Will be interesting to see how Sef Fa’agase goes up against Tupuo. I like the way he plays and scrummages. Could be a good battle.

The difference between the delivered physicality of the Red’s and Brumbies now to the physicality Oz rugby has attempted in the past is we are not getting penalised like we used to. This is because the physicality is applied to doing the job of rugby rather than just miss guided aggression. Physicality to support your game plan not just because the coach/media rabbit on about it.
The red’s continuity is because they are physically and skilfully winning/securing the breakdown. The work rate of the whole team but particularly the whole 8 is a delight to watch.

Great article and I am in agreement.

Valetini won’t be in the discussion for 8. Wilson will have this locked out. He will be in discussion for 6 but I expect he will be locked out by Liam Wright. I have been watching Valetini closely and his work rate is very low. His choice of position in defense means he is a watcher not a doer.

I have Liam Wright as the strongest contender for Wallabies Captain. He is everything we have not had in a captain since Hooper was named captain.

The cohesion and work rate of the loose 3 + Ryan Smith at the Red’s is what the Wallabies need and what has been missing for many years.

And one of the dishes on the menu is getting the fans back to the sport. Looking at the crowds turning out to watch the Brumbies play I agree with them that it is not, and hasn’t been for a long time, exciting rugby. The way the Red’s play is what the fans want. Wilson is a big part of that.

He almost always makes it past the gain line which is what you want. This is because of his speed and his commitment to the contact. You are talking about post contact metres. Post contact metres look good but in my view are so often counter productive. Oppositions always commit 2 tacklers to Wilson and he almost always takes both tacklers to ground. Some ball runners go to ground and allow tacklers to just push them there which has zero impact on the defense line.
Wilson’s value, and why I think he is by far the best 8 in Australia, is because he can manage a huge hit up load which is the platform for the Red’s attack, and do all the ball handling and support play as well, which is what makes the Red’s the most exciting team in Australian rugby. He is fast for a big man and he reads the play incredibly well which is why he is always there in the big moments. Having studied the way Ireland play over the past few seasons and the fact that Joe is a kiwi, I have no doubt at all that Joe is going to want what Wilson brings.

Honestly, this comment about Wilson’s hit ups having no impact shows so little understanding of the game and the Red’s style of play and is just so frustrating. Red’s are 100% about fast ball as is modern rugby. The time it takes to fight for another metre, is the time it takes for a defense to set itself. The Red’s launch their style of play of Wilson’s hit ups. That is why he does so many. His recycle is so fast that the next phase happens against an unsettled defense. The fact that Wilson can do the 1st, 3rd and sometimes the 5th hit up in a series of phase is just remarkable and unmatched in Australian rugby. His support play and ball handling after the hit ups is also unmatched. Then he works just as hard on defense. Best 8 in Australian rugby with daylight second. His combination with McReight is poetic.

Harry Wilson is our best 8 by a mile. He combination/cohesion with McReight who is our best 7 by a mile can not be over looked. I would suggest that Valetini will struggle to hold a starting spot as he is becoming quite lazy, particularly in the first 1/4 of the game. Surprisingly he comes alive in the second half. Maybe this is a design feature of his position in the team but his work rate just does not stack up against Wilson.

Cooper was not a Christian.

Thats because no matter how bad Foley was he still got the gold 10 jersey. Has damaged more than that era as we see now. Hope we don’t make the same mistake by wasting Test Matches on Lolesio who is the new Foley.

I don’t agree he is our form 10 and personally I would not waste more test matches on him. I would also not select Tom Wright in my Wallabies 23 in any position. I would only pick specialists and unfortunately Wright has been moved around to try to solve problems in the past and is no longer a specialist. He would have to compete for a wing position and he would not be in my first few wingers.
I would say none of our current SR 10’s are good enough. Of the 5 of them the only ones I would invest in for the Wallaby 10 position is Gordon and Lynagh. They are the only 2 with enough upside. They both control games, make others look good, are tough enough and can defend in position confidently. Both are currently not experienced enough but neither is Lolesio and he has none of those upsides. Lolesio’s upside is goal kicking and that is it for me. Lolesio is this era’s Foley.

When you think of the great rugby 10’s around the world now and in the past can you see Lolesio being one of them? I can’t.
99% of people when they watch rugby watch the game. I do to. But then I go back and I watch players. When you watch players you learn about what they bring to the team and game. Lolesio is not and has never been central to the Brumbies like great 10’s are. Watch what DMac brings to the Chiefs at the moment. He is central to their game. He calls it and the team follow. I have never seen the Brumbies follow Lolesio.
I agree he has improved and his goal kicking is solid. But he offers almost zero leadership on the field, makes lots of errors and is often part of the missed tackles that leads to opposition teams scoring.

Lolo is not a great 10, never has been and never will be. We need to invest in someone with upside.
There is nothing in the rule book that says your 10 has to kick goals. I would always want someone other than 10 doing the goal kicking. I want my 10 in the team huddle contributing to the next phase of the games strategy. 15 is a good

The current era requires completeness not just physicality. And each position requires something different as its preferred priority. In my opinion, 13 doesn’t require the same physicality as 12.

Kellaway made the headlines as a winger. Then every coach since has tried to make him a fullback. He has never reached the heights that he achieved as a winger and I don’t think he is now as good as he was because of it.

Kellaway is a winger not a fullback. The era of playing players out of position has to end. Earn your spot in your specialist position or you don’t get a spot. I don’t think Kellaway will be good enough over the next 2 years to hold down a wing spot.

We have to stop thinking the players we lost with for the last few seasons are the answer going forward. The young players over the course of the next couple of years will surpass them and take us back to the top of the international ladder.

Paisami plays 12 but hey lets continue to think that positions don’t matter just put them anywhere.
Lets give Wright another chance to continuously fail at international rugby because he hasn’t proved it yet???
Some players (Flook) no matter what they do can’t prove themselves to some people yet others just can’t fail enough to get moved on.

I am not a fan of that type of hit but if it is legal then it is legal. I think the story is why did the coach leave Tane on for 57min when he never recovered mentally from the hit? He was very timid the rest of his time on the field and it cost the Tahs the game. I thought the Tahs general played well and defended strongly. But with Tane not prepared to take it forward after that hit, their attack suffered.

Brumbies suffer under pressure because they lack leadership on the field. When they can play their game they are fine but when they are forced to get control back they crumble. Lolesio is an individual and not a leader who controls/leads the team around and why I have repeatedly said he is not a good 10. He just does his individual part. Valetini is plain lazy and is often just hanging around the ruck rather than being ready to run the ball which is surely his primary role. Swain is more interested in being aggressive than effective. Tom Wright has one of the lowest rugby IQ’s in Oz SR teams so they can not count on him to make a difference when they are under pressure because he will almost always make the wrong decision. When you have weaknesses like these in key positions and senior players you can only do well when the game is going your way.

I’m always surprised when people say they are shocked how poor Lolesio played. I am genuinely shocked when he plays well.

Harry Wilson is absolutely test standard. The work Wilson does is outstanding. His work rate, link play, breakdown security surpass all the other contenders. His biggest asset is his ability to consistently recycle ball unbelievably quickly. People question his ability to break the line. What they don’t notice is he doesn’t try to as his primary focus. His number 1 goal is to recycle the ball fast. He is normally first hit up and the speed of this recycle sets up the following phases. Someone like Valetini, Leota always tries for the extra metre which may look great but slows down the recycle and the following phases of play. Also can we drop the lineout jumping thing with Wilson. He regularly jumps in long lineouts and I have never seen him lose one thrown to him. Just another myth that people keep regurgitating without fact. The reality is that the Red’s choose to use McReight and Wilson out in the backline for the first phases alot as they are so good at supporting these first phases on an attacking lineout.
Valetini used to be one of my favourite players. His play has stayed one dimensional and his work rate so low that I suggest his chances of making the Wallaby’s is dropping each week. He also did not live up to his potential last world cup or the preceding Test season.

So typical of rugby reporting. A Tah has one good game and suddenly they are the next coming of Christ.
Do we remember the week before when they got flogged in every aspect of the game?

So many including Wallaby coaches have thought that Wilson needs to improve his footwork to make another metre or 2. What Wilson brings to the table is very fast ball recycle when he runs it. He sacrifices a metre to create fast ball. Valentini’s greatest weakness is that he sacrifies fast ball for another metre. Both Ireland and the All Blacks don’t care about the metre they care about fast ball. Schmidt will pick Wilson for this fact alone. Slow ball is the enemy of modern rugby, and it is part of the reason why Wallaby coaches have failed so dismally.

Coker, I 100% agree with your comment. I am a fan of Valetini however he is not anywhere near the skill level of Wilson. Valetini’s season in 2023 was poor and especially in Gold. He is simply not an 8. Wilson is an incredible talent, however, as is so often the case in Australian rugby players are tarnished or glorified beyond reality. Wilson is tarnished by people who simply are spectators of the game rather than experts of the game. Wilson is one of the first Wallaby players who would be picked in an All Black side. So would McReight. All Blacks 100% of the time play a team game. There are no individual All Blacks. Wilson and McReight are the best team players in Australian rugby. Ireland play the same and it is why Schmidt will select both these guys.

If the Red’s 6,7,8 keeping playing like this they would be putting forward a very strong case for a cohesive Wallaby backrow.

Petaia’s situational awareness is far better when he plays on the wing then at 15. My preference is Jock Campbell at 15 locked in for the season. He should be Wallaby 15 come test season as well. From wing, Petaia would still get plenty of opportunity to run the ball from the back field and use his racking boot.