Fiji-born wing sensation Henry Speight is being groomed for immediate Wallabies selection once his three-year Test exile ends in September.
After inviting Speight into national camp on an “informal” basis during Australia’s three-Test series against France in June, Wallabies coach Ewen McKenzie on Wednesday named the in-form Brumbies flyer in his 32-man squad for the Rugby Championship.
Despite being unavailable for the opening half of Australia’s campaign, including the first two Bledisloe Cup matches, Speight is one of two specialist wingers in the squad.
Under IRB rules, the 26-year-old won’t be eligible to play for the Wallabies until September 11, but that hasn’t stopped McKenzie initiating the excitement machine.
“There’s no reason he can’t be involved in the preparation, getting to know what we’re about and getting him to know the intricacies of that and get him ready for eligibility to be picked,” he said.
“We think he’s been in good form and he’s going to become eligible.”
McKenzie said Speight’s speed and tackle-busting ability was a timely compensator for the loss of cult hero Nick Cummins, who has signed a lucrative deal to play in Japan later this year after featuring in all three Tests against Les Bleus.
“You don’t like to lose any players but that happens and circumstances are very different,” McKenzie said.
“We’re also confident there’s players arriving too and this is probably as good an example as you get – obviously a crowd favourite in Nick Cummins departing but also a really interesting guy coming through as well in Henry Speight.
“I didn’t know much about him until June and I was very impressed with him on and off the field, given he wasn’t formally involved.
“He was a great contributor and he’s got a great mind for the game.”
Injured halves Will Genia and Quade Cooper have been left out of the squad, but McKenzie remains hopeful they will feature at the back end of the Rugby Championship.
Genia may well be available to return from ankle surgery in the September 6 clash against South Africa in Perth, while his Queensland Reds halves partner Cooper is further behind in his rehabilitation from hip and shoulder operations.
There’s no surprises in McKenzie’s squad, captained by Michael Hooper and including 25 players who tasted action in the 3-0 series clean sweep of France.
Melbourne Rebels lock Luke Jones, who debuted in the second Test against Les Bleus, has also been dropped following impressive starting debuts by Sam Carter and Will Skelton.
Brumbies duo Ben Alexander and Joe Tomane have returned from injuries and are strongly in the mix to start in the Bledisloe opener at ANZ Stadium on August 16 when the All Blacks will strive for a world record 18 straight Test victories.
The Wallabies assemble on August 3 for a week-long Bush2Bledisloe regional road trip across Dubbo, Orange, Bathurst and Penrith.
Wallabies squad: Forwards – Ben Alexander, Pek Cowan, James Slipper, Sekope Kepu, Scott Sio, Tatafu Polota-Nau, James Hanson, Nathan Charles, James Horwill, Rob Simmons, Will Skelton, Sam Carter, Scott Fardy, Scott Higginbotham, Michael Hooper (capt), Matt Hodgson, Wycliff Palu, Ben McCalman.
Backs – Nic White, Nick Phipps, Luke Burgess, Bernard Foley, Kurtley Beale, Matt Toomua, Christian Leali’ifano, Tevita Kuridrani, Rob Horne, Joe Tomane, Adam Ashley-Cooper, Henry Speight, Pat McCabe, Israel Folau.
Buzzard
Guest
I actually love Speights hair do. I love the fro. Great fro. Go the fro.
Buzzard
Guest
What are we talking about??? Peoples faces??? Big lips maybe? Googly eyes?
Jerry
Guest
Oh good, Buzzard shows he's not just ignorant about rugby.
Jerry
Guest
Lealiifano is an Aussie product who played a couple of seasons in NZ, he'd have been a bigger poach than Speight if he'd became an AB. And there was exactly zero chance of that ever happening even if he'd been better than Dan Carter, Jonah Lomu and David Campese combined, because he'd already played for Australia at 7's so was already bound to his home country.
Dingo
Guest
The only comment I made against race was against brick top mocking the shape of a certain races facial features. If the issue is just speight hasn't been in Australia long enough to represent the wallabies then so be it, that's a case for the irb. But what's the difference between him and fekitoa who moved to New Zealand purely to play rugby there? He chased a better career opportunity and I say best of luck to him. And all the players who represent countries they're not born in, whether Polynesian, kiwi, South African or otherwise.
Nek Minnut
Guest
And can we please stop calling everyone who says Speight is a Fijian "racist". He is a Fijian and his race has nothing to do with it. Also another thing is people accusing others who oppose Speight playing for Australia or the addition of Arg to the RC as "xenophobic". This really annoys me because it is just accusing those who you are arguing with as being irrational or somehow bigotted when the reasons for opposing it are most often, actually nearly always nothing to do with the fear or mistrust of that which is foriegn or strange. The suggestion is absurd actually. Please can we keep this sane and rational? Ignore the trolls and dont get offended because somebody has a different idea.
Nek Minnut
Guest
Dingo you are missing the point. Speight is a Fijian, he was born there and he was raised there. When he was a teenager he went to NZ and went to school. He then played for Fiji at agegroup level. He then played for Waikato. He was in the Chiefs programe. He then got an offer to play for the Brumbies in Australia in 2011. He returned for the ITM cup in 2011. It is 2014 and Speight has lived in Australia consistently for less than 3 years, he wasnt born, raised or educated in Australia and he came to Australia to play rugby after already representing Fiji. There are no problems with him becoming an Australia citizen, nor is there an issue with his race. It is simply the FACT that Speight is a Fijian that came to Australia to play rugby and how that is a problem for many reasons. Should Speight be allowed to play for Australia? I would say no. Not until he is a citizen and has lived in Australia for 5 years at least and even then I have a problem with it because he should represent Fiji because Fiji is not a top 3 nation and cant afford to lose Speight, nor can it afford to have a Super 15 franchise to give Australians opportunities to play for Fiji. I sincerely hope this post is allowed and it isnt only the pro Speight playing for Australia posts that are allowed because there is legitimate reasons for opposing it.
Nek Minnut
Guest
Buzzard you represent your country. Thats the whole idea of it. You dont represent any country willing to give you a contract, thats against the whole idea of it. You realise they play the national anthem, why, shouldnt they just play any old song, wouldnt want to make all the hired help uncomfortable singing an anthem which isnt theirs. Please list all of these guys that qualified for and played for NZ at 27 that you speak of. The elligibilty laws need to be tightened up so you cant just be hired or play where your grandpa was from. If you represent a country, you should be from that country and there should be a cut off age of about 18. If you havnt lived in a country before 18 you cant represent it until a 5 year qualification is up and only if your country of birth is not a smaller rugby nation such as Fiji, Tonga or Georgia. Its fine if you are from Eng, come to Aus at 19 and play for them at 24 but if you are 19, from Fiji and come to NZ you must play for Fiji no matter how long you live in NZ. Also those born in smaller rugby nations that play for tier 1 nations should be allowed to play for the smaller rugby nation after playing for that tier 1 country. The point is that Fiji is struggling when they shouldnt be and Speight should be playing for Fiji because he is born and raised in Fiji, not Australia. He came to Australia to play rugby but that does not make him Australian just like Giteau playing in France doest make him French.
Nek Minnut
Guest
Or is it honesty and facts?
paul craggie
Guest
If they don't introduce extended residential requirements my interest in the Wallaby's and international rugby will dwindle to zero.
paul craggie
Guest
I totally agree. Pity he doesn't play for Fiji.
Boomeranga
Guest
You might want to do a bit more research into CL.
Billy Bob
Guest
Jerry, I love em both - the sth island drop and the Brumbies winger. Btw, is this NZ dominated thread an honest winge? Or early excuses in case the bled doesn't go to plan?
Buzzard
Guest
NZ milk? Milk powder, the poisonous stuff the Chinese bought?
Dingo
Guest
My parents arrived in this country from overseas, so did a large percentage of this population, whether they came for work, the weather or to escape persecution in there homeland they're all welcome. We also encourage them to strengthen this country through there developed skills, whether it be laying bricks, programming computers, nursing or playing rugby. The same way we welcome tens of thousands of Kiwis into Australia each year to work, lets embrace multiculturalism and put aside our xenophobic angst towards people born overseas. Dont hear many Aussies crying foul over Fekitoa? To be honest I'm excited to watch him play, no matter what colour his jersey.
Jerry
Guest
It's also rubbish, unlike the Henry variety.
Jerry
Guest
NZ produces wayyyyy more milk than Australia. I'll allow them as the land of honey as I understand the Manuka tree originated in Australia and everyone knows manuka honey is the best.
ben
Guest
Henry Speight, Sekope Kepu and Christian Lealiifano were all part of the Chiefs’ system in recent years yet were allowed to defect offshore and are now members of the Wallabies. Speight, the newest inclusion into the national squad, doesn’t become eligible for Australia until September 11 because of a two-month stint with Chiefs feeder team Waikato in 2011, but rejected an offer to rejoin them in 2012 in favour of re-signing for the Brumbies, who had shown enough faith to offer him his first full-time contract. “I’ve got Sekope Kepu from the Chiefs’ wider training group, so the Chiefs have been a good source of Wallabies, [Lealiifano] was there as well,” McKenzie said. “The Chiefs have been doing good things on their own, so they’ve had a surplus of needs maybe' POACHING
Buzzard
Guest
Hey dingo.....Speight isn't Australian. He's Fijian. He's been poached. Its that simple, but who cares. He WILL play for the Wallabies in the land of milk n honey!!!
Buzzard
Guest
Her brother plays hooker for the Reds. She loves rugby.