Seven new faces announced in Wallabies squad
Roar Pro
By The Roar, 2 Jun 2008 The Roar is a Roar Pro
The Wallabies have announced a 30-man squad for the 2008 Bundaberg Rum Rugby Series – with seven new faces included in the squad.
Assembling in Sydney tomorrow to begin preparations for the opening Test of the season against Ireland at Melbourne’s Telstra Dome on Saturday 14 June, the squad unveiling coincides with the arrival of new Qantas Wallabies coach Robbie Deans.
Waratahs Luke Burgess, Dean Mumm and Lachie Turner join Western Force duo Ryan Cross and Richard Brown, Queensland Reds winger Peter Hynes and the squad bolter – rookie Brumbies prop Ben Alexander – as the uncapped players in the squad.
There is a strong contingent of NSW Waratahs players, with 13 in all earning selection after Australia’s best-performed province reached the final of the Investec Super 14.
The Queensland Reds have six representatives in the Qantas Wallabies squad, including the oldest player in 32-year-old Sam Cordingley.
The Brumbies have also provided six players while five have been drawn from the Perth-based Western Force.
Several players from last year’s World Cup squad were not considered because of injury – Dan Vickerman, Chris Latham, Drew Mitchell, Scott Staniforth, Hugh McMeniman and Greg Holmes.
Vickerman will be sidelined for six weeks due to an ankle injury requiring surgery.
After flying into Sydney this morning to take up his new position, Deans was looking forward to starting work with the Qantas Wallabies, whose opening training session for the season will be staged tomorrow afternoon at Manly Oval.
“I’m delighted to be here,” he said. “This is an exciting opportunity and a new challenge – taking on the role as Head Coach of the Qantas Wallabies. It is also an honour. Australia has a rich Rugby history that includes winning the World Cup twice. My aim is to make a significant contribution to what is already a proud Wallabies heritage.”
“There are a lot of new faces in this squad, in both the playing ranks and the coaching staff. I look forward to working with the entire team ahead of our first assignment against Ireland in Melbourne. Our ultimate goal is the 2011 Rugby World Cup in New Zealand, but that is a long way into the future. In the interim there is a lot of hard work to be done.”
Stirling Mortlock retains the Qantas Wallabies captaincy.
“It’s the start of a new era, with a new coach and many new faces within the squad,” said Mortlock. “With a few senior players from the World Cup no longer with us, there are challenges ahead, but we’re really looking forward to working hard with Robbie and getting results”.
The Qantas Wallabies will play 14 Tests this year, including nine winter Tests.
Six of them will be played in Australia as part of the 2008 Bundaberg Rum Rugby Series, with two against France (in Sydney and Brisbane), two against New Zealand (also in Sydney and Brisbane), a Test against Ireland for the Lansdowne Cup in Melbourne, and a Tri-Nations meeting with the World Cup champions South Africa in Perth.
The three away Tri Nations matches, all in August, include two against the Springboks in South Africa and a Bledisloe Cup game with New Zealand in Auckland. View the full 2008 Wallabies schedule.
Later in the year, the Wallabies will play a fourth Bledisloe Cup match against the All Blacks in Hong Kong en route to a Spring Tour of Europe where a further five matches – four Tests and a game against the Barbarians – are on the program.
2008 Qantas Wallabies Squad Notes
* Over half (16 of 30) of the 2008 Squad have played in 10 or more Test Matches.
* Seven players have more than 50 Test caps.
* Scrumhalf Sam Cordingley is the oldest member of the Squad at 32, while the youngest is Waratahs winger Lachie Turner at 21.
* Provincial split: 13 players from NSW Waratahs, six each from Queensland Reds and Brumbies and five from Western Force.
2008 Wallabies Squad
Forwards (17)
Alexander, Ben
Baxter, Alistair
Brown, Richard
Chisholm, Mark
Dunning, Matt
Elsom, Rocky
Freier, Adam
Hoiles, Stephen
Horwill, James
Moore, Stephen
Mumm, Dean
Palu, Wycliff
Polota-Nau, Tatafu
Robinson, Benn
Sharpe, Nathan
Smith, George
Waugh, PhilBacks (13)
Ashley-Cooper, Adam
Barnes, Berrick
Burgess, Luke
Cordingley, Sam
Cross, Ryan
Giteau, Matt
Hynes, Peter
Ioane, Digby
Mortlock, Stirling
Sheehan, Brett
Shepherd, Cameron
Tuqiri, Lote
Turner, Lachie2007 World Cup squad players not considered for selection due to injury:
Holmes, Greg
Latham, Chris
Mitchell, Drew
McMeniman, Hugh
Staniforth, Scott
Vickerman, Dan
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Jameswm said | June 2nd 2008 @ 3:07pm | Report comment
So, we’re put out of our misery!
Certainly a few surprises…
Ben Alexander – who else was there at loose head prop with Greg Holmes injured? Kepu? Henderson has been poor this year and the Force have had a revolving door policy at prop. Alexander certainloy has a heap of potential as anyone who watched the ARC last year will recall.
Brett Sheehan ahead of Lucas, and O’Young, and, well, anyone! Brett Sheehan gets in?!?!
Ioane hasn’t played a heap of footy this year and might only have made it because Drew Mitchell is injured. Good to see Hynes making it as he’s had a good year and deseves it. A very strong defender and quick and skilled too.
Lachie Turner makes the 30. As the final showed, there is no substitute for pace and game breaking skills. I don’t know if he was a bit down on confidence, or being overcoached this year. It did annoy me how much he return kicked (aimlessly) this year, but it’s good to see fast wingers getting selected. Turner, Hynes, Ioane and AAC are all quick off the mark.
Cam Shepherd selected at fullback and Gerrard and Norton-Knight left right out. AAC is the obvious cover at 15, with Turner.
Vickerman is injured – so which of Mumm, Sharpe and Chisholom would have missed out? The obvious one, or someone else?
The rest are pretty predictable.
Vickerman out for 6 weeks – what a huge loss.
Kento said | June 2nd 2008 @ 3:55pm | Report comment
Sam Norton Knight missing out makes good sense to me…he needs to improve his decision making skills…I think he backs his ability more than he should.
I agree with Jameswm that Sheehan is a real surprise. He showed very little during the S14 IMO; this being especially clear once Burgess came onto the scene.
Now Burgess is one player I’m very excited about; I think he’ll make a huge difference to the Wallabies. The crispness of pass and pace in clearing the ball from the ruck made a huge difference to the Waratahs.
It’s going to be a fun international season; I’m feeling more positive of Australian rugby than I have in some time.
Justin said | June 2nd 2008 @ 4:26pm | Report comment
Overall a pretty good squad with some rookies with real potential, like Burgess and Alexander.
I am not sure how Sheehan got in there but I dont think he will make the final squad anyway so doesnt really matter but would like to have seen Lucas given some time in a squad like this (he is also a fine goal kicker which we lack).
Agree with the above about having some pace in the team also. Great to see that we will have some finishes who can find the corner not trying to cut inside 3 men (Lote!)
I think most people will be fairly happy with the squad except perhaps those that thought there would be 20 Tahs in it!
stillmissit said | June 2nd 2008 @ 4:39pm | Report comment
It’s a good squad and reflects what we have to offer in terms of those who have done well this season.The interesting stuff will come after this test and the one after it when Deans really gets his head around the issues.
The Key players are IMO and in no special order :
Polatu-Nau
Palu
Turner (we desperately need speed)
Mortlock
Giteau
G.Smith
Shepherd
Cross
Burgess
Elsom
Ashley-Cooper
Horwill
I know 3 centres and a utility centre but I think these are the guys who can win games for us.
THis is a 30 man squad that Deans would be happy with but has come largely from others advise. The real test is on its way in future selections.
Losing Vickerman leaves us exposed at second row with Horwill playing well but almost untried at the next step up and Sharpe the only obvious player in that position and I, like many of you, dont rate him in the really tough stuff.
Peter K said | June 2nd 2008 @ 5:14pm | Report comment
I only have 2 significant disagreements.
How on earth can Sheehan be picked. You have to pick Lucas or even Holmes from WA.
The other is Sam 2 dads (Norton-Knight).
From the squad Shepherd will either be starting F/B oron the bench.
Shepherd makes many many wrong decisions. He often gets caught running it back , isolated and a turnover ensues.
He is not quick, has only about the same pace as Gerrard which is slow for a back. He is lucky that when he runs he looks quicker than he is however I saw him run down often. Sam 2 Dads is quicker. Shepherd is an arms only tackler, does not commit his body which is bad for a F/B. His only real strong quality is he has a big kick return.
If you look at the squad we have one 10 and one 12 picked with Staniforth injured. We have Giteau and Barnes.
If either gets injured who will play 12? Mortlock or Cross?
Sam 2 Dads covers 10,12,15 and has played on the wing. He is the perfect utility back on the bench.
Spiro Zavos said | June 2nd 2008 @ 5:37pm | Report comment
Robbie Deans was insistent that the young players go to their World Cup tournament to get the experience of a lifetime. This is a good indication of his aptitude as a player’s coach. Brett Sheehan is filling in I reckon until Josh Holmes is on board. Sheehan in fact may stay on when Same Cordingley leaves at the end of the season. Ben Alexander and Benn Robinson are selected as the best available young props to displace Matt Dunning and Al Baxter, I guess. I would expect the November tour to show Deans’ real hand in shaping the Wallabies. Some of the older players won’t make this squad, I’d suggest. So the present squad is more of a holding pattern.
matta said | June 2nd 2008 @ 8:29pm | Report comment
how anyone can suggest Norton-Knight should be in the squad is beyond me – and I am a one eyed Tahs fan.
his ability to do stupid things is beyond recognition and he generally ruins the rest of the bach line when coming into play. For the last 2 years he continues to to chew up Lote’s space and depth only to end of giving him the ball standing still 3 meters from touch ….
stillmissit said | June 3rd 2008 @ 9:59am | Report comment
Matta you must be seeing something I’m not. Lote seems to run into the traffic all on his own without any assistance from SNK. Even if he was given the space, which has happened on several occasions, and he doesnt have the speed to take advantage of the space.