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Wallaroos announce squad for next month's World Cup
Wallaroos coach Jay Tregonning has announced his 32-player squad for Rugby World Cup, starting on 8 October in New Zealand. The squad is captained by Shannon Parry, who plays in her fourth World Cup, and it remains largely unchanged from the one that contested the O’Reilly Cup against New Zealand in August.
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The only change sees Sharni Williams called into the squad for her fourth World Cup in the XVs format – the Olympic and Commonwealth Games gold medallist will compete in her second World Cup in the space of a month after she plays in the sevens event in Cape Town this month.
Likewise, Bienne Terita will join the squad fresh from Cape Town. The 19-year-old sevens star scored two tries on her Wallaroos debut against the Black Ferns in Adelaide last month. The wing position will be covered by Terita, Ivania Wong, Mahalia Murphy and Maya Stewart, while Pauline Piliae-Rasabale and Lori Cramer will share full-back duties.
Sharni Williams, Georgina Friedrichs, Cecilia Smith and Siokapesi Palu are the chosen centres, with Arabella McKenzie and Trilleen Pomare the available options at fly-half. Iliseva Batibasaga played in her first World Cup in 2006 and she joins Layne Morgan as the scrum-half options for the 2021 edition.
A strong back row quintet sees captain Parry alongside Emily Chancellor, Grace Hamilton, Grace Kemp and Piper Duck. The front row options include props Liz Patu, Emily Robinson, Bree-Anna Cheatham, Madison Schuck, Bridie O’Gorman and Eva Karpani alongside Ashley Marsters, Adiana Talaki, and Tania Naden at the hooker position.
Michaela Leonard, Atasi Lafai, Sera Naiqama, and Kaitlan Leaney have been selected to lock the scrum. “The named squad has experience and depth, and we are looking forward to showing our continued improvement at the Rugby World Cup,” said Wallaroos coach Tregonning.
“It is important to acknowledge the whole squad, including those that have missed out on selection. Although disappointed, the players that have missed out have continued to train hard in their state-based training sessions and are committed to helping make their teammates stronger.”
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“We wish the sevens teams all the best in their World Cup in Cape Town this weekend and we are excited to have Sharni and Bienne as part of our squad at the conclusion of the tournament.”
In Pool A, the Wallaroos will line up against New Zealand, Scotland, and Wales, kicking off their campaign with a clash against the hosts to open the tournament on Saturday, October 8, at Eden Park in Auckland. The Wallaroos return to camp on the Gold Coast on September 11 before travelling to New Zealand on September 24.
Wallaroos squad (Rugby World Cup):
Prop
Liz Patu – Queensland Reds
Emily Robinson – NSW Waratahs
Bree-Anna Cheatham – Queensland Reds
Madison Schuck – Queensland Reds
Bridie O’Gorman – NSW Waratahs
Eva Karpani – NSW Waratahs
Hooker
Ashley Marsters – Melbourne Rebels
Adiana Talakai – NSW Waratahs
Tania Naden – ACT Brumbies
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Lock
Michaela Leonard – ACT Brumbies
Sera Naiqama – NSW Waratahs
Atasi Lafai – NSW Waratahs
Kaitlan Leaney – NSW Waratahs
Back row
Shannon Parry (captain) – Queensland Reds
Emily Chancellor – NSW Waratahs
Grace Hamilton – NSW Waratahs
Grace Kemp – ACT Brumbies
Piper Duck – NSW Waratahs
Scrum-half
Iliseva Batibasaga – NSW Waratahs
Layne Morgan – NSW Waratahs
Fly-half
Arabella McKenzie – NSW Waratahs
Trilleen Pomare – Western Force
Centre
Siokapesi Palu – ACT Brumbies
Cecilia Smith – Queensland Reds
Georgina Friedrichs – NSW Waratahs
Sharni Williams – Aussie 7s
Wing
Mahalia Murphy – NSW Waratahs
Ivania Wong – Queensland Reds
Bienne Terita – Aussie 7s
Maya Stewart – NSW Waratahs
Full-back
Pauline Piliae-Rasabale – NSW Waratahs
Lori Cramer – NSW Waratahs
- Press release/Rugby Australia
Comments on RugbyPass
Not sure the Bulls need another average utility back in their ranks. Chamberlain has been ok for the Sharks but is by no means an X-Factor player. Bulls bought several utility backs which they barely use. A typical example would be Henry Immelman who plays mostly Fullback. The Bulls however have rarely played him this year and he has played wing or centre. Bulls want to build depth but seems like they have too many surplus players
1 Go to commentsABs lost against a side playing without a hooker - The guy playing, had one shoulder. Line outs were a gimme for the ABs, and the last 8 minutes 14 played 14 against a team that had been smashed 3 weeks in a row… Yet with all that possession, with all that territory, with all the advantages they actually had, especially in the last 8 minutes, they couldn’t buy a point. Those last 8 minutes determined if they outplayed the Boks or not. History will show that the Boks completely outplayed the ABs, especially in those last 8 minutes, the business end of any rugby match
226 Go to commentsWould’ve, could’ve, should’ve, didn’t.
226 Go to commentsKok will become a fan favourite
1 Go to commentsI am really looking forward to Leigh Halfpenny playing his first Super rugby game for the Crusaders Playing a long side his former Welsh and Scarlets team mate Johnny McNicoll.Johnny has been playing great, back in a Crusaders jersey.The attack has strengthened big time. Also looking forward to David Havili at 10. David is a class act, it also allows Dallas McLeod to remain at 12. A good thing.
1 Go to commentsIf he had stopped insisting on playing in the backrow, instead of wing, where everyone told him he should, he would have been a Bok years ago….
11 Go to comments‘Salads don’t win scrums’ 😂 I love that.
19 Go to commentsCan’t wait for the article that talks about misogyny in Ireland. Somehow.
16 Go to commentsI would like to see a rule change, when the attacking team is held up over the try line, by allowing the defensive team to restart a goal line drop out releases the pressure for the defensive team, but what if the attacking team had to restart a tap 5m out from the defensive team it gives the attacking team to apply more pressure, there are endless options for the attacking side and it will keep the fans in suspence.
2 Go to commentsLess modern South African males predictably triggered.
16 Go to commentsMy heart is with Quins, but the head is convinced Toulouse have too much. Ntamack is back, his timing and wisdom has been missed.
1 Go to commentsWow, what a starting line up for the Sharks) Tasty up front,kremer vs Tshituka or venter …fiery ,,Lavannini ,,will he knobble etzebeth? Biggest game for belleau?
1 Go to commentsIt was rubbish to watch, Blues weren’t even present. Did what they had to do, nothing more. Should be better next week against canes.
1 Go to commentsI’ve just noticed that this match has an all-French refereeing team. Surely a game like this ought to have a neutral ref? Although looking at the BBC preview of the Saints game, Raynal is also down as reffing that - so there may be some confusion about who is reffing what.
1 Go to commentsIf Havili can play anywhere in the back line, why not first 5. #10.
11 Go to commentsThe dressing room had already left for their summer break before they ran out in Dublin that year, and that’s on the coach. Franco Smith has undoubtedly made progress, particularly their maul, developing squad players and increasing squad depth. And against a very tight budget too. That said they were too lightweight last year and got found out against both Toulon and Munster in consecutive games. Better this season so far but they’ve developed something of a slow start habit occasionally, most notably losing at home to Northampton who played them at their own game. Play offs will ultimately show whether there has been tangible progress on last year, or not…!
2 Go to commentsAustralian Rugby has been a disaster, by not incorporating learning from previous successful campaigns. QLD Reds 2011 - Waratahs 2014. Players, coaches and administrators appoint there representatives for scheduled meetings, organisation’s agreement’s assessments and correspondence. This why a unified Rugby Union under one entity works. Every Rugby nation has taken that path. Was most difficult in the Northern hemisphere with over 100 years of club rugby before the game become professional. Took a lot of humility for those unions to eventually work together.
7 Go to commentsThough Wilson’s sacking was pretty brutal, it wasn’t just down to that Leinster game; Glasgow had a lot of 2nd half collapses that season, in the URC and Europe, and only just scraped into the playoffs. Franco Smith has definitely been an improvement, some players are delivering far more than they did under Wilson.
2 Go to commentsjesus - that front 5!
1 Go to commentsShould be an absolute cracker of a game! Will be great to see DuPont & Ntamack in tandem once again🔥
1 Go to comments