Can Sitaleki Timani force his way back into the Wallabies squad?

Comment was that Timani came home for family reasons. Dunno what they are.

there is money overseas but playing for your country is huge. Prob only 20 of those players overseas are good enough to play for their country or have in the past - the others are still important to raise the standard of the super rugby teams across Australia. from expere3ince some players overseas couldn't make in in their State teams so they went OS to ply their craft and get paid for it. Why not. some however want to stay and be a Red/ Brumby/ force/ Rebel of even a waratah... some of these will make it to the gold jersey. (dont be foolish and think all the 150+ players are all at the top level0.

@JP yes I agree but..... I don't begrudge Hooper for taking a season or 2 in Japan. While he should never have been selected as WB captain and chosen at no 7 over Pocock he has still given long and good service imo. And I doubt he would have made any difference to the continued Waratah slide in 2021. He's another player past his prime and WBs need much better than him to get back into top 5 in world. F McReight is probably better than Hooper right now and will only improve :thumbup:

Waxy hooper is a mercenary too.but he is still contracted to NSWRU and RA ( which is worse ) he is double dipping in Japan right now and his tahs are getting smashed.He really should be in Australia to stand by his tah troops.Not a great look on his behalf.He surely cannot be Wallaby captain.

Not on that performance against the Reds.

"Timani is known for his reliable lineout jumping, mammoth scrummaging strength and high work rate surrounding the ruck." Scrummaging strength and ability to clear bodies at the ruck definitely. But one of the reasons he had been at three Aus teams in 4 years is because his lineout ability was sub-par, he had a low work rate and feet for hands. Even in his best year before he headed overseas he was having trouble maintaining consistent impact and holding onto the ball. Could be handy coverage in the event of a massive injury crisis, but at 35 I see no benefit in bringing him back in.

"you say he’s been here since March. So if he was still consistently good why was he not in the Force run on team from game 1 in 2021." Round 1 was in February, you know it's 2021 now Waxy?

The other Force lock (Thrush) had a decent game also against the Reds and seemed to win every lineout they really needed, so not clear he'd immediately be the one ditched from the second row if it came down to a choice between him and Timani. While they're all young pups to me, that Force tight 5 is distinctly elderly.

If he came back in March, the only game he could have played which he didn't play was against the Tahs on 5 March. At this particular time, in addition to the usual reasons beyond his control for not playing (possible injury or illness issues), or issues with his fitness which may or may not have been within his control, you have to also consider whether he'd had to do quarantine. While you and I might well prefer that players stay in Australia and stay available for Wallaby selection, that preference doesn't cost us any money - on the other hand, it may well cost the player involved a lot. I find it difficult to hold it against someone that they chose to make decent money when they could when they only have a limited window to do so.

Wrong . If that was the case , we wouldn’t have 150+ players overseas and some front line wallabies Eg Kerevi Adam Coleman Tolu Latu and now Koriabete will to. Many players love money more than a wallaby jersey. And lots of players and there families have enjoyed lifestyles overseas as well.

Why has he come home though? 35 is not old he could still make more money in Europe in French 2nd division rather than play super rugby. Age isn’t a barrier for him to re claiming his wallaby spot , some here are being ageist. There’s just possibly better locks around rfn. Is he in the top four best locks in OZ? Probably not at this stage, but with more games under his belt, maybe.

Not sure what you mean by this comment? The tahs have enjoyed privileged selection for years! There is not one player on current form that stands out to me as a walk up selection within the tahs for wallabies consideration, but history shows they have enjoyed years of unwarranted preference because of the nepotism and old school tie culture of the ARU establishment.

The mercenary jibe had me guessing. Personally, I think it's the managers who are more mercenary than the players. They've got to make their 10% while they can and for some reason I find myself doubting some of their motives.

Oscar, I recall S.Timani being dropped from the WB because he was as slow as a tortoise with a broken leg. His set piece was good (excellent at SR-level) but his ruck work left lots to be desired. Against most good international sides who attack nearly every defensive ruck to get the steal, I would say that playing S.Timani would end horribly in tears. In short, NO way does he get near the WB unless its as a practice bunny. Besides atm you have I.Rodda, LSL, T.Hosea and C.Neville all in front of S.Timani. LSL and C.Neville are both TH-side locks if I recall. Now if I was going to sprout a name as a smokey for a WB squad lock position off the back of just a few recent matches, I would be saying Seru Uru. Another year of SR and A.Blyth will be very very nervous of his starting position. In addition, although to be fair I am writing with beer-soaked fossilised memory cells, I was under the impression that S.Timani lost his RA top-up in 2013 and he was only on NSW money. That would have widened the money gap so the offer from the flesh-eating French Rugby Clubs would have looked even tastier to a bloke who knows he has only 8-10 years at best to earn enough crust to set him up for his post-rugby life.

My understanding was that Timani was injury cover and Rodda wasn't arriving in Oz before July. Not sure seeing them as a pairing is likely.

There’s only one person ‘funny’ in here, and it ain’t those two. Here I was thinking dinosaurs were extinct.

@Oscar you guys are funny - Timani has played 1 game in a losing team and you want him instantly promoted to a WB run on team :laughing: