3
Thirteen current and recent Wallabies squad members were in action this weekend, but plenty of those who took the field on Sunday had a fairly hard time of it.
Rob Simmons scored Queensland Country’s first try in Melbourne, but wasn’t able to stamp his authority on the match as the Melbourne Rising forwards dominated the contest. Simmons’ Country, Reds, and Wallabies teammate James Slipper had a frustrating afternoon too.
Hanson only played 18 minutes, though, after coming from the field in the opening stages after a head knock.
In Canberra, lock Sam Carter was well and truly outplayed by young Waratahs and NSW Country opposite Ned Hanigan, while Rory Arnold and Henry Speight were also on the wrong end of the Vikings’ annihilation at the hands of the Eagles.
5. Young punks taking the next step
While their better-known teammates mightn’t have quite enjoyed things as they hoped, it was notable to see the performances of some very promising young players standing out.
Isaia Perese and Conor Mitchell were prominent as Queensland Country jumped out to their early lead, while impressive Rising and Australian Under-20s centre Sione Tuipulotu scored a bustling try amidst his side’s comeback in the second half.
In Canberra, and though Jordan Jackson-hope had some nice touches for the Vikings, it was hard to separate lock Ned Hanigan and flanker Rowan Perry as the best players on the ground.
Hanigan gets through a mountain of work, while Perry plays a lot like Michael Hooper and arguably might be even more effective at the breakdown.
http://www.rugby.com.au/news/2016/09...wo-five-things
Good to see the young guys coming through giving the returning Wallabies a solid hit out. NRC and U/20s are only new on the scene but are looking the goods in terms of giving a pathway to the top level. The games do get a bit sloppy at times skills wise because of the extra time the ball is in play but over time these skills will get better. Overall it's been a really good start to NRC 2016.