- Video
-
Club Roar
Captured a great grassroots sporting moment? We want to see it!Content Collections
The Roar Community
- Join
- Login
With so many Wallabies departing the Australian rugby scene after the World Cup in November I decided to try and identify the next breed of Wallabies by selecting an uncapped Wallabies XV.
Players can come from Super Rugby, NRC or club rugby, must be eligible to play for Australia and must be uncapped.
Coaches are still the same, with Michael Cheika at the helm and Stephen Larkham and Nathan Grey as his assistants. As a result, I favoured players whose style of play fits into Cheika’s game plan.
1. Toby Smith 2. Pat Leafa 3. Sam Talakai Reserves 16. Tolu Latu 17. Fangeese 18. Jeremy Tilse
I’ll kick this off with the front rowers. The Reds and Rebels are doing well with their recruiting and blooding of front rowers, and I believe that these two teams will lay the foundation for the Wallaby scrum over the next few years.
4. Dave McDuling 5. Rory Arnold Reserve 19. Sam Jeffries
Second row depth in Australia is really starting to pick up again, as injuries to older players have provided younger players the opportunity to gain Super Rugby experience. Rory Arnold has been particularly strong for the Brumbies alongside another young second rower, Sam Carter.
6. Lopeti Timani 7. Jarrad Butler 8. Ita Veua Reserve 20. Angus Cottrell
Back row stocks in Australia have unenviable depth at the moment and this bodes well heading into the future. Not only do we have some powerful runners in Lopeti Timani and Ita Veua but we also have the hard grafters in the likes of Chris Alcock, Jarrad Butler and Angus Cottrell.
9. Nic Stirzaker Reserve 21. Nick Frisby
Scrum-half is another position that is looking strong for Australia going forward. In Nic Stirzacker and Nic Frisby we have two very good attacking halves that have a good passing, running and defending games.
10. Jack Debreczeni
Flyhalf is a position with not as much uncapped depth as others. One concern for all Super Rugby teams besides the Rebels is that they have not spent the last two years blooding players at flyhalf. This is especially the case at the Reds and Waratahs, with the coaching staff preferring to use utility players, such as Kurtley Beale and James O’Connor, as backups. The Rebels have led the way in the area by developing rising players Jack Debreczeni and Bryce Hegarty.
12. Samu Kerevi 13. Kyle Godwin Reserve 22. Mitch Inman
The Australian franchises are slowly developing some depth in the centre position, with Mitch Inman and Samu Kerevi making big inroads this year. Kyle Godwin is another talented youngster and other players worth a mention are Sam Johnson (Reds) and Jim Stewart (Sydney Stars).
11. Cam Magnay 15. Jonah Placid 14. Chris Kuridrani Reserve 23. Robbie Coleman
The fullback and wing positions have been a breeding ground for young talent over the past few years and these players are certain to push for Wallaby selection in the coming years. Chris Kurindrani and Campbell Magnay are both players of the future and have shown considerable improvement this year despite playing for a struggling Reds side.
Taqele Naiyaravoro of the Waratahs is starting to look more comfortable on the rugby field and will be better for a season under his belt. Dom Shipperley has been good for the Rebels however he earned his first Wallaby cap in 2012 so is ineligible for this team. I’m also really looking forward to seeing Jonah Placid and Karmichael Hunt out on the field for their respective teams.
Thanks for reading Roarers! Please submit your own teams for discussion.
Join The Roar rugby editor Christy Doran, former Wallaby Matt Toomua and a cast of regular and special guests as they look at the biggest issues in the game on The Roar Rugby Podcast. If you’re looking for great odds on the next game check out Aussie bookmaker PlayUp. Chances are you’re about to lose. Set a deposit limit.