Seven Wallabies named in Australia A team to play Tonga

Before the 2003 World Cup, Stirling Mortlock who was injured at the time was interviewed by Chris Handy at the Wallabies bar in DH. Everyone in the bar had the chance to ask a question, and Mortlock was charged with awarding Wallaby gear (cap), and free drinks to the person who asked the best question. Hesitatingly I asked Mortlock what he thought of the endless training camps the Wallabies were involved in and I suggested it might be more beneficial if they were released to play club rugby. Mortlock couldn't agree more and said that all the Wallabies loved playing for the clubs and would jump at the chance. Needless to say I received a few free drinks for my troubles, which was nice :) By the way, if you do get a chance to watch one of the club games (even if on ABC) do so, they are probably the most entertaining rugby around, and a nice change from the tests, which are too stop start for mine. They play the full 80 minutes, injury breaks and other 'stoppages' are rare and you really do get some characters playing. (This is coming from a lifetime club rugby sceptic who has been forced to stay home on Saturdays recently due to study etc).

Well, Robbie 'Dingo' Deans has won me over with the release of the players back to their clubs. Hopefully we'll see more of it.

ill be at nth syd this sunday for 2pm kickoff with the old man watching Aust A monster Tonga (hopefully not by too much). Last year at the SFS it was by around 50 points. lets see if lachie turner can impress at fullback, as SKK played really well in the past two pacific nations cup games so he must be disappointed to be dropped to the bench.

My guess would be that Aus A is designed to give high level experience to the seond tier of players. If you fill Aus A with off-duty Wallabies, you undermine the purpose of having it in the first place. It's not like Cross or Waugh need a bit more top-tier game time, whereas their understudies like Richard Brown and Timana Tahu will benefit greatly from being there. As will club rugby benefit from having Cross, Waugh, etc playing.

Another question if I may. Players from the Wallaby's squad who are not selected are being sent off to play for their clubs (Cross & Waugh come to mind). When I first read about that I thought it was a great idea to give everyone more game time & keep them tough ready for call up at a moments notice. But having thought about it I am now wondering as to why these guys aren't sent to play for Australia A instead of their clubs. Don't get me wrong of course it's terrific for the clubs to see these guys back. It's just that for them anyway, playing time at the highest level is surely better. Is the reason simply because having guys like Waugh & Cross (in Aust A) is going to interfere with combinations that have been developed or is there another reason? Or maybe I just so thick that it's bloody obvious and I've missed it.

To clarify my comment above, I should also point out that Woodman was extremely complimentary about Yanuyanutawa's dedication and performance recently, and his eligibility comments were made in the vein that it would be a shame if Yanuyanutawa was barred from playing for his native Fiji, for example, but never actually got to wear the Wallaby gold. I quote "I hope they've picked him on form, as he deserves, and not just to keep him here in Australia".

Andrew - selection for Australia A does indeed bind a player to Australia. On this subject, it's interesting to note that the NZRU's decision to play the NZ Maori in the Pacific 6N instead of the Junior All Blacks, if persisted with, means less players will be bound to New Zealand. Caps for the NZ Maori don't bind a player, hence Riki Flutey's imminent eligibility for England. Conceivably, this could lead to more NZ players representing NH teams in the vein of Tony Marsh or Isaac Boss (though I thin Boss qualified through ancestry) - unless they've played All Black or 7s rugby, there'll be nothing to bind them to NZ and with more and more fringe players heading north, you could see them turning out in a white/green/red/blue jumper in the future. I'm thinking of equivalents of Tane Tuipolotou or Jimmy Gopperth who've both played for the Junior AB's without ever seriously looking like making the AB's. In the case of a guy like Tuipolotou it could also mean more players, who wer eligible for both NZ and a PI union, turning out for the PI team.

Regarding Aus A players being bound to Australia - I interviewed Trevor Woodman (2003 Rugby World Cup prop for England and now Sydney Uni forwards coach) recently at a rugby lunch. We were discussing the University front rower Jerry Yanuyanutawa who was plucked from obscurity recently for the Aus A team, and Trevor expressed a mild concern that Jerry may have just been picked to ensure that he was eligible for Australia further down the track if required. Radike Samo springs to mind in this category. I assume TW has done his homework, which would indicate that once you represent Aus A, you are bound to Australia (with the exception of a non-mature player). James O'Connor is apparently not eligible for U20's due to a minimum age restriction but can play for Aus A because there is no minimum age. It would appear that after being ruled out of the London/Scotland leg of the IRB Sevens on medical grounds, he was subsequently not considered for Aus A selection, hence his non-appearance in either tournament (U20 World Champs or Pacific Nations Cup).

Interestingly - I've just looked at the IRB regs and it seems a player can't be bound to a country until he's reached the age of maturity, which presumably means that a player such as James O'Connor could conceivably play test rugby for two different countries (eg if he were selected and played for the Wallabies before his 18th birthday and then decided to play for either SA or NZ - I believe he could actually play for either on the basis of ancestry).

Peter - You qualify for a country through either being born in that country, living in the country for 3 years consecutively or through ancestry (either a parent or a grandparent from a country). Once a player has represented a country's 1st team, 2nd team (eg Australia A, Junior All Blacks etc) or international 7s team, they are bound to that country and ineligible for any other country in perpetuity (you have to actually get on the field for it to count I believe - just making a squad doesn't actually bind a player to a country).

I probably should know this but don't. What constitutes an Australian A player? In other words how does one become eligible or ineligible? fab