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Wallaby legend heaps praise on Will Genia ahead of his 100th test

By Online Editors
Will Genia of the Wallabies celebrates the win with his team during The Rugby Championship match between the Australian Wallabies and the South Africa Springboks at Suncorp Stadium on September 8, 2018 in Brisbane, Australia. Photo by Jono Searle/Getty Images

Wallabies halfback Will Genia has received praise from another Australian rugby legend ahead of his 100th test match.

World Cup-winning captain and fellow halfback Nick Farr-Jones spoke highly of Genia in an interview with Fox Sports.

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“I just hope he steps up on the day, and what better stage than Twickenham to play 100 Tests,” Farr-Jones said.

“I’m sure the English fans — and they will be 95 per cent English fans, it’ll be a full house — I’m sure that they will recognise what a great player he’s been over such a long time and will give him a fitting ovation when he takes the field.”

Genia will become the tenth Australian to reach the 100-Test milestone this weekend.

The 30-year-old made his debut for the national side almost a decade ago in 2009.

“I just think he’s one of those players who’s had great longevity,” Farr-Jones said.

“Not only great longevity, but he’s played consistently well.

“He’s become one of our most penetrative attackers and one of the best decision makers.”

As a fellow halfback, Farr-Jones – who represented Australia 63 times between 1984 and 1993 – was quick to identify exactly what Genia brings to the side.

“The No 9, it’s a critical position because your judgment generally gets you possession and his judgment with the possession — whether he goes the short side, his communication, whether he puts up a box kick, all those sorts of things — has been fantastic, and I put that down to confidence which gives him lateral vision and his judgment’s been fantastic.”

Farr-Jones also backed Genia’s adaptability, especially given Michael Cheika’s chopping and changing of his halves partner. Genia has recently provided service for Bernard Foley, Kurtley Beale and Matt Toomua.

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“It can’t be helpful but then again these guys are professional players,” Farr-Jones said.

“They get to spend a lot of time on the training paddock and it really is about communication.

“It is critical that your No 10 lets you know where he wants it, when he wants it, how quickly he wants it and I’m assuming that at this level of the game all of those players that you mentioned [Foley, Beale and Toomua] would be good communicators.

“But they all are different, there’s no doubt about that.

“I was a bit lucky in my 10 years, I started with Mark Ella and Mark just said: ‘you do the chucking, I’ll do the catching.’

“For nine years I had Michael Lynagh, so I knew exactly what Michael wanted, where he wanted it, so it was easy for me.

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“Genia’s had a whole string of No 10s and it seems to have worked very well for him as a No 9, and you put down that down to his class and the hard work that he’s obviously done.”

30-year-old Genia will reignite a former partnership in Super Rugby next year, with former Reds and Wallabies No 10 Quade Cooper set to join the halfback at the Rebels.

The Wallabies conclude their 2018 campaign at Twickenham on Saturday.

In other news:

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Trevor 1 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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B
Bull Shark 5 hours ago
Jake White: Are modern rugby players actually better?

Of the rugby I’ve born witness to in my lifetime - 1990 to date - I recognize great players throughout those years. But I have no doubt the game and the players are on average better today. So I doubt going back further is going to prove me wrong. The technical components of the game, set pieces, scrums, kicks, kicks at goal. And in general tactics employed are far more efficient, accurate and polished. Professional athletes that have invested countless hours on being accurate. There is one nation though that may be fairly competitive in any era - and that for me is the all blacks. And New Zealand players in general. NZ produces startling athletes who have fantastic ball skills. And then the odd phenomenon like Brooke. Lomu. Mcaw. Carter. Better than comparing players and teams across eras - I’ve often had this thought - that it would be very interesting to have a version of the game that is closer to its original form. What would the game look like today if the rules were rolled back. Not rules that promote safety obviously - but rules like: - a try being worth 1 point and conversion 2 points. Hence the term “try”. Earning a try at goals. Would we see more attacking play? - no lifting in the lineouts. - rucks and break down laws in general. They looked like wrestling matches in bygone eras. I wonder what a game applying 1995 rules would look like with modern players. It may be a daft exercise, but it would make for an interesting spectacle celebrating “purer” forms of the game that roll back the rules dramatically by a few versions. Would we come to learn that some of the rules/combinations of the rules we see today have actually made the game less attractive? I’d love to see an exhibition match like that.

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