1
The Wallaby 'old head' the All Blacks freely admit they're going to target
By AAP
The All Blacks will apply the blowtorch to Reece Hodge, the Wallabies' latest five-eighth offering, as they plot to complete a Bledisloe Cup series drubbing in Brisbane.
Rookie playmaker Noah Lolesio has been sent back to the bench for the Suncorp Stadium match after the 43-5 thrashing in Sydney, which saw New Zealand secure the trophy.
And they now have set their sights on Hodge, who will make just his second start at five-eighth in 42 Tests.
His only other outing at No.10 came in 2017 against Japan in Yokohama when regular playmaker Bernard Foley fell sick, with the Wallabies winning 63-30 and Hodge successfully converting all nine tries.
The All Blacks will be a far tougher proposition for the 26-year-old, who has won the majority of his caps on the wing, with coach Ian Foster saying they planned to test him out.
"He's (Hodge) shown skills in the past at 10 but it's going to be another thing to go into a big Test like this and i t's something that we're going to ask a few questions of," Foster said.
The All Blacks mentor thought Hodge's selection was designed to improve the Wallabies' kicking game which was woeful in the third Test and bring some starch to their defence.
"They were criticised a bit with their kicking game last week so he won't be short of that skill-set; he's got a big kick on him," Foster said.
"When you look at the 10, 12, 13 combination they are really trying to shore that space up defensively."
The Australians have struggled since the second-Test loss of veteran playmaker Matt Toomua, who is out for the year with a groin injury.
The injured James O'Connor will also miss the Brisbane match after a knee injury ruled him out of the Sydney clash, and it appears the Wallabies have gone back to basics.
"They may have lost their decision-maker in Toomua so they've probably gone with a lot more direct running and a lot more of a power game through the mi dfield," Foster said.
"Hodge is more of an old head and they will use his experience to guide the team around."
A heavy loss would be a final trans-Tasman insult, given the venue is historically Australia's most successful stomping ground.
The Wallabies are on a six-game winning streak at Suncorp Stadium dating back to 2016, including a 2017 win over the All Blacks.
Trending on RugbyPass
2
Stuart Lancaster takes giant stride towards immediate Racing 92 exit
3
Rugby Australia CEO Phil Waugh on Joe Schmidt’s future post-Lions
4
Glasgow coach jumps to defence of McDowall who faces possible huge ban
5
Latest Comments
Recent complaints that SA players have a 12-month workload isn't of itself a credible enough excuse to lay at the door of EPCR administrators. If SA clubs want to participate in NH league and club competitions and also participate in SH internationals, then clearly something has to give.
From the EPCR perspective, I do think that the format/schedule issues can be fixed if there's a strong enough desire to remove some of the logistical challenges clubs are facing with these long and frequent trips across the hemispheres.
From the SA player workload perspective however, I'm not sure how players can participate safely and competitively at both the club and international levels. Perhaps - and as Rassie appears to be developing, SA develop a super squad with sufficient player numbers and rotation to allow players to compete across the full 12-month calendar.
Bottom line though, is the geographical isolation is always going to restrict SA's ability to having the best of both worlds.
Go to commentsMoriaty refused to play for wales also he’s injured, France’s is being coy about wales, North in the dark but Sam David and jerad are you joking their not good enough
Go to comments