Select Edition

Northern Northern
Southern Southern
Global Global
NZ NZ

Wallabies forced into late change after yet another injury

By AAP
(Photo by Cameron Spencer/Getty Images)

Australia have been forced into a late change on the eve of their Rugby Championship clash with Argentina.

ADVERTISEMENT

Hooker Folau Fainga’a was ruled out of the contest in San Juan on Sunday morning (AEST) and replaced by Lachlan Lonergan, who will make his first test start.

Fainga’a took a blow to the head in training and failed a concussion test on Friday becoming the latest player to miss out on the test for the Wallabies.

Video Spacer

Video Spacer

Uncapped Billy Pollard, 20, will take Lonergan’s place on the bench. He could make his international debut having played only eight Super Rugby games for the ACT Brumbies.

It is the latest setback for coach Dave Rennie, who had already lost hooker Dave Porecki before last weekend’s 41-26 victory over Argentina in Mendoza.

Rennie is also without regular captain Michael Hooper, flyhalf Quade Cooper, centre Hunter Paisami and prop Allan Ala’alatoa due to a mixture of injury and personal reasons.

“I have a lot of confidence in both of the m,” captain James Slipper told reporters on Friday. “Lonners has been playing really well this year and it is another good opportunity for him.

ADVERTISEMENT

“It’s his first start for the Wallabies, and one thing you know about ‘Noss’ is that he looks very calm, but when he’s out there he goes full throttle. I am really excited to see how he goes.

“Billy obviously came over late. He has been using my scrum boots all week so I am not even sure if he has his own boots.

“He is a talented young guy who is really excited and you can tell how pumped he is. What you get from youth is that enthusiasm and I reckon both of them will bring heaps.”

With former Brumbies coach Dan McKellar now steering the Wallabies forwards, Slipper said the transition from Super Rugby to the Test stage would help the two players feel comfortable.

ADVERTISEMENT

“For the players coming in, it’s not incredibly new to them,” Slipper said.

“There is not much detail uptake to be done, so they’re pretty comfortable with everything they need to know and having Dan here is a big help for them, having the same coach.

“They’re pretty comfortable. They don’t seem nervous at all but let’s wait until tomorrow I guess.”

Australia: Wright, Petaia, Ikitau, Foketi, Koroibete, O’Connor, White, Valetini, McReight, Holloway, Swain, Arnold, Tupou, Lonergan, Slipper (capt)

Replacements: Pollard, 1Gibbon, Fa’amausili, Frost, Samu, McDermott, Simone, Hodge.

ADVERTISEMENT

Join free

Aotearoa Rugby Podcast | Episode 6

Sam Warburton | The Big Jim Show | Full Episode

Japan Rugby League One | Sungoliath v Eagles | Full Match Replay

Japan Rugby League One | Spears v Wild Knights | Full Match Replay

Boks Office | Episode 10 | Six Nations Final Round Review

Aotearoa Rugby Podcast | How can New Zealand rugby beat this Ireland team

Beyond 80 | Episode 5

Rugby Europe Men's Championship Final | Georgia v Portugal | Full Match Replay

Trending on RugbyPass

Comments

Join free and tell us what you really think!

Sign up for free
ADVERTISEMENT

Latest Features

Comments on RugbyPass

J
Jon 9 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”?

35 Go to comments
TRENDING
TRENDING 'I didn't think it would happen this early': Carbery on Munster exit 'I didn't think it would happen this early': Carbery on Munster exit
Search