – though he’ll have tough competition from the likes of Jones, Rob Valetini and the comparatively experienced Jack Dempsey.

On the openside, Liam Wright has been brought into the squad to cover for David Pocock’s absence. Whether Wright gets any game time is still in question, given the presence of Michael Hooper.

Form has been the order of the day at halfback, with Will Genia and the returning Nic White likely to share starting duties. They’ve been preferred ahead of stalwart Nick Phipps, who has not exactly set the world alight in the last few seasons. Still, Phipps provided great cover as a defensive sweeper – a role necessary when your defence tends to leak line-breaks.

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Cooper’s drop off in form in the latter half of Super Rugby has seen Bernard Foley, Christian Lealiifano and Matt Toomua selected as flyhalf coverage. Toomua is probably the luckiest of those three, given he only returned to Australia with a few games left in Super Rugby. Foley has been used as the main 10 in recent seasons but Lealiifano has had the sturdiest season – their battle for the playmaker role will be eagerly watched.

All three first fives can also cover the midfield, but it would a travesty in the departing Samu Kerevi is not used at inside centre, given his superlative performances throughout the year. A partnership with Tevita Kuridrani seems probable, though utility Reece Hodge can also cover – and he offers an excellent goal-kicking option. Kurtley Beale could be deployed at 12 with Kerevi shifted out a spot, but he also shapes up as a possible Israel Folau replacement in the backfield.

Dane Haylett-Petty will be gunning for Folau’s vacated jersey and will put up an excellent challenge to Beale. Hodge also comes into the picture at fullback, as does young Brumbies speedster Tom Banks. Marika Koroibete, Jack Maddocks and Adam Ashley-Cooper are all vastly different options on the wing and their selection could hing on the opposition they’re facing on the day.

There are plenty of options for the Wallabies across the park, but also very few certainties in any jersey. The Rugby Championship will be used as a way for Cheika to figure out his top competitions before Australia arrives at the Rugby World Cup later in the year. The last thing the Wallabies need is to be still trying to figure out who should be starting at 10 come the knockout stages of the competition.

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Jon 5 hours ago
Jake White: Are modern rugby players actually better?

This is the problem with conservative mindsets and phycology, and homogenous sports, everybody wants to be the same, use the i-win template. Athlete wise everyone has to have muscles and work at the gym to make themselves more likely to hold on that one tackle. Do those players even wonder if they are now more likely to be tackled by that player as a result of there “work”? Really though, too many questions, Jake. Is it better Jake? Yes, because you still have that rugby of ole that you talk about. Is it at the highest International level anymore? No, but you go to your club or checkout your representative side and still engage with that ‘beautiful game’. Could you also have a bit of that at the top if coaches encouraged there team to play and incentivized players like Damian McKenzie and Ange Capuozzo? Of course we could. Sadly Rugby doesn’t, or didn’t, really know what direction to go when professionalism came. Things like the state of northern pitches didn’t help. Over the last two or three decades I feel like I’ve been fortunate to have all that Jake wants. There was International quality Super Rugby to adore, then the next level below I could watch club mates, pulling 9 to 5s, take on the countries best in representative rugby. Rugby played with flair and not too much riding on the consequences. It was beautiful. That largely still exists today, but with the world of rugby not quite getting things right, the picture is now being painted in NZ that that level of rugby is not required in the “pathway” to Super Rugby or All Black rugby. You might wonder if NZR is right and the pathway shouldn’t include the ‘amateur’, but let me tell you, even though the NPC might be made up of people still having to pull 9-5s, we know these people still have dreams to get out of that, and aren’t likely to give them. They will be lost. That will put a real strain on the concept of whether “visceral thrill, derring-do and joyful abandon” type rugby will remain under the professional level here in NZ. I think at some point that can be eroded as well. If only wanting the best athlete’s at the top level wasn’t enough to lose that, shutting off the next group, or level, or rugby players from easy access to express and showcase themselves certainly will. That all comes back around to the same question of professionalism in rugby and whether it got things right, and rugby is better now. Maybe the answer is turning into a “no”?

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j
john 7 hours ago
Will the Crusaders' decline spark a slow death for New Zealand rugby?

But here in Australia we were told Penney was another gun kiwi coach, for the Tahs…….and yet again it turned out the kiwi coach was completely useless. Another con job on Australian rugby. As was Robbie Deans, as was Dave Rennie. Both coaches dumped from NZ and promoted to Australia as our saviour. And the Tahs lap them up knowing they are second rate and knowing that under pressure when their short comings are exposed in Australia as well, that they will fall in below the largest most powerful province and choose second rate Tah players to save their jobs. As they do and exactly as Joe Schmidt will do. Gauranteed. Schmidt was dumped by NZ too. That’s why he went overseas. That why kiwi coaches take jobs in Australia, to try and prove they are not as bad as NZ thought they were. Then when they get found out they try and ingratiate themselves to NZ again by dragging Australian teams down with ridiculous selections and game plans. NZ rugby’s biggest problem is that it can’t yet transition from MCaw Cheatism. They just don’t know how to try and win on your merits. It is still always a contest to see how much cheating you can get away with. Without a cheating genius like McCaw, they are struggling. This I think is why my wise old mate in NZ thinks Robertson will struggle. The Crusaders are the nursery of McCaw Cheatism. Sean Fitzpatrick was probably the father of it. Robertson doesn’t know anything else but other countries have worked it out.

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A
Adrian 9 hours ago
Will the Crusaders' decline spark a slow death for New Zealand rugby?

Thanks Nick The loss of players to OS, injury and retirement is certainly not helping the Crusaders. Ditto the coach. IMO Penny is there to hold the fort and cop the flak until new players and a new coach come through,…and that's understood and accepted by Penny and the Crusaders hierarchy. I think though that what is happening with the Crusaders is an indicator of what is happening with the other NZ SRP teams…..and the other SRP teams for that matter. Not enough money. The money has come via the SR competition and it’s not there anymore. It's in France, Japan and England. Unless or until something is done to make SR more SELLABLE to the NZ/Australia Rugby market AND the world rugby market the $s to keep both the very best players and the next rung down won't be there. They will play away from NZ more and more. I think though that NZ will continue to produce the players and the coaches of sufficient strength for NZ to have the capacity to stay at the top. Whether they do stay at the top as an international team will depend upon whether the money flowing to SRP is somehow restored, or NZ teams play in the Japan comp, or NZ opts to pick from anywhere. As a follower of many sports I’d have to say that the organisation and promotion of Super Rugby has been for the last 20 years closest to the worst I’ve ever seen. This hasn't necessarily been caused by NZ, but it’s happened. Perhaps it can be fixed, perhaps not. The Crusaders are I think a symptom of this, not the cause

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T
Trevor 12 hours ago
Will forgotten Wallabies fit the Joe Schmidt model?

Thanks Brett.. At last a positive article on the potential of Wallaby candidates, great to read. Schmidt’s record as an international rugby coach speaks for itself, I’m somewhat confident he will turn the Wallaby’s fortunes around …. on the field. It will be up to others to steady the ship off the paddock. But is there a flaw in my optimism? We have known all along that Australia has the players to be very competitive with their international rivals. We know that because everyone keeps telling us. So why the poor results? A question that requires a definitive answer before the turn around can occur. Joe Schmidt signed on for 2 years, time to encompass the Lions tour of 2025. By all accounts he puts family first and that’s fair enough, but I would wager that his 2 year contract will be extended if the next 18 months or so shows the statement “Australia has the players” proves to be correct. The new coach does not have a lot of time to meld together an outfit that will be competitive in the Rugby Championship - it will be interesting to see what happens. It will be interesting to see what happens with Giteau law, the new Wallaby coach has already verbalised that he would to prefer to select from those who play their rugby in Australia. His first test in charge is in July just over 3 months away .. not a long time. I for one wish him well .. heaven knows Australia needs some positive vibes.

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