Wallabies coach Michael Cheika is set to enjoy one advantage over newly re-signed All Blacks counterpart Steve Hansen, with most of his players already assembling in Sydney to prepare for the Rugby Championship.
That gives him four weeks before Australia start their defence of the four-nation tournament’s title on August 20 in a Sydney clash with world champions New Zealand that doubles as the first Bledisloe Cup Test of the year.
It follows a disappointing Super Rugby tournament for the Australian teams which ended on Saturday when national conference winner the Brumbies were eliminated in the quarter-finals.
Cheika’s Brumbies players including national skipper Stephen Moore and the likes of Scott Fardy, David Pocock, Scott Sio and Tevita Kuridrani have been given one week off before joining the squad next Monday.
If Australia’s lack of Super Rugby success has one benefit for Cheika it has allowed him to spend more time with players than some of his overseas counterparts, especially Hansen, who on Monday re-signed through to the 2019 World Cup.
While Australia qualified just one team for the Super Rugby finals, New Zealand had four and South Africa three.
The Kiwis still have three teams alive going into next weekend’s semi-finals and South Africa one.
If New Zealand provides both finalists for the season decider the following weekend, Hansen won’t have access to a potentially significant amount of players until less than two before the Test in Sydney.
The Wallabies are expected to spend part of their preparation for the game at Gosford on the NSW central coast.
Cheika is set to recall a handful of overseas-based stars who weren’t used in the recent three-Test series sweep by England.
Among them are backs Adam Ashley-Cooper, Drew Mitchell, Matt Giteau and Will Genia.
Five-eighth Quade Cooper could also come into contention once he signs of on a new contract with the Australian Rugby Union.
Cooper has reached a heads of agreement with the ARU for the next three years, but has still to decide which Super franchise to play for, with his former club the Reds plus the Rebels, believed to be among the interested parties.
John R
Roar Guru
Got some straws over here if you need a few more to clutch at champ
PiratesRugby
Guest
...after meeting with Hayne twice. Which other club would get that kind of indulgence or even feel entitled to it? Not Ce of the Tahs to let Chieka prepare for the RWC by releasing him from his contract. Oh wait...
dass
Guest
One match,what happened to the rest of their season?
Scott
Guest
Good question. Been searching for it but no luck, apart from Bill Meakes!!!
Ken Catchpole's Other Leg
Guest
As far as I know Tman, Byrne won't be playing.
Rusty
Guest
Apologies for changing the subject but I have a question. Does anybody have a list of the 45 players in Cheiks's extended squad? Cheers
Danger Mouse
Guest
ha exactly! doesn't he know there is a consensus amongst roarers about who he should pick. name 1 player ahead of another and cue the insults.
Danger Mouse
Guest
didn't the waratahs thump the chiefs not that long ago?
dass
Guest
Gold
dass
Guest
One decent match this season, I don't understand why underperforming teams fans pick out one win and pin all their hopes on it? There is a reason why the top four are there, they were consistently good something the Australian teams know little about in 2016. All four teams tripped up along the way yet the picked themselves up and got on with the job. The Australian teams tripped over and rolled around calling for mummy.
John R
Roar Guru
Not that I've been able to find, just little anecdotal stories here and there. Maybe they're waiting until the Brumbies guys have had their week off before officially announcing?
John R
Roar Guru
http://www.sbs.com.au/news/article/2016/07/21/aru-wont-pay-hayne-switch-rugby http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/sport/rugby/aru-boss-bill-pulver-rules-out-paying-jarryd-hayne-from-wallaby-topup-pool-as-star-cant-play-for-australia/news-story/7c1af3ea4391e6d088e34c81ccffc790 At least do some research before publishing your propaganda mate.
taylorman
Guest
Yeah I dont know. Just seems the two sides are going in different directions this year. Sydneys always tough and the ABs have lost more tests there than anywhere by a mile (theyve also played more there...) and the last couple of years have been telling. Just the tonic Cheika needs...going to the 27th Aug one which is probably good that its not at Eden park this time (thats later).
Cynical Play
Guest
All good insights TM. As you say, "hard to do"..
PiratesRugby
Guest
Cheika can never win a Bledisloe. He is hamstrung by the need devise a game plan which makes up for the shortcomings of Tah favourites like Mumm, Skelton, Foley and Horne. He needs to exclude alternatives which naturally show up those hacks like Higginbotham, Timani, Cooper, CLL and Horwill. He has to play Hooper at 7 while the clearly superior Pocock plays out of position at 8. The side is left essentially leaderless when Moore goes off because he retains Hooper as vc. Even when Cheika's tenure is over, we are still stuffed because new talent has not been developed. Meanwhile, the ARU want to give Hayne a top up to play for NSW.
Joe King
Guest
If they start thinking they're got an advantage, then they're in trouble.
taylorman
Guest
"you giving away State secrets?." Nope. Just looking at the ways they have been beaten in the past. take last years Sydney match. Oz were in the ABs faces but more importantly seized crucial opportunities when the built enough pressure on the AB line when from memory Kepu? and Nic White scored. Close in, individual snipe at the line. Same when the Boks beat us in 2014- Pollard ran at Barrett twice and scored from close in. Same when England won in 2012. They took it to the ABs and executed a few tries brilliantly. Easy to say but obviously hard to do. I dont subscribe fully to large periods of retention in itself being a way to stop the ABs. Sure if they dont have any ball for 80 then they cant score but that never happens. The ABs have won tests off the sniff of an oily rag in terms of possession and they will instead knock over Oz and score that way. Key for me is to do what all good Oz sides have done and focus on every form of in your face defence as possible...and score that way if they can. If you focus on 'retention' you start assigning positions to lineout jumpers, scrum strengths etc and the ABs have more than enough in those areas, plus they beat you in the loose while those specialists are not so handy around the field. Accept the ABs will get at least their share of the ball and knock them over all day. I see Manias saying something similar.
Reds Tragic
Guest
haha yes and how dare anyone else have an opinion!
John R
Roar Guru
Haha. Well played.
Paul
Guest
Except it wasn't that long ago the Waratahs comprehensively took the Chiefs apart....