Wallaby Harris wants to tackle NZ and SBW
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New Zealand-born Wallaby Mike Harris says he’d relish a shot at the biggest challenge in rugby – taking down All Blacks weapon Sonny Bill Williams.
Harris always dreamed of playing a Bledisloe Cup, albeit for the Blacks.
But now he’s embraced life on the opposite side of the fence and has two Australian caps to his name, the 24-year-old has turned his focus to the biggest fish in the New Zealand line-up for the Bledisloe opener in Sydney on August 18.
Harris’ laser boot won Australia the second Test against Wales in June after the full-time siren, but he wants to forge a reputation as a fearless No.12, and is happy to start by going head-to-head with Japan and NRL-bound superstar Williams.
The Queensland Reds midfielder faces a fierce battle for selection with Berrick Barnes, who starred at five-eighth against Wales, but will be a chance to move to the centres if Quade Cooper is reinstated at No.10.
Incumbent inside centre Pat McCabe was on Wednesday ruled out for four to six weeks with a stress fracture to his lower left leg, meaning he’ll miss the two Tests against the All Blacks in August.
But the versatile Harris could be a valuable bench option if nothing else, and said he won’t be afraid of a fired up Williams looking to make a statement in his farewell Tests.
“If I’m in that midfield role I’ll be looking to square up and make sure I come down low and don’t give him a chance,” said Harris.
“Obviously he’s a big guy and loves to get that offload away and I just think he’s got better and better with more time in the game.
“He’s definitely stamped his mark as one of the best in the world at that sort of game, throwing that offload and breaking the line – he’s definitely going to be one of the threats for the All Blacks.
“Playing in a Bledisloe Cup would just be a dream come true for me … hopefully in a few weeks that will come true. My body is feeling good and I’m raring to go and ready to get stuck in.”
Williams was expected to be excluded from the Rugby Championship after announcing he was leaving New Zealand rugby.
But new coach Steve Hansen confirmed Williams would play both matches against Australia, with the return fixture in Auckland on August 25.
Harris said Williams would be primed for a big exit, but said the Wallabies had their own motivations as they look to end a decade-long Bledisloe drought.
“If he’s made himself available for these next two games he’ll definitely be wanting to have big games before he leaves and heads off to Japan,” he said.
“It’s definitely motivation for him there but it’s exactly the same for us. We want to have two big games and put ourselves in the box seat for the Rugby Championship.”
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- Mike Harris, Rugby Union, Sonny Bill Williams, Super Rugby
August 2nd 2012 @ 6:09am
Justin2 said | August 2nd 2012 @ 6:09am | Report comment
Time for a reds midfield perhaps – Genia, cooper, AF (to take down SBW) and Taps at 13?
August 2nd 2012 @ 6:51am
Geoff Brisbane said | August 2nd 2012 @ 6:51am | Report comment
Focus on one player will be risky what about Carter or. Nonu or dagg just play to the plan
August 2nd 2012 @ 7:04am
jutsie said | August 2nd 2012 @ 7:04am | Report comment
Isn’t the bigger story that Maccabe is out for 6 weeks.
deans hand is been forced into doing what many fans have been calling for. Its funny how things pan out.
Now that sbw is back I think it would be a mistake to play Barnes at 12, his tackling style will just invite the offload.
Hopefully tapuai impresses during training and finally gets a crack!
August 4th 2012 @ 2:36pm
bennalong said | August 4th 2012 @ 2:36pm | Report comment
What “tackling style” is that Jutsie?
Around the ankles isn’t bad I would have thought.
August 2nd 2012 @ 7:18am
kingplaymaker said | August 2nd 2012 @ 7:18am | Report comment
jutsie it depends on risk I suppose. Tapuai has hardly played while Barnes has played all season and started three internationals. Tapuai would be a big risk for two Bledisloe matches with so little rugby behind him recently.
So I think it will probably be Barnes and Horne just because they have played a lot. Right wing will be an interesting choice because with JOC and Tomane out, the obvious choice is AAC but that leaves a worrying shortage of firepower but Vuna is the more risky choice.
August 2nd 2012 @ 7:55am
Jutsie said | August 2nd 2012 @ 7:55am | Report comment
Well i hope he takes a risk cos im not confident of barnes lining up against sbw.
August 2nd 2012 @ 8:04am
kingplaymaker said | August 2nd 2012 @ 8:04am | Report comment
Jutsie you have to assume that if SBW plays, Nonu will move out one position. That means strong defenders are needed in both centres.
August 2nd 2012 @ 8:46am
Jutsie said | August 2nd 2012 @ 8:46am | Report comment
Im not knocking barnes his a good defender but his style of going low will allow SBW to offload, we need guys that are front on types. I think horne, A finger, tapuai, harris and mccabe are all more capable of stopping nonu and sbw from getting metres after contact or offloading to support runners.
August 2nd 2012 @ 9:10am
kingplaymaker said | August 2nd 2012 @ 9:10am | Report comment
Jutsie that’s definitely true, and if you can shut down those two much, it goes some way to stopping the All Black backline.
August 2nd 2012 @ 2:27pm
Kuruki said | August 2nd 2012 @ 2:27pm | Report comment
I don’t think going high on SBW is a very good idea at all. There is no better way to combat what he does then to chop his legs out. He gets his hands through the tackle in some very heavy contact. To limit his go forward and the time his runners have to find his offload your best weapon is to cut his legs out.
You wont stop SBW offloading the ball. You can stop him making huge meters by effecting copybook tackles.
August 2nd 2012 @ 2:41pm
Jutsie said | August 2nd 2012 @ 2:41pm | Report comment
I guess its not really a matter of going high or low but putting him on his bum quickly, faiinga goes low but drives up with his shoulder, barnes goes low but takes the impact so allows a guy like SBW or nonu to get at least 5 metres before going to ground.
Faiinga has been successful against SBW because even when SBW gets the offload he is off balance and is not accurate.
August 2nd 2012 @ 7:22am
formeropenside said | August 2nd 2012 @ 7:22am | Report comment
I’d rather have seen McCabe used at 13 than out altogether, but its not the worst outcome to see if Barnes or A Finger can take the position.
August 2nd 2012 @ 7:44am
kingplaymaker said | August 2nd 2012 @ 7:44am | Report comment
fos I can see the point of choosing Faiingaa. Sure he does nothing in attack but is the best bet to stop the frightening midfield partnership of Nonu and SBW should it be chosen. Indeed defence first might be the order of the day for those two.
August 2nd 2012 @ 8:04am
Justin2 said | August 2nd 2012 @ 8:04am | Report comment
He has a good combination with QC in attack. Deans won’t do it anyway but it’s true…
August 2nd 2012 @ 8:48am
Jutsie said | August 2nd 2012 @ 8:48am | Report comment
TBH I wouldnt mind any of the reds centres at 12, harris has hit some really good form since the break and could play the 2nd playmaker at 12 but also be a good defender.
A finger is one of the aus centres we know for certain can handle SBW/nonu and tapuai is the biggest attacking threat although he has only had 20 min of game time since his shoulder injury so might not have the confidence in defence.
August 2nd 2012 @ 9:13am
kingplaymaker said | August 2nd 2012 @ 9:13am | Report comment
Faiingaa is a nonentity in attack and does nothing outside Cooper. However, he is a defensive rock and that is what’s necessary for SBW and Nonu.
August 2nd 2012 @ 10:25am
Justin2 said | August 2nd 2012 @ 10:25am | Report comment
A little too subtle for some I think KPM. Go back and watch 2010 when he was playing 12 with QC at 10 for the Reds. Unfortunately for AF he has been shifted to 13 since which isnt his natural position. He is a better 12 than 13.
August 2nd 2012 @ 10:42am
kingplaymaker said | August 2nd 2012 @ 10:42am | Report comment
Justin2 well whatever the case I’m happy for him to start for the Wallabies now both SBW and Nonu need to be stopped. Presumably then he’ll get a chance to do something in attack.
August 2nd 2012 @ 9:56am
WQ said | August 2nd 2012 @ 9:56am | Report comment
Jutsie I thought he was the best player QLD had on the park in the loss to the Sharks
August 2nd 2012 @ 10:01am
Jutsie said | August 2nd 2012 @ 10:01am | Report comment
Who WQ? harris or A finger? Or are you referring to tapuai and having a dig at how poor the reds were that game
August 2nd 2012 @ 1:17pm
WQ said | August 2nd 2012 @ 1:17pm | Report comment
Jutsie, I’m shocked, I’m a Reds fan mate why would I have a go at them.
I meant Harris, I thought he had an excellent game against the Sharks especially with the ball in hand. He constantly threatened the line and his ability to turn the ball over at the break down was as good as any of the QLD forwards on the night.
August 2nd 2012 @ 1:31pm
Jutsie said | August 2nd 2012 @ 1:31pm | Report comment
WQ I wasnt having ago at ya just joking around thats why I added the smiley face.
I knew you were either talking about harris or A finger but just added the taps bit as an attempt at some light-hearted humour sorry u misunderstood me.
Yeah harris mustve have either got a big boost in confidence after his stint the wb’s or has just fully recovered from his hammy injury as his form post break has been excellent.
August 2nd 2012 @ 2:51pm
WQ said | August 2nd 2012 @ 2:51pm | Report comment
All good Jutsie,
I think a combination of both the points you made are probably the reality.
I do genuinely think he would be a good option though and certainly adds plenty with his ability to kick
August 2nd 2012 @ 8:39am
Harry said | August 2nd 2012 @ 8:39am | Report comment
Barnes to 12, Cooper at 10 and Faingaa at 13 please.
August 2nd 2012 @ 9:03am
Dasher said | August 2nd 2012 @ 9:03am | Report comment
Harris is not the right player, Tapuai is – in my humble opinion.
August 2nd 2012 @ 9:10am
fin said | August 2nd 2012 @ 9:10am | Report comment
Attack 9 Genia 10 Cooper 11. Digby 12 Barnes 13 Horne 14 AAC 15 Beale Defence 9 Genia 10 Barnes 11. Digby 12 Horne 13 AAC 14 Beale/Cooper 15 Beale /Cooper. Deans has been reluctant to run different attacking and defnsive combinations in the past, but he has always been keen on Cooper/ Barnes combination and would see Horne/AAC as his best defensive centre combination now that McCabe is out.
August 2nd 2012 @ 9:13am
Jutsie said | August 2nd 2012 @ 9:13am | Report comment
Thats a decent idea but I think I’d go with cooper on the wing and beale at fullback in defence. Cooper couldnt handle the high bombs during the world cup and we were robbed of beale’s counter attack threat.
August 2nd 2012 @ 9:36am
rl said | August 2nd 2012 @ 9:36am | Report comment
fin, I also agree, mainly because the biggest issue with Horne’s defence is his inclination to rush up to try and put on a hit or rush his opponent. Prob works a treat at club level, but at S15 and international level, he gets found out hence him featuring prominently on the missed tackles list. He’s actually a strong defender otherwise, just better suited to that inside channel as he won’t have the time to pull the same stunts.
That being said, I also think you could get a better outcome putting either Faainga or Tapui at 13, the latter offering better attack. Plus I also think Diggers defending at 10 is not a bad option, so long as he resists the temptation to lift!
August 2nd 2012 @ 9:54am
Jutsie said | August 2nd 2012 @ 9:54am | Report comment
Good observation RL, tim horan (and I think Deans as well) always thought horne had more potential at 12. He saved a few try scoring threats (in addition to bombing a few too lol) during the welsh series cos he rushed out of the line and stopped the overlap but yeah it can also work against him if his timing is off.
August 2nd 2012 @ 10:01am
fin said | August 2nd 2012 @ 10:01am | Report comment
Taps is a great option for the future but i don’t think he has played enough recently to be seriously considered against the ABS, and Horne seems to be prefered over Finger, although I think he’d do a similar job.
I personally see McCabe , Horne and Finger as 12s and would only select one of them with Digby at 13.( for this to happen Cooper would need to be competent in defense at 10, which he seems to be improving). I like Digby at 13 because we actually have good coverage on the wing and at centre his ball running would be utilised more and probably his only slight weakness ( under the high ball ) would be minimised, let’s face it he spends most of his time looking for extra work in the midfield anyway. I can’t see a world class 13 playing in any of our S15 and we know Diggers is a world class player. Deans won’t do it but I would
August 2nd 2012 @ 10:08am
Jutsie said | August 2nd 2012 @ 10:08am | Report comment
Digs was given a go at 13 in 2009 nov tour, we had coops at 10, gits at 12 and digs at 13 against the welsh and ran riot. Unfortunately digs was injured for most of 2010 and then in 2011 was back on the wing due to mitchell’s injury so the move wasnt persevered with.
I
August 2nd 2012 @ 10:20am
JIM said | August 2nd 2012 @ 10:20am | Report comment
Digby played a few games for the Reds and I think most Reds fans watched a great winger become a good 13. As a winger, he can go looking for the ball and inject himself into the backline where he can do the most damage. At 13, he seemed to always have to wait for the ball to come out to him. Which made him less potent, especially when the defenders rush up and take the time away from 12, so he doesnt get the space.
I think that Digby with an 11 or a 14 on his back provides more in attack. If you watch back to many of Genia’s set piece trys for both the Reds and the Wallabies, they often have digby coming from the blindside at pace, running the decoy, making the space for Genia’s speed and vision to take advantage. That becomes harder to do at 13.
August 2nd 2012 @ 10:28am
Justin2 said | August 2nd 2012 @ 10:28am | Report comment
100%, you are weakening a n absolute strength and arguably not gaining much in return at all if anything by moving Diggers to 13.
He isnt skilful enough to play 13 nor does he read defence well enough.
Thems the facts…
August 2nd 2012 @ 10:41am
kingplaymaker said | August 2nd 2012 @ 10:41am | Report comment
Justin2 the only argument for moving Ioane to 13 is if you had two other outstanding wings to accomodate and couldn’t get all three in the team in any way possible however undesirable. That’s not a problem now, especially with JOC and Tomane injured.
It’s also true to say though, that if you had three outstanding wings, such as Ioane, JOC and Tomane and no decent outside centre (I mention this because it could well be the case later in the year), then it should be a natural centre like Tomane who should move to 13, not Ioane (or JOC who in my opinion is too small for the centres).
August 2nd 2012 @ 10:50am
rl said | August 2nd 2012 @ 10:50am | Report comment
yeah agree about Diggers, he’s a great player but just not a natural 13. As long as he gets 10 or more touches in a game, he’s better value on the wing. Like Justin2 says, weakening one area to try and shore up another. Its a bit like moving Beale to 10, which thankfully didn’t happen.
August 2nd 2012 @ 12:24pm
Jagman said | August 2nd 2012 @ 12:24pm | Report comment
Why move them all around? just move Ioani to 12 in defence and Barnes to 10 and Cooper to wing. Only a slight variation on what happened last year anyway. AAC is our most reliable player under the high ball and Ioani possibly the least so no need to move AAC to the centres.
August 2nd 2012 @ 12:45pm
Marshall Brentnall said | August 2nd 2012 @ 12:45pm | Report comment
I like your thinking there Fin.
August 2nd 2012 @ 10:16am
JIM said | August 2nd 2012 @ 10:16am | Report comment
Thing to remember about Harris is that you really need to look at him throughout the season to see his full range of skills. In the late part of the season for the reds, once Cooper came back, he has been a running option, often as a decoy in attack. Often the Reds run a wide attack off the long passes of Genia and Cooper with back 3 and even loose forwards as runners as well. Which has meant that Harris has got his hands on the ball less and really stepped up his workload in defence (both tackle and clean out). Earlier in the season he struggled at 10, but worked well as a ball playing 12 outside Lucas.
Late in the season the Reds have been using Cooper and Morahan for in play kicking. But Harris did a lot of it early in the season, with good effect.
I put Harris in a similar mold to Barnes, in that he is a good solid 10, but not quite creative enough at the top level. But he is a better defender than Barnes and a better runner in heavy traffic.
But it depends on the game plan you want to play. I would think that with Beale, Ioane and maybe Shipperley (top try scorer for the Reds) then you want a midfield that is great defensively, runs hard and creates space for a back 3 that can use that midfield space. I would put Harris at 12 and AAC at 13.