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Young Waratahs star eyes Super Rugby AU finals spot as he goes head-to-head with fellow Wallabies contender

By AAP
(Photo by Mark Kolbe/Getty Images)

With a new NSW Waratahs contract in his pocket and his name in the Wallabies mix, a spot in the Super Rugby AU finals is next on Tom Horton’s to-do list.

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The young hooker has been rewarded for a stellar debut season with a new two-year NSW deal, which follows his inclusion last week in the players of national interest (PONI) squad.

Horton said he was excited to hear from new Wallabies coach Dave Rennie, who has no doubt been impressed by the 23-year-old’s accuracy at the line-out.

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“It was pretty cool to get a call from Dave and have my name mentioned along with everyone,” Horton said on Tuesday.

“I got a bit of a kick out of it.”

Weighing 97kg, Horton is no heavyweight but brings some notable athleticism to the position.

He said he purposely hadn’t tried to bulk up.

“I’m not going to obsess over it because I don’t want to put on so much weight I lose the point of difference I think I have over other hookers, which is being able to work around the field and fit in like an extra backrower,” Horton said.

The Melbourne Rebels are standing in the way of his next goal with the teams vying for a spot in Super Rugby AU playoffs.

Playing their last game before a final round bye, the Waratahs need a win at Leichhardt Oval on Saturday night to keep their season alive.

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Horton will square off with another young hooker in Melbourne’s Jordan Uelese, who was part of the Wallabies’ World Cup campaign last year.

The Waratahs are looking to rebound from a disappointing loss to the Brumbies and Horton said they’d been focused internally rather than on the Rebels or even what was at stake.

“We’re not worrying about what the Rebels are doing we’re just keeping the focus internal and worrying about what we’re doing as a team and what we can do to get better,” he said.

“We’re treating it as must-win but as we would any game.”

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Bull Shark 3 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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