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Izack Rodda injured in training, will miss World Cup
By Ned Lester
Eddie Jones informed media on Friday that Wallabies lock Izack Rodda has reaggravated a foot injury that has plagued the 26-year-old's past 18 months.
The injury has already seen Rodda miss the 2022 international season as well as all but the final two games of 2023's Super Rugby Pacific season.
Just as the giant lock's season looked to be finally back on track, he suffered yet another setback, one that Jones says will see him miss not just the Rugby Championship but the Rugby World Cup as well.
"Yeah, that's bad luck for him," Jones said at an open Wallabies training session at Coogee Oval on Friday.
"He's had those couple of foot injuries. He's just reaggravated it. Unfortunately, he won't participate in the World Cup."
Three further players under the injury cloud are Andrew Kellaway, Taniela Tupou and Agus Bell. Jones reports all three are looking positive to contribute during the Rugby Championship.
Bell will likely miss the opening match against South Africa while rehabbing his toe injury and Kellaway sat out Friday's training but is set to be good to go for the Wallabies' season opener.
“We’ll have to wait and see,” Jones said on Tupou
“He’s progressing nicely. He’s done a lot more training this week than he did previously.
“We’ve got a plan for him and it’s going very well.”
Will Skelton and Richie Arnold are expected to return to Australia in the coming days and Samu Kerevi will likely be cleared for full training activities next week. Jones said Quade Cooper's absence was due to the playmaker attending a wedding.
A 33-man Wallabies squad will be announced on Sunday.
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Latest Comments
> It would be best described as an elegant solution to what was potentially going to be a significant problem for new All Blacks coach Scott Robertson. It is a problem the mad population of New Zealand will have to cope with more and more as All Blacks are able to continue their careers in NZ post RWCs. It will not be a problem for coaches, who are always going to start a campaign with the captain for the next WC in mind. > Cane, despite his warrior spirit, his undoubted commitment to every team he played for and unforgettable heroics against Ireland in last year’s World Cup quarter-final, was never unanimously admired or respected within New Zealand while he was in the role. Neither was McCaw, he was considered far too passive a captain and then out of form until his last world cup where everyone opinions changed, just like they would have if Cane had won the WC. > It was never easy to see where Cane, or even if, he would fit into Robertson’s squad given the new coach will want to be building a new-look team with 2027 in mind. > Cane will win his selections on merit and come the end of the year, he’ll sign off, he hopes, with 100 caps and maybe even, at last, universal public appreciation for what was a special career. No, he won’t. Those returning from Japan have already earned the right to retain their jersey, it’s in their contract. Cane would have been playing against England if he was ready, and found it very hard to keep his place. Perform, and they keep it however. Very easy to see where Cane could have fit, very hard to see how he could have accomplished it choosing this year as his sabbatical instead of 2025, and that’s how it played out (though I assume we now know what when NZR said they were allowing him to move his sabbatical forward and return to NZ next year, they had actually agreed to simply select him for the All Blacks from overseas, without any chance he was going to play in NZ again). With a mammoth season of 15 All Black games they might as well get some value out of his years contract, though even with him being of equal character to Richie, I don’t think they should guarantee him his 100 caps. That’s not what the All Blacks should be about. He absolutely has to play winning football.
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