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Jock Campbell believes Wallabies spots are up for grabs, as Dave Rennie’s 44-man squad reacquainted themselves with one another.
Former Wallaby Rob Heming has sadly passed away.
While Wallaroos star Grace Hamilton is off to France for a few games before the start of the Super W season.
Up north and Steve Borthwick will start his tenure as England coach without one of the nation’s best players, with Luke Cowan-Dickie to miss the start of the Six Nations.
The news is better for Ireland, however, with linchpin Johnny Sexton expected to be fit for their Six Nations opener.
Here is today’s rugby news.
Jock Campbell of Team Australia in action during the Autumn Tour match between France and Australia at Stade de France on November 05, 2022 in Paris, France. (Photo by Xavier Laine/Getty Images)
Jock Campbell made a bright start to his international career during the end of season Spring Tour.
While he was hardly sighted off the bench on debut at Murrayfield, the Queensland fullback was excellent with ball-in-hand a week later in Paris.
Defensive deficiencies might exist in his game, but look around Australian rugby and you’ll see they exist in most of Australia’s fullback options.
Campbell finished the campaign with another fine contribution, as he contributed to the Wallabies’ come-from-behind victory over Wales.
Nonetheless, with Kurtley Beale returning to the fold, competition is fierce at fullback.
Adding to the intrigue is that Beale is set to start for the Waratahs at fullback this season.
Down south Andrew Kellaway is likely to wear the No.15 jersey for the Rebels while Tom Wright looks set to replace Tom Banks at fullback for the Brumbies.
It means Rennie will be able to get a better picture of who really is a No.15 option at fullback.
“I feel like no one has nailed down the position but there are a lot of guys that are capable,” Campbell told reporters from the team’s base on Tuesday.
“I feel like we have a lot of depth in that position and even on the wing, we saw a lot of guys perform well over the Spring Tour like Marky (Nawaqanitawase) with a couple of awesome performances.
“There’s a lot of depth in the outside backs … I’m confident in my own ability to get out there but so is everyone I’m sure, and I think that’s only a positive.
“That competition creates depth and makes everyone play better. If you only have one or two guys, everyone rests on their laurels, which I don’t think you can do in this team at the moment.”
In other news, injured Wallabies star Samu Kerevi is back running.
The Japan-based centre was captured running.
These are baby steps, and it is understood Kerevi’s ACL injury had no complications, but any time a player has surgery you never quite know how they will recover.
Rob Heming, the brilliant Wallabies lock who played 21 Tests throughout the 1960s, has died.
The former Manly Marlins second-rower was 90. Heming, who was born in New Ireland, Papua New Guinea, debuted for the Wallabies against Fiji in 1961.
He was widely regarded as the greatest line-up jumper in the world during the 1960s.
Heming and halfback Ken Catchpole played pivotal roles during the 1963 tour of South Africa, where the Wallabies caused a boilover by claiming a come-from-behind 2-1 series victory. It was the first back-to-back losses at home for South Africa that century.
“Without him [Heming] it is doubtful whether Australia would have won two Tests,” South Africa writer A.C.Parker wrote at the time.
One year later Heming was influential in the Wallabies’ 20-5 third Test win over the All Blacks – New Zealand’s largest loss at home.
New Zealand writer, T.E. McLean, wrote of Heming that ‘A star is born.”
Heming went on to play a crucial role in the Wallabies’ first series win over a major rugby nation in 1965, as Australia defeated South Africa.
Heming was selected by a panel of seven, including five Wallabies, at No.23 in ‘The Top 100 Wallabies’, written by Peter Jenkins.
In 2021, Heming was inducted into the Wallaby Hall of Fame.
Former Wallabies captain Simon Poidevin remembered Heming as a “gentleman of the game.”
“Rob Heming was widely regarded as the greatest line-up jumper in the world during the period he played international rugby,” Poidevin told The Manly Daily. “Rob was not a big man, playing at 15 stone but his formidable vertical jump and skill in the air provided invaluable quality lineout ball for his talented backline colleagues to forge famous Wallaby victories against the Springboks and All Blacks.
“He was a real gentleman of the game.”
Meanwhile, England is mourning the death of brilliant winger David Duckham.
The 76-year-old played three Tests for the Lions in 1971 and played a total of 39 Tests.
He is fondly remembered for his marvellous try against Scotland.
The Guardian’s Robert Kitson wrote: “The blond-haired Duckham was among the most talented backs of his generation and will for ever be remembered for his spectacular running in the famous 1973 fixture between the Barbarians and New Zealand in Cardiff.
The Wallabies won’t head to France until August ahead of September’s World Cup, but Waratahs captain and rampaging back-rower Grace Hamilton is off to Montpellier.
ESPN has confirmed Hamilton will join the French rugby club on a short-term deal to play in the Women’s Rugby Championship Elite1.
She is the latest Wallaroos star to head to the Northern Hemisphere, with Waratahs teammates Arabella McKenzie, Emily Chancellor and Lori Cramer playing in England.
Hamilton will return to the Waratahs ahead of the March 24 start date for Super W.
Grace Hamilton is heading to France on a short-term contract. Photo: Hannah Peters – World Rugby/World Rugby via Getty Images
Luke Cowan-Dickie, one of the mainstays of England in recent years, is set to miss the Six Nations in an early blow to Steve Borthwick’s reign.
Playing for Exeter, the 29-year-old was tackled from behind by a Northampton Saint over the weekend and rolled his ankle.
Exeter’s director of rugby Rob Baxter revealed that the unfortunate tackle could see him miss the entire Six Nations campaign.
“It looks relatively bad,” Baxter said. “It was awkward. There was someone falling on the back of his leg, he ends up with his ankle crossed and one foot twists underneath him.”
He added: “He was very annoyed on Saturday. I sat with him in the physio room with the medical staff; his ankle was swelling. He really wants to have a big impact at the end of a season when he’s leaving. I think there’s a lot of the season left in him, but we need to get the ball rolling so we can get that rehab [time] down significantly.”
The news was better for Ireland’s Johnny Sexton, with Leinster coach Leo Cullen telling reporters his cheekbone injured was “reasonably minor”.
The 2018 World Rugby player of the year playmaker clashed heads with Australia’s Jarrad Butler on New Year’s Day.
Sexton had surgery, but Cullen talked up the playmaker’s chances of playing in the tournament.
“Johnny Sexton won’t feature next week. You are only talking weeks, it’s all about how it settles down and how he heals,” Cullen told reporters.
“It’s reasonably minor, a few weeks, but next weekend will definitely be too soon. I thought Harry Byrne was good in his first start of the season and it was good for him to get through 55 minutes (against Ospreys).”
Join The Roar rugby editor Christy Doran, former Wallaby Matt Toomua and a cast of regular and special guests as they look at the biggest issues in the game on The Roar Rugby Podcast. If you’re looking for great odds on the next game check out Aussie bookmaker PlayUp. Chances are you’re about to lose. Set a deposit limit.