Club players get set to impress Australia coach Robbie Deans

[travelling_gerry]

April 29, 2009 Club rugby players will have the chance to impress Australia coach Robbie Deans and possibly win selection on the Grand Slam tour when a special trial match is held in Sydney later this year.

Deans has asked the Australian and NSW Rugby Unions to set up a Possibles v Probables match, which will feature some of Sydney and Brisbane's top young club players who are not yet contracted to Super 14 sides.

The match, to be held in October, will showcase the best club rugby talent playing in a pressure game in front of Australian selectors.

The match will serve as a way for Deans to discover some untapped talent ahead of the Wallabies tough Grand Slam tour of Great Britain where, for the first time in 25 years, they will play England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales.

The opportunity is there for the top performers in the Possibles v Probables to join an ‘Australia A’ team, which will take on the Wallabies the following week - in their last hit out before the Grand Slam tour.

With between 22 and 25 Wallabies already in mind, Deans would likely then draw between three and five players from the Australia A side.

Chairman of the Sydney club president's committee, Chris Birch said Deans' move is a fantastic initiative after the traditional ‘Australia A’ program was axed earlier this year.

“It gives the (club) guys a good opportunity to put themselves on show in front of the national selectors and an opportunity to go away on Tour,” Birch said.

“I think it's a fantastic idea, if you go back to the old days, they used to pick a Sydney team that used to play the inbound touring teams ... but since the age of professionalism that hasn't happened very much.”

Current Wallabies Matt Giteau and Tatafu Polota-Nau achieved the rare feat of Test selection before playing a match at Super 14 level.

Former Wallabies coach Eddie Jones gave Giteau his debut on Australia's 2002 tour of the UK, while hooker Polota-Nau made his debut for Australia against England in 2005 before making his debut with the Waratahs in 2006.

AAP
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http://www.foxsports.com.au/story/0,...016959,00.html

[Burgs]

Ratu?

[AndyS]

"club players who are not yet contracted to Super 14 sides"

So they are saying that the Academy system is a waste of time...? Sounds like some tokenism to me.

[Endurance]

Ratu?

He's missed the majority of the Super 14 season with a foot injury but is back playing Shute Shield with Randwick now. Scored 2 good trys last week so I'd think he'd be in contention. I'd love to see the giant running around in this type of game.