The winners and losers from the Wallabies World Cup squad
Wallabies head coach Michael Cheika named his 31-man squad for next month’s World Cup on Friday morning, and the announcement will have brought with it a mix of joy and dejection for a variety of players across Australia.
Some players were always certainties to be etched into Cheika’s final team sheet, others were destined to be left at home.
While these players will be filled with contrasting emotions as their fate over the next six weeks has been sealed, it’s those who sat on the cusp of the side who will be really feeling the jubilation and disappointment of making or missing the cut.
Subsequently, Cheika’s squad announcement has produced plenty of winners and losers as the Wallabies prepare to challenge for a third World Cup title in Japan.
Winners:
Adam Ashley-Cooper
He may have only played in two tests since rejoining the side at the end of last year following a 27-month absence, but veteran utility back Adam Ashley-Cooper will be heading to his fourth World Cup next month.
With 118 tests to his name, he is Australia’s third most-capped player of all-time, and it’s clear that – despite his ageing body – Cheika and his fellow selectors value the vast experience and versatility that the 35-year-old offers.
Jordan Petaia
On the opposite end of the spectrum is uncapped 19-year-old utility back Jordan Petaia.
Ruled out for the majority of the Reds’ Super Rugby season after picking up a serious foot injury against the Crusaders in early March, the electric teenager has rebounded surprisingly to earn a shock call into the World Cup squad.
He becomes the youngest Wallaby ever to do so, with his positional flexibility, sublime physical attributes and limitless potential enough to win the nod of approval from the selectors.
David Pocock
As Australia’s best player, Pocock was absolute certainty to make it – provided that he was fit.
However, the star loose forward has been dogged by injuries all this year, which put his place on the plane to Japan in jeopardy in the lead-up to the squad announcement.
That hasn’t stopped the 31-year-old – who hasn’t played a test this year – from being included by Cheika and co, though, so expect him to wreak havoc at the breakdown once he completes his prolonged recovery.
Rob Simmons
The fact that Will Skelton couldn’t be lured back into the national set-up from Saracens looks to have worked in Simmons’ favour.
Also fortunate that the selectors have opted for four locks, which is one more than what they took to England four years ago.
The Wallabies will look to utilise his hefty experience at the tournament, where he should notch up his 100th test match.
Jordan Uelese
Has just three tests to his name since his international debut two years ago, and is yet to start for the Wallabies.
Such inexperience, which could be attributed to a bad run of injuries, may have been viewed as a hinderance to Australia’s hooking stocks, but the Melbourne Rebels youngster has been shown faith as he edges out veteran Tatafu Polota-Nau as the squad’s third-choice rake.
Jack Dempsey
Named in the initial 34-man Rugby Championship squad, but excluded from the Wallabies’ refined Bledisloe Cup side, Dempsey has made an unlikely comeback from a shoulder injury to squeeze the likes of Pete Samu, Liam Wright and Rob Valetini out of the selection frame.
Continue reading below…
Losers:
Tom Banks
The Brumbies fullback was in scintillating form for the Canberra-based club throughout Super Rugby, but the selection of Bernard Foley as a third-string first-five means there is no room for Banks among the outside backs.
Instead, Kurtley Beale and Dane Haylett-Petty will share duties in the No. 15 jersey, with Banks’ solid performance against the Springboks in Johannesburg not enough to secure him a place in the team.
Is one of five players invited to a 10-day training camp in New Caledonia, which indicates he will be one of the first to be called upon should injury strike.
Luke Jones
Unlucky to miss out to Simmons as the fourth-choice lock.
Some may have chosen Jones due to his ability to cover the side of the scrum in addition to the second row, but having 92 fewer caps than Simmons appears to be the 28-year-old’s downfall.
Will join Banks in the train-on squad in New Caledonia.
Jack Maddocks
Was named in the Rugby Championship squad, but was culled from the trimmed Bledisloe Cup squad, which is harsh for the Rebels flyer, who was in good form for the Melbourne franchise this year.
Able to cover wing and fullback, Maddocks wasn’t played in either match against Argentina or South Africa, and isn’t part of the train-on squad in New Caledonia, suggesting he’s fallen some way down the national pecking order.
Tatafu Polota-Nau
Signed with the Leicester Tigers in the English Premiership, Polota-Nau’s 89 test appearances made him eligible for selection, and it was that experience which was his main selling point for the third hooker spot.
There was speculation as to whether there would even be a third hooker position after the Wallabies only named two at the last World Cup, but the third hooking role has surprisingly gone to Uelese, which should bring the curtain down on Polota-Nau’s international career.
Joe Powell
Only two halfbacks have been named by Cheika as Nic White and Will Genia have been tasked with guiding the team around the park in tandem with Christian Lealiifano, Matt Toomua and Bernard Foley.
As a result, Powell is the omission from the Rugby Championship squad, which will be a hard pill to swallow for the 25-year-old, who hasn’t featured in national colours at all this year.
Tom Robertson
Australia’s core propping quartet of Taniela Tupou, Allan Alaalatoa, Scott Sio, James Slipper and Sekope Kepu have all received extensive game time throughout the Rugby Championship, so it seemed inevitable that all five would make the final cut.
That will still be a dagger for 24-test Robertson, who is probably the next cab off the rank and would have considered himself a good chance to travel to the World Cup.
In other news:
Comments on RugbyPass
After their 5/0 start, I had the Crusaders to finish Top 4 only…they lost the plot in Perth but will reload and back themselves vs 4th placed Rebels…
3 Go to commentsBoth nations missed a great opportunity to book a game that would have had a lot of interest from around the world. I understand these games can’t be organised in 5 minutes but they should have found a way to make it happen. I don’t think Wales are ducking anyone but it’s a bad look haha.
3 Go to commentsIt will be fascinating to see the effect that Jo Yapp has. If they can compete with Canada and give BFs a run for their money that will be progress
1 Go to commentsFollowing his dream and putting in the work. Go well young fella!
3 Go to commentsPerhaps filling Twickenham is one of Mitchell’s KPIs. I doubt whether both September matches will be at Twickenham on consecutive weekends. I would take the BF one to a large provincial stadium so as not to give them the advantage and experience of playing at Twickenham before a large crowd prior to the RWC.
2 Go to commentsvery unfortunate for Kitshoff, but big opportunity potentially for Nché to prove he is genuinely the best loosehead in the world, rather than just a specialist finisher. Presuming that if Kitshoff is out, it will also give Steenekamp a chance to come into the 23? Or are others likely to be ahead of him?
1 Go to commentsA long held question in popular culture asks if art imitates life or does the latter influence the former? Over this 6 nations I can ask the same question of the media influencing the thoughts of its audience or vice versa. Nobody wants to see cricket scores in rugby, as a spectacle it is not sustainable. With so many articles about England’s procession and lack of competition it feeds the epicaricacy of many looking for an opportunity to pounce. England are not the first team to dominate nor does it happen only in rugby, think Federer, Nadal, Red Bull or Mercedes, Manchester Utd, Australia in tests and World Cups. Instead of celebrating the achievements why find reasons to falsify it pointing towards larger playing pool, professional for a longer period or mitigate with the lack of growth in other nations. Can we not enjoy it while it is here and know that it won’t last for ever, others coveting what England have will soon take the crown, ask the aforementioned?
6 Go to commentsShame he won’t turn out for the Netherlands now they’re improving. U20s are Euro champs and in the U20 Trophy this year. The senior sides gets better every year too.
3 Go to commentsWill rugbypass tv be showing these games?
1 Go to commentsWell where do you start, the fact that England have a professional domestic league and Ireland’s is fully amatuer, that they have fully seperated professional squads at Fifteens and Sevens (7’s thinly disguised as GB), and Ireland have fully pro Sevens squad who loan some players back to the Semi-Professional Fifteens squad (moved from amateur for only a year or so) for a few games at 6N & RWC’s. The Women’s games is a shambles, and is at risk of killing itself by pushing for professionalism when the market isn’t really there to support it outside one or two countnries..
6 Go to commentsWayne Smith's input didn't have as much impact on the last final as Davison's red card for Thompson. England were 14 points up and flying when that happened.
6 Go to commentsBilly's been playing consistently well for 2 - 3 seasons now and deserves a look in at the top level. Ioane and ALB are still first choice but there needs to be injury cover and succession. His partnership with Jordie gives him first dibs you'd think. Go the Hurricanes.
3 Go to commentsIt’s not up to Wales to support Georgian Rugby. That’s up to International Rugby and Georgia. I sympathise with Georgia’s decent attempt to create this fixture. But for Wales the proposed match up is just a potential stick to beat them with and a potential big psychological blow that young Welsh team doesn’t need. (I’m Irish BTW.)
3 Go to commentsCale certainly looks great in space, but as you say, he has struggled in contact. At 23 years old, turning 24 this year, he should be close to full physical maturity and yet there exists a considerable gap in the power and physicality required for international rugby. Weight doesn’t automatically equate to power and physicality either. Can he go from a player who’s being physically dominated in Super rugby to physically dominating in international rugby in 1 or 2 years? That’s a big ask but he may end up being a late bloomer.
28 Go to commentsIf rugby wants to remain interesting in the AI era then it will need to work on changing the rules. AI will reduce the tactical advantage of smart game plans, will neutralize primary attacking weapons, and will move rugby from a being a game of inches to a game of millimetres. It will be about sheer athleticism and technique,about avoiding mistakes, and about referees. Many fans will find that boring. The answer is to add creative degrees of freedom to the game. The 50-22 is an example. But we can have fun inventing others, like the right to add more players for X minutes per game, or the equivalent of the 2-point conversion in American football, the ability to call a 12-player scrum, etc. Not saying these are great ideas, but making the point that the more of these alternatives you allow, the less AI will be able to lock down high-probability strategies. This is not because AI does not have the compute power, but because it has more choices and has less data, or less-specific data. That will take time and debate, but big, positive and immediate impact could be in the area of ref/TMO assistance. The technology is easily good enough today to detect forward passes, not-straight lineouts, offside at breakdown/scrum/lineout, obstruction, early/late tackles, and a lot of other things. WR should be ultra aggressive in doing this, as it will really help in an area in which the game is really struggling. In the long run there needs to be substantial creativity applied to the rules. Without that AI (along with all of the pro innovations) will turn rugby into a bash fest.
24 Go to commentsSouth Africa rarely play Ireland and France on these tours. Mostly, England, Scotland and Wales. I wonder why
2 Go to commentsIt was a let’s-see-what-you're-made-of type of a game. The Bulls do look good when the opposition allows them to, but Munster shut them down, and they could not find a way through. Jake should be very worried about their chances in the competition.
2 Go to commentsHats off to Fabian for a very impressive journey to date. Is it as ‘uniquely unlikely’ as Rugby Pass suggests, given Anton Segner’s journey at the Blues?
3 Go to commentsSad that this was not confirmed. When administrators talk about expanding the game they evidently don’t include pathways to the top tier of rugby for teams outside of the old boys club. Rugby deserves better, and certainly Georgia does.
3 Go to commentsLions might take him on if they move on Van Rooyen but I doubt he will want to go back, might consider it a step backwards for himself. Sharks would take him on but if Plumtree goes on to win the challenge cup they will keep him on. Also sharks showing some promising signs recently. Stormers and Bulls are stable and Springboks are already filled up. Quality coach though, interesting to see where he ends up
1 Go to comments