STROL EDGE RUGBY CHAMPIONSHIP LAUNCHED AS EXTENDED 40-MAN QANTAS WALLABIES TRAINING SQUAD NAMED Australian Rugby Union today launched The Castrol EDGE Rugby Championship with the announcement of an extended 40-man Qantas Wallabies training squad. The selected players will assemble for a five-day training camp in Sydney on Monday 5 August , giving new Qantas Wallabies coach Ewen McKenzie an opportunity to assess his options before announcing a final squad of up to 30 players on Friday 9 August. McKenzie has deliberately cast a wide net in selecting his inaugural 40-man training squad with 10 uncapped players included for the opening week of camp. They will join an experienced core of players who will all be vying for selection in Australia’s opening Bledisloe Cup and Castrol EDGE Rugby Championship clash with New Zealand at ANZ Stadium in Sydney on Saturday 17 August. “At this stage it’s important that as many players as possible gain exposure to our program and that everyone is receiving an opportunity to push their case for selection before we narrow down our squad,” McKenzie said. “The first five days will be invaluable in this respect as there are some players I know very well and others that I’m interested in learning more about. “What I do know though, as is evidenced by the fact that we’ve chosen 10 uncapped players for the training camp, is that Australian Rugby does have a lot of depth and talent coming through, now and for the future. “We’ve taken that very much into consideration with our selections and believe this squad is capable of having success right now, while also expediting the development process for some of the younger guys who we see as having the potential to represent Australia in a few years.” Long-serving lock James Horwill will captain the Qantas Wallabies squad, which also includes 21 players who earned at least one cap during Australia’s recent three-game Test series against the British & Irish Lions. Of the omissions from the British & Irish Lions series, Kurtley Beale and Wycliff Palu have not been considered for selection due to injury, joining Qantas Wallabies regulars David Pocock, Digby Ioane, Pat McCabe and Scott Higginbotham on the sideline. Beale is set to undergo surgery on his shoulder later this week and will be sidelined for the remainder of the 2013 season, while Palu will be unavailable during the early stages of Australia’s campaign as he continues rehabilitation from surgery to repair damaged meniscus in a knee. Reds’ winger Rod Davies, Western Force centre Kyle Godwin and Waratahs’ wingers Cam Crawford are also unavailable for selection due to injury. In finalising his initial 40-man squad, McKenzie has also given priority to players who are committed to Australian Rugby in 2014 and beyond, with many tough selection decisions favouring those players available for Qantas Wallabies selection in years to come. “We’ve assessed each case on its own merits, but it’s important that we are, where possible, making investments in players that are going to provide value for Australian Rugby over the next few seasons,” McKenzie said. “That was definitely a major consideration in selecting this training squad. “With new systems to install, we’ve also put a lot of weight on those players who are healthy and able to contribute fully in training in the lead-up to our opening two Tests. “There is only a very short period before our first match, so it’s paramount that the players are in a strong position mentally and physically to be investing all their time now into understanding what we are trying to achieve. “We’re also trying to develop strong combinations and competition across all positions and you can only do that by having players who are available to train and compete.” The Qantas Wallabies will have just a fortnight to prepare for their opening game against the All Blacks, where a victory could prove decisive in Australia’s quest to win the Bledisloe Cup for the first time since 2002. The following week in Wellington an opportunity also exists for the Qantas Wallabies to snap a 12-year losing drought against the All Blacks in New Zealand, with Australia’s last victory coming at Dunedin in 2001. “It’s always going to be challenging when you come up against the number one team in the world, but it also gives you the greatest opportunity to make a statement,” McKenzie said. “If we want to change where we are in the Rugby landscape, this is a great place to start. Effectively, the Bledisloe Cup is there for the taking if we are good enough over two weekends. “We’ll have some different thoughts and ideas about how we go about it. The reality is we’ve got to challenge ourselves to do things differently otherwise the outcomes will remain the same. “We’ll be able to go into that first game in our own backyard, in front of a full house, with some element of surprise. I don’t think that’s a bad situation.” Tickets for the Qantas Wallabies clash against the All Blacks at ANZ Stadium on Saturday 17 August are on sale now via ticketek.au The Qantas Wallabies 40-man training squad to assemble in Sydney on 5 August ahead of The Castrol EDGE Rugby Championship is: Player Position State Age Test Caps Ben Alexander Prop ACT Brumbies 28 51 Adam Ashley-Cooper Centre NSW Waratahs 29 80 Peter Betham Wing NSW Waratahs 24 Uncapped Quade Cooper Flyhalf Queensland Reds 25 38 Nick Cummins Wing Western Force 25 6 Dave Dennis Backrow NSW Waratahs 27 15 Kane Douglas Lock NSW Waratahs 24 9 Anthony Fainga’a Centre Queensland Reds 26 23 Saia Fainga’a Hooker Queensland Reds 26 19 Scott Fardy Lock/Backrow ACT Brumbies 29 Uncapped Chris Feauai-Sautia Wing/Centre Queensland Reds 19 Uncapped Israel Folau Wing/Fullback NSW Waratahs 24 3 Bernard Foley Flyhalf NSW Waratahs 23 Uncapped Will Genia Scrumhalf Queensland Reds 25 44 Liam Gill Backrow Queensland Reds 21 10 Mike Harris Centre/Flyhalf Queensland Reds 25 8 Michael Hooper Backrow NSW Waratahs 21 16 James Horwill Lock Queensland Reds 28 38 Sekope Kepu Prop NSW Waratahs 27 26 Peter Kimlin Backrow/Lock ACT Brumbies 28 2 Tevita Kuridrani Centre ACT Brumbies 22 Uncapped Christian Leali’ifano Centre ACT Brumbies 25 3 Ben McCalman Loose Forward Western Force 25 22 Hugh McMeniman Backrow/Lock Western Force 29 21 Jesse Mogg Fullback ACT Brumbies 24 1 Stephen Moore Hooker ACT Brumbies 30 79 Ben Mowen Backrow ACT Brumbies 28 3 James O’Connor Wing/Fullback Melbourne Rebels 23 40 Nick Phipps Scumhalf Melbourne Rebels 24 14 Tatafu Polota Nau Hooker NSW Waratahs 27 44 Hugh Pyle Lock Melbourne Rebels 24 Uncapped Benn Robinson Prop NSW Waratahs 29 59 Paddy Ryan Prop NSW Waratahs 24 1 Jake Schatz Backrow Queensland Reds 23 Uncapped Rob Simmons Lock Queensland Reds 24 26 Scott Sio Prop ACT Brumbies 21 Uncapped James Slipper Prop Queensland Reds 24 37 Joe Tomane Wing ACT Brumbies 23 3 Matt Toomua Flyhalf ACT Brumbies 23 Uncapped Nic White Scrumhalf ACT Brumbies 23 Uncapped
Posted on: Fri, 26 Jul 2013 00:22:12 +0000