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Wallaroos look to lay a World Cup marker in opener against Samoa
By Finn Morton
Australia are searching for a foundational performance against Samoa in Manchester, as the women in gold look to build on what they hope is a solid outing ahead of crucial Rugby World Cup matches against the USA and England.
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Coach Jo Yapp has named 13 players with previous World Cup experience in the matchday side to take on Manusina on Saturday afternoon, although one of the team’s biggest stories this week was the selection of 18-year-old Caitlan Halse at fullback.
Halse will play a World Cup for the first time in just a matter of days, set to become the youngest player in Wallaroos or Wallabies history to play on the sport’s biggest stage. Desiree Miller and Maya Stewart round out the outside backs as the two wingers.
Coach Yapp has picked a side which boasts genuine experience through the likes of Michaela Leonard, Ashley Marsters and Cecilia Smith, but then there’s World Cup newcomers like Halse and Katalina Amosa – the younger sister of Wallabies hooker Brandon Paenga-Amosa.
While next weekend’s match against the USA in York is widely expected to be a quasi-knockout match of sorts for both sides, the Wallaroos are firmly focused on the challenge that awaits to start their campaign – taking on a Samoan side that boasts 23 World Cup debutants.
“This will set us up for the rest of our pool games against the USA and England,” Amosa told reporters on Thursday.
“Just making sure that we’re sticking to our processes, we’re getting our set-piece right, getting the small one percenters right and just everyone doing their job from the start.
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“That first 10 to 20 minutes is going to be really critical for us to make sure that we’re fronting up.”
When asked about Yapp’s decision to select Leaney as a co-captain for Australia’s World Cup opener, Amosa didn’t hesitate: “She’s definitely ready.” Leaney has served as a vice-captain before, but is set to become the 20th captain in team history on Saturday.
Leaney will link up with NSW Waratahs skipper Emily Chancellor as the Wallaroos’ co-captains, while Michaela Leonard and Piper Duck bring their previous leadership experiences into the fold as they’ve also been named in the run-on side.
“I work closely with Leaney, with the lineout formation and making sure that it’s functioning well,” Amosa said.
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“She leads with her actions and that’s one thing I respect and as a leader I look at.
“She’s around the field working hard and I think she brings a knowledge of the game that a lot of us definitely look up to.
“I’m excited for her and I know that she’ll do great in that role.”
Yapp is also confident that Leaney is ready to take this next step, saying co-captaincy is “just the natural progression” in the 24-year-old’s career.
“She’s been outstanding as a leader on and off the field,” Yapp explained in Manchester.
“Her experiences she’s got from playing overseas and she leads the lineout really well alongside [Michaela Leonard].
“Just seeing that growth in her on and off the field has been really impressive.
“She’s been leading a lot within training and then obviously with the [Pesi] injury… we introduced her a couple of games out in terms of that vice-captaincy role,” she went on to explain.
“She’s a leader on the field. She’s been captain on the field before.”
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