Knuckles KO’s Wallabies veterans
20 May 2006
New Wallabies coach John Connolly, known as knuckles, has landed the first blows already with the selection of an initial national training squad.
Knuckles has dropped Brumbies front row veterans Jeremy Paul and Bill Young. In a bigger shock he has axed Reds utility back Drew Mitchell, who was the star of the Wallabies in 2005.
No Waratahs players have been included. They will be added to the 25-strong squad in the next few days.
The Brumbies’ third choice scrumhalf Luke Burgess, Western Force hooker Tai McIsaac and Lachlan Mackay, who missed most of the Super 14 with injury, were also included in a squad that does contain George Gregan.
Connolly will name a 33-man squad on May 29 to prepare for the two tests against England, the first of which is on June 11 in Sydney.
Wallabies training group: Nic Henderson, Guy Shepherdson, Mark Chisholm, George Smith, George Gregan, Luke Burgess, Matt Giteau, Stephen Larkham, Stirling Mortlock, Mark Gerrard, Clyde Rathbone, Adam Ashley-Cooper, Gene Fairbanks, Daniel Heenan (Brumbies), Nathan Sharpe, Tai McIsaac, Cameron Shepherd, Lachlan MacKay, Scott Staniforth, Scott Fava (Force), John Roe, Ben Tune, Rodney Blake, Greg Holmes, Chris Latham (Reds).
38 Comments
20 May 2006, 09:35 am
The Boks can drill this Aussie team
20 May 2006, 10:29 am
Hahaha this guy’s a joke. Drew Mitchell is Australia’s best back-three player so god only knows what’s going through this guys head.
20 May 2006, 10:30 am
Interesting selections …
20 May 2006, 10:45 am
It is a pity not to see Bill Young and Donut Dunning in the squad.
They were a good match for our quota selections of Kabila, Splinters Shimange and Steady Eddie.
20 May 2006, 11:04 am
hendrikp, Drew Mitchell can’t tackle or take a high ball if his life depended on it.
20 May 2006, 11:41 am
Interesting.. why was Paul dropped that oke is a bloody good player?
20 May 2006, 11:45 am
Drew Mitchell is overrated. His tackling is poor, his vision no better and he’s weak under the high ball. In his favour, he’s generally a good finisher, but it’s not enough considering the quality of the other wingers (e.g. Tuquiri, Rathbone, Gerrard, etc.).
I only hope Al Baxter does not make the squad-he’s worse than useless-he makes Bill Young look good, and that’s saying something).
20 May 2006, 11:57 am
Australia in dire straits concerning the fron-row, I can see the AB’s pack chewing this lot up.
20 May 2006, 12:00 pm
26 Names there out of 33, which leaves 7 more names from the un-named tahs players. My guess, Tuqiri, Hewat, Rogers, Norton-Knight, Vickermann, Kanaar, Freier.
20 May 2006, 12:14 pm
Keo
Some names apart from “Rash on his bone” with South African links :
Heenan – Natal North Coast sugar farming world
Ashley Cooper – Western Cape
Any advices
20 May 2006, 12:15 pm
Forgot Dan Vickermann – but we knew that already
20 May 2006, 12:17 pm
Julian Huxley has been signed to replace Gitteau at Brumbies.
20 May 2006, 13:42 pm
This auzzie side will be competitive.
I rek that they will take a game off the All blacks in the trination.
Will see how the internationals go.
A weaker aussie side played SA and sa only managed to squeek past them.
Dont get too excited.
20 May 2006, 14:03 pm
The squad offers a lot of flair and variety. The general skills level of the Wallabies is higher than that of the Boks. Their capabablity to rise to the occasion will make them very competitive.
20 May 2006, 14:10 pm
Lang Giel
Are u saying that the wallabies are on viagra or are ***.
‘rise to the occasion’
20 May 2006, 15:21 pm
The Aussie backs can conjure up some magic but I’m afraid their forwards will crumble when the likes of Os and Somerville get stuck in.
Nice to see 7 of the Farce there……
20 May 2006, 17:12 pm
Are the Crusaders forwards stronger than the Bulls?
If yes, then the OS pack are in for a long season, because the Crusaders (ABs) are already smarter than the 8 pack of iron men from Pretoria.
If No, then the Crusaders already showed OZ how to beat a stronger pack and we’re in for LONG season in the scrums.
OZ have already showed how to mature their player base physially and can never be written off.
20 May 2006, 17:13 pm
at last a coach which can see that drew mitchell isn’t that good. and a coach which understands forward play. I’m starting to get worried, i can almost see the wallabies reviving their form for this year. Staniforth is damn solid, and the best understudy for mortlock -also solid running and good defensive player. Sam Norton-Knight should also find himself in the squad, damn the aussie have some decent centres and an incredible backline overall. Put that the amount of work coach Knuckles (anybody, why knuckles?) will put in the forwards and the aussies are back to strength.
20 May 2006, 18:36 pm
Lets see what “knuckles” can do with this lot, because after watching the tahs play the last 2 weeks and the brumbies against the landers and saders in back to back efforts, it seems like the oz power is totally from the backs and smith in the forwards. I hope Blake gets a start, he deserves it. Baxter is goooooone and dunnin g will never wear the national colours again. I hope not.
20 May 2006, 20:54 pm
baxter will be one of the tahs players in the squad sadly. the others will probably be waugh, kanaar, frier, vickermann, rogers, lyons.
bigg drill us with what? intercepts?
20 May 2006, 21:11 pm
BrumbyIV
Can u enlighten me on this new face half-back from the brumbies, a 3rd stinger, he must be special to be getting the call up in front of guys with names and reputations.
20 May 2006, 21:21 pm
haven’t seen him play. heard he is better than phibbs who gets picked because he trains hard and is melon’s brother in law.
20 May 2006, 23:14 pm
What’s the story with Phil Waugh?
21 May 2006, 01:38 am
not good enough david. showed that last year and they still picked him ahead of Smith (who was shafted to 6 and 8) there is talk he might miss the bench.
forgot to mention Tuquiri word is that turunui won’t make the squad.
21 May 2006, 01:43 am
Kabila will do a de Villiers act on these frontrow okes!
21 May 2006, 01:48 am
knuckles is called that because of his training methods when Queensland played NSW. he depises NSW rugby and their admin. set his coaching career back 10 years
21 May 2006, 04:15 am
shaka, Ashley-Cooper has two dads hence the hyphen in his name
21 May 2006, 04:24 am
Actually the Knuckles name came from his exploits in Brisbane club rugby in the 70′s and 80′s. And let me tell you from personal experience at Crosby Park (home ground of his club Brothers)circa 1981 it is quite an accurate name/description (winces).
21 May 2006, 05:57 am
Sam Cordingly exculded.He has gome for Burgess as Gregans backup ? Or is Whittaker going to be named ?
Reserve your comments on the team selection being pathetic.We got thumped by a pathetic side in Sydney last year.
21 May 2006, 06:29 am
whitaker has retired from test rugby. cordingley is not fit.
anvil that was one of the few times we had a full strength team out last year.
21 May 2006, 06:50 am
Brumby, I know.
Re Cordingley,I thought he did well in a losing side.Pity about his injuries.Would like to see what he can do again at test level.
21 May 2006, 09:29 am
Dropping Young is a good decision that has being a long time in waiting, but dropping Paul is a very odd decision. I konw that Paul has being injured for a large part of the S14, but too me he is the one player of the Wallaby front row that has being consistently good over the last couple of season & offers a large amount of experience.
Mitchell does have his flaws, but it must be remebered that he has being playing for,in my opinion,the worst of the Aussie S14 teams and has not had the service from his forwards or inside backs to show how threatening he is with the ball in hand. So to drop him, espcially after he had such a good international season last year is a mistake I think.
Saying that, those who write of the Wallabies this year are making an even bigger mistake. They options in the backline are only 2nd to that of the All Blacks & are far superior to that of the Boks. There loose forwards,might not be all that physically imposing,but are just as effective as any in the World. And with Sharpe and Vickerman that posses a very threatening 2nd row combination. There one weakeness could be up front.
I have a strong belief that if Jake does not get his selection spot on, and reward players like Ruan Pienaar & Pedrie Wanneburg so a superb S14, then the boks could struggle in the Tri Nations.
21 May 2006, 09:46 am
Mitchell should have realised that when signed with the Force, he might not get quality ball there next year. the guy hasn’t had much big game in his career. Wise rugby players don’t knock back offers from teams like the Brumbies
21 May 2006, 09:48 am
forgot mention the word experience. he has been around for a few years
21 May 2006, 11:16 am
BrumbyIV
Agree, Mitchell saw thw cash and ran like Giteau, only monay cannot buy experience and that is exactly what he could have got playing for the Brumbies. When you make the next step up into the international arena and play in pressure cooker games like Bledisloe deciders and World Cup, all that experience is called upon. Force will win more than few games next season, but not a top four spot, with that forward pack. As long as the Tahs set the pace and never win a title, Brumbies remain kings of rugby in Australia.
21 May 2006, 11:22 am
Wallabies pack is a dream to select from that basket of talent and experience, but like I have said many times before and it has been so obviously been Australia’s achilles the last few months, is the front-row/tight 5. George is the only dead set certainty in that pack and at number 7, no more of this 6 ****. Blake on one side, Freier in at hooker and the other prop maybe Henderson or Baxter if he is selected, though I think this guy is as pie as Dunning is a donut. But I guess its Australia’s turn to go thru this cycle of needing front-row forwards, NZ not to long ago in the late 90′s and early new millenium were struggling with props. Now look at the depth kiwi’s have. Oz will recover from this, and for their sake it best be soon as French conditions is all about powerhouse scrums and forward plays.
21 May 2006, 11:35 am
i don’t think the world cup will be played on heavy fields. some of the best running rugby is played in France.
Mitchell has yet to taste finals rugby and probably won’t at the Force.
23 May 2006, 07:42 am
A plea from Kiwi and Saffa fans…
We want Baxter and Dunning
We want Baxter and Dunning
We want Baxter and Dunning etc..
Have your say
You must be logged in to post a comment.