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Marika Koroibete ready to be unleashed on Pumas
By Online Editors
A more refined Marika Koroibete is learning to pick his moments as he pushes his Wallabies coach Michael Cheika for a chance against Argentina in Brisbane on Saturday.
The quietly-spoken Fijian has crashed and bashed his way into Cheika's World Cup plans since a switch from rugby league almost three years ago.
The birth of his second child kept him at home and out of last weekend's loss to South Africa in Johannesburg, where Reece Hodge and Dane Haylett-Petty occupied the flanks.
Koroibete is a chance to earn a 21st Test cap when the Wallabies face the Pumas though, so too returning utility back James O'Connor, as Cheika assesses his options before September's showpiece in Japan.
Pleading his case, Koroibete said he had come a long way since playing in the 2016 NRL grand final for the Melbourne Storm.
"My understanding of the game; it's something that I've learnt a lot from when I came on in 2017," he said.
"It was like just 'play the game', now I understand it a bit more, how to work smart instead of just walking around (using my) energy up.
"Picking the right time to work hard, not just run around for the sake of it, or for the GPS (running and workload statistics)."
The Melbourne Rebels winger has speed and physicality to test the improved Argentines, who beat the hosts in a Gold Coast thriller last year before Australia replied with an historic comeback win in Salta.
"I'm working with (Wallabies strength and conditioning guru) Dean Benton, who's helping me a lot with my speed, power, endurance," Koroibete said.
"Hopefully I get some game time to show my potential, show what I've got.
"There's a lot of competition, I just want to get a chance and give all I've got."
Argentina could introduce some of their overseas contingent after a Jaguares-heavy squad pushed New Zealand to the brink last weekend.
While much improved on the back of the Jaguares' run to the Super Rugby final this year, Argentina are winless in their past six Tests.
Australia have won just two of their past seven Rugby Championship clashes but are undefeated at Suncorp Stadium in a five-Test streak dating back to June 2016.
- AAP
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Latest Comments
Im guessing you never lived in NZ under r dern and red commie labour
We were forced and in some cases mandated to take the V - I know of 7 people who D taking it and many with untold injuries - Minimium 12 K D in NZ taking it - it was never safe never effective never worked just Maimed and K'd qe were close to being thrown into quarantine camps C was only a rebranded Flu
Oz Govt MOH have completed their c commission - they admit they never had the proveable data to make justify their statements and decisions & that the public will never accept it ever happening again - they fired rubber B into peaceful protestors Ardern is hated here ( 1 M patriots forced her out ) - bloomfield her side kick 2IC dr D excempted 11k from taking it - we (not u) know who they were the Pol and Public servants who knew they were fatal - A zeneca pulled it off the market due 2 excess D's - Japan banned them - called them stupid poison -
P M Shinzo Abe opposed the v and sent over a million doses back - because of that he was murdered - So were the heads of several African nations who also opposed the fake v they were k'd and their replacements allowed their countries to be swamped with them - C was V wasnt bought in fo C - C was bought in for the V
Im not here to talk politics but if u want to I can all day especially to a RED neck commie like you - whats it going to be Rugby or Politics or mud slinging give me something to think about - surprise me with something meaty - just not word salad
Go to commentsIt doesn’t matter how good your rugby team is, at the highest level you are going to have momentum swings in games.
Wales having a good ten minute period next week- and they will- doesn’t mean the Boks will be playing poorly.
It’s if you can make the most of it when you have the momentum. And the current group of springboks do enough when they create enough, as great teams do.
For comparison, the All Blacks played their best game of the year against France.
Still lost. And it’s only France’s second game so they aren’t firing at 100% yet.
The ABs haven’t got to that ruthless stage that the springboks are at yet.
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