Friday’s Rugby Information – 4/8/23

Friday once more, gang. Let’s get into it.

IT’S NOT CHILD’S PLAY

The highest precedence right this moment is to acknowledge the untiring enthusiasm and contribution of my colleague Charlie Mackay, who saved this machine operating for a number of weeks whereas GAGR’s tech boffins (that’s, some third world kiddies who administer the location with an outdated Motorola RAZR for the equal of forty cents a month) tried to refresh the 2009-era WordPress set up and challenge logins to the brand new volunteers.

On behalf of the present information group, and I hope all GAGR common readers, I say ‘thanks’ to Chucky for carrying the water and sponging our collective groin. He’s a real group man, and I feel he would possibly simply have been too good for the opposite mob.

BLEEDIN’ IN DUNEDIN

“So significantly better when the followers aren’t within the shot”

Talking of the benighted third world, off we go to Dunedin tomorrow for the Bledisoe rematch. You’ll have seen the group bulletins already, however right here they’re for the document.

New Zealand vs Australia
Forsyth Barr Stadium, Dunedin – 12:35 p.m. (AEST) on Saturday, 5 August 2023
Ref: Karl Dickson; ARs: 1: Wayne Barnes and Christophe Ridley; TMO: Marius Plonker

All Blacks: 1. Tamaiti Williams, 2. Samisoni Tau’keiaho, 3. Nepo-baby Laulala, 4. Brodie Retallick, 5. Sam Whitelock, 6. Samipeni Finau, 7. Sam ‘Kicker’ Cane (c), 8. Ardie Savea, 9. Finlay Christie, 10. Damian McKenzie, 11. Leicester Fainga’anuku, 12. Anton Lienert-Brown, 13. Braydon Ennor, 14. Shaun Stevenson, 15. Will Jordan
16. Dane Fn’ Coles, 17. Ofa Tu’ungafasi, 18. Fletcher Newell, 19. Tupou Vaa’i, 20. Luke Jacobson, 21. Aaron Smith, 22. Richie Mo’unga, 23. Dallas McLeod

Wallabies: 1. Angus Bell, 2. David Porecki, 3. Pone Fa’amausili, 4. Nick Frost, 5. Richie Arnold, 6. Tom Hooper, 7. Fraser McReight, 8. Rob Valetini, 9. Tate McDermott (c), 10. Carter Gordon, 11. Marika Koroibete, 12. Samu Kerevi, 13. Jordan Petaia, 14. Mark Nawaqanitawase, 15. Andrew Kellaway
16. Jordan Uelese, 17. James Slipper, 18. Zane Nonggorr, 19. Will Skelton, 20. Rob Leota, 21. Nic White, 22. Quade Cooper, 23. Izaia Perese

Be aware of that kick-off time and be sure you get residence early sufficient with a bundle of dim sims and potato scollops for sustenance.

Wallabies-wise, that appears like a greater again row, and I’m eager to see if huge Pone is prepared and in a position to make a mark. I feel there’s something not-right within the centres – Kerevi is off form and final week, Petaia appeared to me to be watching what was taking place relatively than making it occur. I feel we’d all wish to see each wingers keep of their lanes, particularly in defence.

Prediction: Wallabies by 4.

BEACHED WALES

“This cover? It’s my hundredth.”

I plan to keep watch over Wales throughout their warm-up matches so we are able to see how they’re monitoring en path to Pool C. A few weeks in the past I reported on their outsized coaching squad – now they must get critical with two matches towards England. This weekend in Cardiff they’re sending out:

1. Corey Domachowski, 2. Ryan Elias, 3. Keiron Assiratti, 4. Dafydd Jenkins, 5. Will Rowlands, 6. Christ Tshiunza, 7. Jac Morgan (c), 8. Aaron Wainwright, 9. Gareth Davies, 10. Sam Costelow, 11. Rio Dyer, 12. Max Llewellyn, 13. George North, 14. Louis Rees-Zammit, 15. Leigh Halfpenny
2. Elliot Dee, 17. Nicky Smith, 18. Henry Thomas, 19. Ben Carter, 20. Taine Plumtree, 21. Tomos Williams, 22. Dan Biggar, 23. Mason Grady

Props Domachowski and Assiratti are amongst half a dozen uncapped gamers and are certain to be welcomed heartily to the Check enviornment by Ellis Genge and Will Stuart. The pretty helpful Leigh Halfpenny runs out for Check quantity 100.

Kurtley Beale’s going to France. Not for the World Cup, however to take up considered one of a number of contract gives. On Tuesday, a Justice of the Peace altered his bail situations to permit to get his passport again from the cops and head abroad to play. He has to lodge a $50,000 surety, not drink le rouge ou le blanc and return by 31 December.

Over at rugby.com.au, Nathan Williamson experiences that James O’Connor has signed with the Reds for an additional 12 months.

Nathan additionally relays some Wallabies information with a double sprint of unconventional grammar: Tate McDermott was ‘outcasted’, however Eddie Jones ‘forecasted’ a management position for him within the remodelled Wallabies – he thinks Tate has the identical type of management property as George Gregan.

Talking of GG, Aircraft T Rugby experiences he believes Scotland have an excellent likelihood of constructing it out of their World Cup pool on the expense of Eire or South Africa.

THE FRIDAY FRY-UP

In my column final week, I had a bit to say about TV commentators who can’t be bothered to recognise gamers or pronounce their names accurately. Allan Alaalatoa’s damage final Saturday evening means we received’t must take heed to Sean Maloney name him ‘Arlertoa’ for some time, however on the identical evening, Tim Horan sank to Maloney’s stage by persistently dropping a syllable from the center of Nawaqanitawase. There’s a bit of ‘ni’ in there, Tim. Keep in mind the Knights Who Say “Ni”? You strive that, bub.

In the event you’re fretting concerning the underwhelming begin to Eddie Jones’s second tenure as Wallabies coach, I invite you to put aside half-hour out of your day (or at any time over the weekend) and watch this Squidge video from final 12 months. Clearly, occasions have overtaken the prediction that Jones and England have been on observe to win the World Cup collectively. Nonetheless, Squidge is forthright in his view that Eddie is the largest rugby mind within the universe and the standard-setting coach of all the skilled period. The draw back of his brilliance is his willpower to take the great distance round, to spend years if he has to, constructing in direction of his single purpose – a World Cup to make up for the one he missed seizing 20 years in the past. We’re going to must be affected person.