When will Rob Horne make the Wallabies?
Roar Rookie
By aeisler, 5 Mar 2009 aeisler is a Roar Rookie
- Tagged:
- James OConnor, Rob Horne
Rob Horne is the best defender that I’ve seen in living memory. Given a few more kilos in the years to come, he looks like he might start cutting people in half as well.
When the Australian Schoolboys beat New Zealand for the first time in a while, Horne was an axe. I haven’t seen one attacker this year or last get past him.
He just has ample speed to let them get on the outside and put them into some Tiquiri hurt or pull them down himself.
Sure, in attack he still has a bit of maturing to do. But given that he has the second fastest 40m sprint time in Waratah history, surely this kid is gonna be our next Giteau in the centres at the top level.
The lines he runs are superb and clearly it takes a big set of kahoonas to keep accepting borderline hospital passes from Beale night after night. Yet, I’ve never seen him hesitate.
Deans made him go on the U21 Australian team instead of picking him for the Wallabies, where he picked up a groin injury that looks to be behind him.
Now that he’s fit, do you think he can edge out James O’Connor?
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- Explore:
- James OConnor, Rob Horne
sambobly said | March 5th 2009 @ 6:55am | Report comment
In a word, yes. Horne is a better player than O’Connor at the moment. He is a tougher defender and runs better lines.
craig said | March 5th 2009 @ 6:58am | Report comment
aeister “Rob Horne is the best defender that I’ve seen in living memory. ” Umm Tim Horan, Shalk Burger, Stirling Mortlock, Chris Latham. Jerry Collins, Richie McCaw, George Smith, Juan Smith, Nathan Grey……….. I’m not even that old. I read that line and stopped. All credibility is gone.
Horne may however make the Wallabies this year. Probably the Baa Baa’s game.
Harry said | March 5th 2009 @ 8:04am | Report comment
Calm down aeisler. He’s played a season and 3 games of S14 – agree he has fantastic potential and looks a very complete player – reminds me most of Jason Little. If he is half as good as Little and wins half as many world cups he’ll have a great career. I hope so.
No need for the Wallabies just yet – him and O’Conner should play in the U/20′s tournament then, perhaps, be blooded on the end of season tour.
OldManEmu said | March 5th 2009 @ 8:18am | Report comment
Rob Horne is the goods – long term 50 plus test prospect. Thank goodness we have some good depth at 13 and a wise old owl in Dingo to bring him along. I reckon Horne will be brought into the squad at certain stages of the year and will tour at the end of the year.
Seeing him get belted in the tackle at the weekend but retain compusure, keep posession and lay back good ball was a sight to behold.
Terry Kidd said | March 5th 2009 @ 8:37am | Report comment
I reckon he’s a goodun and agree that he will tour end of year. Tis hard to compare him with O’Connor, they are different styles but I can see them in a couple of years with O’Connor at 12 and Horne at 13 …. such a pairing would rival the Horan-Little pairing … for the Wallabies. In fact I am dreaming of a Wallabies backline in 2011 that is something like Burgess/Holmes – Giteau – O’Connor – Horne – Turner – Ione – Mitchell with back ups like Hynes, Beale, Cooper, SNK. How good would that be operating behind a pack with Robinnson, Moore, McMenimen, Horwill, Smith, Pocock, Palu, Elsom, Caldwell, Alexander and Brown?
I know its a long way down the track but with such a team and Dean’s coaching I’m beginning to sniff another world cup.
WheresTheBloodySideline said | March 5th 2009 @ 8:57am | Report comment
Craig
Chris Latham? You can’t be serious. He would regularly miss tackles in the last line of defence and then blow up at his team mates for letting them through. Horne does look very good though. Like everyone else, I’m reminded a lot of a young Horan by him.
Hammer said | March 5th 2009 @ 8:58am | Report comment
Far, far too early to start this type of talk … all the potential in the world – but FFS let the kid develop …. had a good first up game v the Hurricanes – but went missing / tried too hard / started to believe his own press in the next couple of encounters …
… kids like O’Conner, Horne, Beale and Cooper are being hyped beyond belief … and this year we’ll see the folly of no Aust A team in the Pacific Nations Cup … this is where these kids need to head for another tier of rugby not the test arena … sure they may get on and play well against the lesser / weaker teams pre the tri-nations … but they’ll get buried if Deans throws them anywhere near SA or NZ …
Roger said | March 5th 2009 @ 9:12am | Report comment
I like Horne..it looks like he gets more satisfaction from hitting blokes in defence than attacking…sure he has great footwork and speed to burn…but the best part is that he has ‘itchy shoulders’, and loves smashing blokes!
Sam Taulelei said | March 5th 2009 @ 9:33am | Report comment
Aeisler
Horne could well be the best defender you’ve seen in your living memory, but not missing a single tackle in two years (that in itself is a long stretch) doesn’t denote a great defender, there are many rugby legends that have missed tackles but they are still renowned as outstanding tacklers.
There is a long list of promising young players that have featured on the Roar with all sorts of praise, expectation and hopes for their international future and Horne is no different. I admire his skill and how he plays the game, he has that fearlessness in his play that comes with youth and inexperience. With an aging Mortlock, and a league convert in Cross, Horne certainly appeals as a longer term option for the Wallaby midfield and hopefully a better prospect than Giteau who for all his undoubted talent never really set the world on fire in the midfield on the world stage.
Ian said | March 5th 2009 @ 10:13am | Report comment
est in living memory…Not convinced! Tim Horan, Henry Honiball, Tana Umunga, etc. He’s certainly a very good defender, but if I were to pick one, it would have to be Honiball.