Returned Wallaby rushed straight into team could be foil to French
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The Wallabies will look to tap into the recent France experience of lock Matt Philip when they host Les Bleus at Suncorp Stadium on Wednesday night.
Philip missed the entire Super Rugby season in 2021, completing a six-month contract with French Top 14 side Pau.
Despite being a late arrival into the Wallabies camp after hotel quarantine, Philip was rushed back into the starting side with coach Dave Rennie saying his freshly-gained knowledge would be an asset.
The 27-year-old, who was one of Australia's most consistent performers through the Bledisloe Cup and Tri-Nations series in 2020, will partner Lukhan Salakaia-Loto, while Brumbies rookie lock Darcy Swain is in line to make his test debut off the bench.
Rennie said that while he was impressed with veteran lock Sitaleki Timani, who spent eight seasons playing in France, he felt Philip could similarly contribute.
"We've got Matt Philip, who's just come back from France and has that experience," Rennie said upon naming his team.
Philip himself believed that he was a better player after his taste of northern hemisphere rugby and said he felt prepared for what the French would bring to the three-test series.
"It's a different style of rugby, it's a pretty brutal comp, very physical," Philip told AAP.
"There's some really big bodies over there that you don't find as much in Super Rugby, which is quite different."
"I think I will be able to bring a little bit back from what I learnt over there."
Philip admitted he didn't expect to be deciphering any opposition line-out calls however.
"I told the boys I am bilingual but it's a very tough language to learn - I tried my best but I wouldn't say I'm fluent," he said.
Three of his teammates from Pau are in the French travelling party with only lock Baptiste Pesenti included in the squad for the first test.
"He's had a pretty solid season," said Philip. "He's a good player and he got some time in the Six Nations so I'm excited to get the chance to play against him."
Melissa Woods - AAP
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‘‘We had a good week’s preparation in Nice’’
Well, I didn’t see any evidence of that at all. In fact, there wasn’t any evidence that they had even trained! It was shocking.
Go to commentsI agree that the conversations on rugby should be respectful and constructive. Not needlessly inflammatory, while adding nothing of substance.
One of the key aspects of sport, especially sports like rugby. Is that it teaches self-control and mutual respect. That when the whistle starts play, you try (within the rules) to use violence and guile to achieve victory. The whistle goes again, you stop and revert to being civil. It teaches us that there is a time and place for violence, but the rest of the time we should be civil. To let go of what happened on the pitch. Players/fans etc. taunting and insulting each other on the pitch and off it is also a blight on the game.
Taunting and being emotive/needlessly provocative goes against this true message of sport. Play hard, but after the game socialize together and have a laugh and beer etc.
Of course, civil, constructive debate after the game can occur. But the type of interactions the author suggests are juvenile, and frankly beneath rugby (and the ethos of sport in general).
Also, it reduces the commentary of rugby from something where people discuss the game, growing their knowledge and appreciation for the game. To juvenile nonsense that just cheapens the game and take up valuable space.
Really it just shows the people who engage in this type of behavior, generally, have little of substance to offer to the conversation.
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