Rennie ‘not afraid’ to blood Wallabies rookies
Dave Rennie has delared he’s not afraid to blood uncapped youngsters in the imminent Bledisloe Cup tests, despite the Wallabies’ limited preparation for the All Blacks.
Yet the newly-appointed coach is keeping almost all his selection and injury cards close to his chest in the lead-up to his first matches.
Two weeks out from the first rugby test anywhere in the world since Covid19 brought sport to a grinding halt, Rennie and his assistants are making up for lost time ahead of two blockbuster fixtures on October 11 in Wellington and October 18 in Auckland.
His inaugural teamsheet will make for fascinating reading, in particular the question of
whether the 56-year-old will veer away from the regular names favoured by predecessor Michael
Cheika – of those who remain.
One school of thought argues it is risky to throw a bunch of kids with no test experience into the deep end against a largely settled All Blacks side oozing depth. But Rennie indicated his first matchday 23 had room for young faces.
‘‘We’ve got a bit of an idea but there’s still some positions up for grabs, and we’ll let the players do the talking over the next few days,’’ Rennie said.
‘‘We’ve always said we’re going to pick on form and if you’re good enough, you’re old enough. There is no doubt some of these young men are going to put serious heat on a spot within that 23.’’ Pressed on which positions may be the hardest to pick, he was not in any mood to divulge more than necessary.
Of the 16 uncapped players in the squad, halfback Tate McDermott, No.10 Noah Lolesio, No.8 Harry Wilson and openside breakaway Fraser McReight appear to be the frontrunners for a test debut on Kiwi soil.
On the injury front, Rennie is confident Jordan Petaia will be right for the first test. However towering lock Rory Arnold fractured his forearm while playing in France overnight.
Arnold was at the top of coach Dave Rennie’s hit list for the Rugby Championship after Rugby Australia announced selection revisions earlier this month that opened the door to high- profile players overseas.