Five Wallabies return for Brumbies
Five Wallabies return for Brumbies
Tuesday, January 23, 2007
Wallabies Jeremy Paul, Mark Chisholm, Clyde Rathbone, Guy Shepherdson and Stephen Hoiles will play their first matches of the World Cup year in the Brumbies' home trial match against the Hurricanes on Friday night.
Brumbies coach Laurie Fisher today included 11 Super 14 regulars in his 27-man squad for the Canberra Stadium clash ahead of their opening match of the Super 14 season against the Chiefs in Hamilton on February 3.
Lock Adam Wallace-Harrison rejoins the squad after undergoing a knee reconstruction in July while Julian Huxley returns to the Brumbies line-up after four years with the Queensland Reds.
Huxley will wear the 10 jersey as veteran Wallaby flyhalf Stephen Larkham continues to rest.
"I'm really looking forward to playing on Friday," said Huxley.
"They're obviously big shoes to fill but I was fortunate to have a dry run at flyhalf during the APC [Australian Provincial Championship].
"I've enjoyed coming back to the Brumbies and I'm really excited about this year."
Fisher retained many of the younger players who impressed during the Brumbies' 12-0 loss to the Waratahs on Saturday evening in Wollongong.
Eighteen-year-old Rowan Kellam maintains his position at inside centre while fellow Brumbies Academy teammate Peter Kimlin moves to the side of the scrum after playing lock and No. 8 against the Waratahs.
Jared Barry, Anthony Hegarty, Solomona Fainifo, Jason Lagaali and Tim Wright, all members of the Academy, will start off the bench.
"Our focus will again be on our core skills and operating under fatigue," said Fisher.
"The great thing about playing trials against the New Zealand sides is that they challenge you at the point of impact and at the breakdown.
"We know these will be key areas for us so it's a great opportunity to test recycling possession, our defensive alignment, our catch-pass and our kick-chase prior to the season."
Brumbies team:
- Nic Henderson
- Jeremy Paul,
- Salesi Ma'afu,
- Alister Campbell,
- Mark Chisholm,
- Peter Kimlin,
- Richard Stanford,
- Stephen Hoiles,
- Luke Burgess,
- Julian Huxley,
- Francis Fainifo,
- Rowan Kellam,
- Natt Carraro,
- Clyde Rathbone,
- Adam Ashley-Cooper,
- Saia Faingaa,
- Guy Shepherdson,
- Adam Wallace-Harrison,
- Anthony Hegarty,
- Nick Haydon,
- Christian Lealiifano,
- Jason Lagaali,
- Tim Wright,
- Solomona Fainifo,
- John Ulugia,
- Jone Tawake,
- Jared Barry
AAP
Paul nervous but ready to go
Paul nervous but ready to go
By Melissa Woods, c/o Fox Sports
January 25, 2007
LOOKING to regain his Australia jersey for a third Rugby World Cup campaign, Jeremy Paul admits to a few nerves about his first match back from a long injury-enforced break.
The veteran hooker returns to the field for the first time in four and a half months in the Brumbies' final Super 14 trial match against the Hurricanes in Canberra tomorrow night.
His 70-Test experience looms as a key World Cup asset for Australia coach John Connolly, who promoted a bunch of promising young frontrowers in his squad last year.
But 29-year-old Paul has more simple and immediate goals going into the 2007 season after a series of injuries marred his 2006 campaign following a stellar 2005 when he won the John Eales Medal as Australia's best player.
First it was calf muscle and neck injuries, then a ruptured finger tendon that required two bouts of surgery and kept him out of the Wallabies' European tour in November.
"It was a disappointing year for me last year, a lot of injuries, so I'd like just like to stay on the field this year and play some rugby," Paul said.
"I hope I'm not putting too much pressure on myself but I probably feel the best I've felt in seven years.
"Whether that's to do with the extra time off and being able to relax with my family a bit more, now I'm feeling refreshed and the best I've felt for a long time."
Despite clocking up 99 Super 12-14 games with the ACT side alongside his 70 internationals, Paul said he felt some nerves about taking on the Hurricanes, when he is expected to play about 40 minutes.
"It's extremely important for me, to see where I am at the moment," he said.
"It's been about four and a half months and I'm a bit nervous actually.
"I did my first scrummaging session yesterday and you forget how hard it actually is ... but it's good getting back into all those things again."
Paul said the extra time away from playing had allowed him to build a solid fitness base, which he hoped would culminate in a call-up for the World Cup.
"I was able to get away and refresh mentally but I was also able to do a few things for myself, a fair bit of running and I tried to do a fair bit of lower body weights and I think that's going to give me a good base going into this year."
Although it's the Brumbies' last hit-out before they start their Super 14 season against the Chiefs on February 3 in Hamilton, senior players including halfback George Gregan, five-eighth Stephen Larkham, centre Stirling Mortlock, wing Mark Gerrard and flanker George Smith have been rested.
The latter four played on the Wallabies Spring tour while coach Laurie Fisher was convinced super-fit Gregan didn't need a run.
AAP
