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Wallabies lock Darcy Swain has been named for a three-game Australia A tour of Japan, just hours before a judiciary hearing decides if he’s to serve a ban for his controversial clean out of Quinn Tupaea last week.
If Swain does receive a ban, which could range from two weeks to as high as 10, it is expected his naming in the Australia A squad would mean those three games would count towards his penalty, therefore hastening his return to the Wallabies ranks.
Meanwhile, Tom Banks, who this week announced he was joining Japanese team Honda Heat, is another intriguing selection in Jason Gilmore’s 34-man squad for a three-match series against a Japanese XV. Twelve capped Wallabies will tour while Waratahs schoolboy Max Jorgensen, son of ex-Wallaby Peter, will tour as a development player.
Banks has recovered from a broken arm suffered in the opening Test against England in July. The interesting element to his selection is what it might mean for his future with the Wallabies.
Australia is unlikely to use him on the Spring Tour, because of the clash with Japanese preseason, and under the current Giteau Law allowing three overseas-based players he would appear up against it in making his claims for a spot long term.
But coach Dave Rennie remains a big fan of Banks – a point he has made many times.
It has been a frustrating first international campaign for high-profile code hopper Suliasi Vunivalu, but he gets a chance to prove his worth ahead of the Spring Tour.
While hamstring injuries have hampered his time in rugby union, there have been suggestions that he could be more impressive at training.
Former Wallabies halfback and The Roar columnist Will Genia suggested Vunivalu hasn’t shown enough to deserve a place just yet and this will give him the chance.
“He has to earn it,” said Genia, who appeared on The Roar Rugby Podcast on Wednesday.
The Roar writers Brett McKay, Harry Jones and Will Genia talk Australia A and the Bledisloe Cup
“He hasn’t played much footy. He’s quality, he’s a world-class athlete. He’s got to earn it in the performances that he puts in in training and when he plays Super Rugby. And he’ll know that.
“He’s come from a Melbourne Storm system where it’s all about hard work and earning your opportunities. I don’t think anyone should just be given the opportunities because of what their reputation is in rugby league, winning premierships or whatever. You come into the environment and you’re just as fresh and just as green as everyone else.”
Suliasi Vunivalu. (Photo by Bradley Kanaris/Getty Images)
Genia said Vunivalu was also faced with tough competition.
“Marika is the best winger in the world. No one’s taking his spot,” Genia said. “Tom Wright has been excellent. And Andrew Kellaway coming back in at fullback is very good, and Jordie Petaia is as well.
“So you’ve got to perform but you’ve also got to out-perform the guys around you and in front of you and also rely on them not playing well. That’s the reality of his situation.”
Genia said he “loved” the Australia A concept for what it can do for the Wallabies’ depth, while keeping potential backups in better game shape.
“Those guys haven’t played a whole lot of footy. For someone like Suliasi who’s had soft tissue injuries, you can do all the training in the world but you’ve got to get out there and be playing games to be able to condition your body to handle it.”
With his hamstring injuries, Vunivalu was restricted to a handful of games for the Reds this year. He extended his deal with Rugby Australia until after the World Cup, but he’s done little to suggest he will be in Rennie’s plans there.
Genia says some players need to be playing games.
“I’ve heard things that he’s a poor trainer and if not I’ll sit here and apologise,” Genia told The Roar podcast.
“I played with George Smith – he wasn’t a poor trainer but whenever we did a fitness test, he’d come last. But
then you put him on a field and he’s an absolute machine.
“There are guys like that that just need to be playing week in and week out to be able to condition their body and to sharpen them up. That’s what I love about the fact that we’ve got this Australia A program.”
Genia said on his first Spring Tour the Wallabies took 40 players to Europe.
“When you’re away for five weeks and those guys just train without the opportunity to play games, it gets tough, boring and mundane,” he said.
“You’re privileged to be in that position but you’re never actually really practicing anything that you are going to use in match conditions or in high-pressure situations that are going to serve you well to grow as a player.
“It’s essentially five weeks of holding pads or running opposition attack against the Wallaby defence and things of that nature. So it can be quite a tough slog and you can sort of feel a little bit stunted in your growth as a player.
“This program helps the Wallabies also in the sense that they can manage guys’ workloads. It provides a lot of opportunities and provide the guys a pathway to get to the Wallabies who aren’t a Michael Hooper or a Quade Cooper or a Samu Kerevi. The guys who might be thereabouts, but they need to have another look at a level above Super.”
The core of the Japan tour group was with the Australia A outfit that finished second in the Pacific Nations Cup with wins over Fiji and Tonga in July.
Australia A coach Jason Gilmore said in a statement: “It’s great to have these three matches coming up to continue the development and give our players more game time against high level international opposition.”
“With Dave Rennie’s guidance, we’ve picked the best possible players who are available and everyone’s really excited to put the work in on the training paddock and perform well over in Japan.”
Australia A squad for Japan Tour
Richie Asiata, Queensland Reds
Tom Banks, ACT Brumbies
Ollie Callan, Western Force
Jock Campbell, Queensland Reds
Hudson Creighton, ACT Brumbies
Filipo Daugunu, Queensland Reds
Ben Donaldson, NSW Waratahs
Tane Edmed, NSW Waratahs
Pone Fa’amausili, Melbourne Rebels
Nick Frost, ACT Brumbies
Matt Gibbon, Melbourne Rebels
Langi Gleeson, NSW Waratahs
Ned Hanigan, NSW Waratahs
Isaac Henry, Queensland Reds
Archer Holz, NSW Waratahs
Harry Hoopert, Queensland Reds
Max Jorgensen*, NSW Waratahs
Bayley Kuenzle, Western Force
Lachlan Lonergan, ACT Brumbies
Ryan Lonergan, , ACT Brumbies
Mark Nawaqanitawase, NSW Waratahs
Caderyn Neville, ACT Brumbies
Dylan Pietsch, NSW Waratahs
Billy Pollard, ACT Brumbies
Tom Robertson, Western Force
Rory Scott, ACT Brumbies
Ryan Smith, Queensland Reds
Hamish Stewart, Western Force
Darcy Swain, ACT Brumbies
James Tuttle, Melbourne Rebels
Seru Uru, Queensland Reds
Suli Vunivalu, Queensland Reds
Brad Wilkin, Melbourne Rebels
Teddy Wilson, NSW Waratahs
*denotes Development Player