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Young Wallabies trio reflect on ‘special’ Rugby World Cup ‘dream’
By Finn Morton
For practically every player in Australia’s 33-man squad, the opportunity to don Wallaby gold at the upcoming Rugby World Cup will see them realise a lifelong dream for the first time.
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Coach Eddie Jones has selected a young squad that boasts plenty of promise, but currently lacks in experience, with 25 Wallabies set to play on rugby’s biggest stage for the first time.
Former Australia captain Michael Hooper was a surprising omission from the squad, but the absence of the veteran opens the door for his heir apparent to shine.
Fraser McReight, 24, wore the No. 7 jersey during the second Bledisloe Cup Test and during last weekend’s 41-17 loss to Les Bleus at Stade de France.
The former Junior Wallabies captain described the Rugby World Cup experience as a “dream” as McReight reflected on what this tournament means to him.
“Everyone’s dream is to be here,” McReight told reporters.
“We got picked a few weeks ago now, but we had to get through a fair bit of training and get through the game on the weekend unscathed, which we did.
“Now we can sort of hit the ground running and rip in which we’re all excited for.”
McReight has formed a formidable backrow trio alongside world-famous No. 8 Rob Valetini and young blindside flanker Tom Hooper.
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Hooper, who shares no relation with dropped flanker Michael, had a disappointing debut against the world champion Springboks in Pretoria a couple of months ago. The 21-year-old left the field after about 30 minutes with an injury.
But Hooper made amends in Bledisloe I at the world-famous MCG with a promising outing in Wallaby gold, and backed that up with an even better display a week later in Dunedin.
The No. 6 jersey, it seems, is Hooper’s for the taking.
“As a young bloke that’s your end goal to make the Rugby World Cup,” Hooper reflected. “All three of us are pretty young so to be here and be in a team with such young, it’s really special.”
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Wing Mark Nawaqanitawase also described the event as the “pinnacle,” and said that it’s something that, as rugby players, they all “want to be a part of.”
The Wallabies kick off their quest for the Webb Ellis Cup with a crunch clash with Georgia at Stade de France in just over a week.