Waratahs make most of Wallabies chances
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The battling NSW Waratahs contribute more than half the Wallabies starting side for Saturday’s final Test against Wales in Sydney, and prop Sekope Kepu says he and his clubmates have thrived on a fresh start.
The Waratahs still have two matches to play this Super Rugby season, but already it’ll go down as one of the worst in their history.
But despite their failings as a team, key individuals have stepped up to impress for Australia in the June Test window, and the Wallabies Waratahs are out for a big one in front of home fans at Allianz Stadium on Saturday afternoon.
Five-eighth Berrick Barnes has made the biggest turnaround in form, and it’s no small achievement that NSW have provided the entire starting front-row for all three Tests against Wales, with Australia already up 2-0 in the series.
Waratahs Barnes, Kepu, Adam Ashley-Cooper, Rob Horne, Tatafu Polota-Nau, Benn Robinson, Sitaleki Timani and Wycliff Palu are all in the Wallabies starting side for Sydney, with Dave Dennis also on the bench.
Tight-head Kepu has played every match for club and country this year, except the Wallabies loss to Scotland and admits the Test scene has been a God-send for the wounded Waratahs.
NSW played some of their best rugby for the year in vibrant day games at Allianz against the Crusaders and Sharks and Kepu is hoping for a similar atmosphere.
“To be honest after last week, I was very excited about coming back and finishing off the series here. A sold out crowd should be pretty special,” he said.
“Our (Waratahs) season hasn’t gone too well but we’ll be looking to put it all out on the park.
“I think the change of environment freshened up some of the guys, to see some different faces.”
Lock Timani has lost his only two Test matches to minnow nations, but the Wallabies giant is desperate to make a winning start to his career against Wales.
Timani was part of the Wallabies teams that suffered embarrassing defeats to Samoa and Scotland over the past two years, but coach Robbie Deans has shown his faith in the 25-year-old by promoting him to the starting side ahead of Rob Simmons.
Kepu said 203cm, 120kg Timani is primed to take his opportunity.
“He’s obviously got a presence that he wants to bring into the team,” he said.
“I love him behind me in the scrums as well. He’s got a big engine.”
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The Crowd Says (15) | Page 1 of Comments
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June 20th 2012 @ 5:00am
The Werewolf said | June 20th 2012 @ 5:00am | Report comment
I do think we are overly obsessed with which provincial side our players come from more so than any other nation. Perhaps it is the state of origin culture where Qld had been historically ignored when it came to kangaroo selection (but wasn’t that in the 80′s and isn’t time to let go of that stigma) I’m not sure but where players come from is essentially irrelevant when they are playing for the national side. It seems to me too many of us carry on like some one has stolen our lunch every time a wallaby side is named.
In Wales for instance the Ospreys who beat Leinster to win the Pro 12 this year had all of 1 player in the Welsh side for the first test and not a whisper of a complaint. Last weekend they had a few more but only through injury in Beck and Ryan Jones’ case.
The England side has only two players from their premiership dominant and winning Harlequin side in Marler and Robshaw, again there is no talk that this is somehow scandalous.
But if we are to play this game, the Waratahs forwards provide their super rugby side with the majority of possession week in week out and have matched or dominated every pack they’ve come up against. They haven’t won too many matches because they’re halves combinations have been awful and there backline has been starved of opportunity in many matches. That really doesn’t matter though beacuse representative teams are picked on who is best individually for the team. Barnes is relishing playing behind Genia for instance. You can’t tell me that if he, Pocock and Ioane were Waratah’s those 7 matches that they’ve lost be only a few points would not have mostly been different results.
It is the Australian Wallabies (I hate the use of the sponsored Qantas in the title) not the combined waratah-reds-brumbies-force-rebels.
Can we move on now?
June 20th 2012 @ 7:23am
formeropenside said | June 20th 2012 @ 7:23am | Report comment
Nay, Queenslanders still get shafted at the selection table every time, and the Tahs get a free ride, irrespective of results. Due to that, I care far more about Queensland than the Wallabies.
June 20th 2012 @ 7:37am
The Werewolf said | June 20th 2012 @ 7:37am | Report comment
OMG!
June 20th 2012 @ 7:41am
eagleJack said | June 20th 2012 @ 7:41am | Report comment
And that there is a Queenslander in a nutshell. Always aggrieved and hard done by.
The rest of us see all the players as Australians. State lines become irrelevant.
June 20th 2012 @ 7:46am
The Werewolf said | June 20th 2012 @ 7:46am | Report comment
Yes how can you care more for a super xv side than the wallabies. Where was it written the wallabies should have a certain no from any state?
Flabbergasted.
June 20th 2012 @ 7:48am
kingplaymaker said | June 20th 2012 @ 7:48am | Report comment
fos the Wallabies have had a mass of QLDERS over the past two years. In terms of the Waratahs involved this year, Palu, TPN and Barnes have been superb and the props very good too. Hardly a free ride.
June 20th 2012 @ 10:10am
formeropenside said | June 20th 2012 @ 10:10am | Report comment
Then how come the Tahs are where they are on the table?
June 20th 2012 @ 10:33am
eagleJack said | June 20th 2012 @ 10:33am | Report comment
Which Reds players would you have replace them? Or maybe we should introduce a rule that only Reds players can represent the Wallabies. That would surely appease the narrow minded from up north.
Hopefully once Cooper and Horwill return we can count on you to support the Wallabies again.
June 20th 2012 @ 4:55pm
formeropenside said | June 20th 2012 @ 4:55pm | Report comment
I’m not narrow minded, I just don’t like New South Welshmen.
I’m also pretty sure that if circa 2008, when Qld were crap due to poaching, if Qld had made up over half the starting Wallaby side, you and other Tah-lovers would have had a few things to say.
June 20th 2012 @ 5:53pm
eagleJack said | June 20th 2012 @ 5:53pm | Report comment
I guess that’s where we differ FOS. If the Reds players happened to be the best available then I would support them because they are AUSTRALIAN. In fact it wouldn’t even register that they were Reds players because i just see them as AUSTRALIAN players.
June 20th 2012 @ 6:32pm
jeznez said | June 20th 2012 @ 6:32pm | Report comment
Fossie Bear – I love it. Fire up mate – you are Red!
Cannot wait for my Tahs to head up to Suncorp – we might even roll your blokes!
June 20th 2012 @ 4:06pm
The Werewolf said | June 20th 2012 @ 4:06pm | Report comment
FOS because they don’t have Pocock, Sharpe, Higginbotham, McCabe, Beale, Genia or Ioane.
June 20th 2012 @ 4:54pm
formeropenside said | June 20th 2012 @ 4:54pm | Report comment
sure, but they have more Wallabies than any other team…and yet their results are so poor. Must be something wrong.
June 20th 2012 @ 6:07pm
The Werewolf said | June 20th 2012 @ 6:07pm | Report comment
I’m sorry but we are not talking about the Waratahs as wooden spooners as the reds once were. At the moment none of our super xv sides are exactly dominating now are they. We are 5th, 8th, 11th, 12th and 13th.
The Waratahs have lost 7 of their matches by less than 7 points. What that tells us is there is something missing yes but… just read my first post.
Forget counting waratahs or reds etc in the national side.
I am, you are, we are Australian. Sing it you’ll feel better.
June 21st 2012 @ 12:18pm
Lindommer said | June 21st 2012 @ 12:18pm | Report comment
For someone who decries parochialism you’re doing a damned good job of showing it, fos. Give it a rest, you’re like a broken record.