Let's just cool our jets on NRC Spring Tour bolters

Irae Simone. Jake Gordon. Lukhan Tui. Izaia Perese. Taniela Tupou. They’ve all been outstanding during this season’s National Rugby Championship, and they all have one other thing in common.

They’ve all been touted as ‘bolters’ for the Wallabies’ Grand Slam Spring Tour of Europe and the UK.

And they’re not alone, either. You can add to those four names Matt Lucas, Jonno Lance, Sam Figg, Andrew Ready, Jack Dempsey, Kyle Godwin, Isa Naisarani, and I’m sure there’s others I’ve missed too.

These names have been thrown up from all kinds of angles, and from everyone from social media and rugby forum posters to Fox Sports commentators to Wallabies coach Michael Cheika himself – he spoke glowingly of Perese’s talents recently. I fully expect we’ll see new names in the ensuing discussion here today.

Just last week, Roarer Cliff opened with, “If Cheika does not take at least three NRC players on the EOYT, then that decision reinforces my opinion that Cheika is neither a selector nor an International Coach.”

At least three!

Now, in fairness, all the players named have all had really good NRC campaigns for the respective clubs. And it’s even surprising to see sides like Brisbane City and Queensland Country, who have battled throughout the season, producing some truly outstanding talent this season.

The whole point of the NRC is to develop and even unearth players ready to take the next step in their professional careers into Super Rugby, and I’ve no doubt that we’ll see a healthy number of graduates again in 2017.

Since the NRC kicked off, there were around a dozen players making their Super Rugby debut the following year, and from the 2015 NRC to Super Rugby this year, the total number is now pushing upwards of 50. Part of that is due to the Queensland Reds and Western Force enduring horror injury runs in 2016.

If by the end of the 2017 Super Rugby season that total number of graduates is averaging out around twenty per year, then what remaining doubt about the validity of the NRC will surely be blown away.

But the thing about the NRC is that it’s not supposed to be finding Wallabies. Not immediately after the completion of that NRC season anyway. (Click to Tweet)

All of these guys may well wear the Wallabies jersey in coming years, and I’m sure it’s all part of their professional end game. But in a number of cases, they haven’t even worn a Super Rugby jersey yet.

An NRC player yet to play Super Rugby pulling on a Wallabies jersey in November would be the modern day equivalent of Phil Kearns earning a Test debut from Randwick reserve grade.

I made this point in a comment late week, perhaps under the semi-finals preview, that we have to remember that a lot of these guys don’t have even an EPS contract with a Super Rugby side.

Jake Gordon has been widely touted as a November tourist – and I’ll be surprised if he isn’t crowned the NRC Player of the Year later this month – but even in the Waratahs squad, he still has two guys in front of him with 23 and 93 Super Rugby games to their name.

And I use him as an example because I just can’t see Michael Cheika painting any of the state coaches into a corner by taking a guy on a Wallabies tour who may not even play Super Rugby in 2017.

Further, I think it’s extremely unlikely an NRC player would force his way into the Test side, and though there’s a midweek game against the French Barbarians scheduled, carrying a non-Test player for five weeks is a bit of a luxury that Cheika probably can’t afford.

In all honesty, I think one NRC ‘bolter’ could go on tour – maybe – but he’ll be a player who will definitely play Super Rugby next season, and is probably well on his way to being an established Super Rugby player already. Tolu Latu seems an obvious chance, but maybe someone like Ready, or even Dempsey could fit the bill.

It makes for a great discussion point, throwing names like Gordon and Simone and Perese up as “genuine” chances, and it wouldn’t be undeserving, even. But I’m not sure the discussion has much grounding in reality.

I’d much rather see these guys do a full Super Rugby pre-season and take their opportunities next season.

The Final no-one saw coming has a really good vibe about it
With the possible exception of the 35 per cent of you who pumped for The Crowd to take Perth Spirit last week.

I’m absolutely rapped for Dwayne Nestor and his playing group, and they thoroughly deserve their place in the Final after really well-worked, well-earned Semi-Final win over the Sydney Rays on Sunday. And what’s more, they’re a huge chance in the Final in Tamworth on Saturday night, too.

But I don’t mind admitting I thought the Rays would be too strong, and I still stand by last week’s point about the competition benefiting immensely from an all-NSW Final.

That matters little now, of course, and the Final now pits the best team in the completion in the NSW Country Eagles against arguably the smartest, Perth Spirit.

Country thrive on kick return and turnover ball, yet the Spirit have a good tactical kicking game and one of the best breakdown back rows in the competition. The forwards battle will no doubt determine the result of the Final, like the more well-proportioned gents tell us is the norm.

But the centre battle will equally determine by how much. Kyle Godwin and Dave Horwitz are playing some genuinely top shelf rugby in this competition, but I tell you, as a pairing, Ben Tapuai and Billy Meakes haven’t been too far behind them.