u/Hot-Builder-9961

Which players could we see at the Tahs in 2027? It may be a bit late. The player drain from the Tahs happened because they didn't have a coach or direction, so who could Checkia realistically get? Given his experience in the past few years, you might think some off-contract NRL players might be convinced, but who, though? Marky Mark is just the type of guy Cheika would love to get, but he's already on a lucrative deal in Japan. Similarly, Jaques would have been a very Michael Cheika-esque player; however, he's also gone to the league. I'd love to see Langi Gleeson return, as he's hardly played since moving to Montpellier, but I'm unsure how long his contract is. Blyth and Bowen are off to Japan. Rilley and Talatina are off to the Brumbies.

Who else could Cheika bring in?

After seeing the reactions from fans to the Wallabies vs Japan game on the weekend, I felt it was necessary to say my two cents on what I think is arguably the biggest plague in Aussie rugby: the nihilistic negativity so prevalent in rugby discourse. A shockingly high amount of this negative and unhelpful criticism is directed towards Joseph-Aukuso Sua'ali'i, and I felt it was worth saying something about it. Firstly, let me establish some ground here: JAS is not a perfect player; this is obvious as of now. He is good and could be great; that's already known. The point of this post is to highlight the unfair criticism leveraged against him and how people act like the magical solution to fixing all the Wallabies' woes involves either changing his position, without posing any viable replacements. I'm going to provide points with examples to demonstrate the unfair double standard when it comes to criticism of JAS.

1. JAS mistakes are directly attributed to the Wallabies' woes.

This is an egregious example of the double standard in the discourse around JAS and the game against Japan, highlighting this the most. Firstly, JAS didn't have his best game against Japan on Saturday, which he and the coaching staff will be acutely aware of. JAS did have some crucial mistakes in this most recent game, and one mistake highlighted is his defensive read that led to the Japanese try in the 45th minute. JAS shoots out of the line to try and put pressure on #10; however, Ito holds his nerve and delivers the pass to #14 on a well-run line, allowing him to get into space, eventually leading to a try. Most armchair critics quickly lambasted JAS, saying this try is completely his fault, without trying to do the work to understand how defensive systems work. If you watch the footage with an unbiased perspective, you will see why JAS makes this read.

Modern defensive systems incorporate a variety of rush and press systems. When teams have quick ball as Japan do here, many teams will employ a rush to get up in the face of the defenders to force an error and make them have to make decisions under pressure. The issue is that this requires 3-4 players to be working in unison, with the winger or fullback coming in from the back field to make the tackle, which is called the (Pendulum defence). This is pretty much commonplace in all defensive systems, and the Wallabies have implemented this with success in the past. It must be established that the rush is often not aimed at a high tackle competition rate, but rather at applying pressure to force an error or one of the players in the defence making a dominant hit. Examples of this working effectively for the Wallabies are both against Ireland in 2026 and the 3rd Lions test in 2025, both leading to interceptions from Jorgensen and leading to eventual tries. If you rewatch the footage from the Ireland game, Ikitau shoots out of the line to apply pressure on the ball player, exactly like JAS did against Japan. Ikitau 'misses the tackle ', but that's not the objective here; he puts considerable pressure on the ball player, Ireland #12, and although McKlouskey can get the pass away to #10 Jorgensen, provided consistent pressure and intercepts the ball. An almost identical scenario happens against the Lions; Ikitau flies out of the line and puts a dominant hit on Farrell, forcing a bad pass, which Jorgensen scoops up and runs 50m to score.

The real issue here is that JAS is only making a bad read because he doesn't have the support around him; Potter applied the soak defence to absorb the attack rather than rushing up connected with JAS. Wright should be doing the same, with Medrith coming across to fullback and Jorgensen dropping to the back field from the far wing. Furthermore, the Wallabies are still down a man at this point, which makes the Wallabies' defence stretched as it is. My point here is that this is a bad read only in the context of the scenario, as the Wallabies have employed this defensive strategy on multiple occasions. The issue here is whether Les Kiss and Johnny Fisher have coached this into JAS or whether he is acting on his own accord to put in an instinctive big hit. I'm in no way saying that JAS is faultless in this case, rather that this is a defensive system that the Wallabies consistently use. However, I could be completely wrong, and this could be a genuine rogue attempt from JAS, but considering the combination of the short side rush combined with the pendulum defence is utilised by many top teams, I doubt this is outside of the playbook. The problem in this case is that the Wallabies are down a man that could otherwise be rushing up in support. I'm well aware that Amatersero is a 2nd row and he himself would not be on an edge defence, but he leaves a gap elsewhere that must be filled. In a perfect scenario, JAS rushes up to pressure the #10 and Potter, Wright, and the additional player, had they not been down a man, provide further pressure on the outside, all coming with pace and force and #14 either making a dominant hit or forcing an error, as seen against Ireland and The Lions. However, given the context, JAS should have applied the absorb-defensive strategy also employed by Wright and Potter and pushed the Japanese attack towards the sideline, but gave up ground and made a chop tackle from the inside.

2. Other players' mistakes are not highlighted nearly as much as JAS.

This again displays the frustrating double standard in Aussie rugby discourse, where JAS mistakes are highlighted and endlessly cirtiqued where as other players' mistakes are either excused or downplayed. McWright had two poor mistakes in my opinion when he chose to quickly tap and go, once from inside his own 10-meter line. Not trying to blame McWright because he has an exceptional work rate and is one of those players who can spark something brilliant; however, the Wallabies have just completed an almost 3-minute unbroken defensive set in 35-degree heat and have been rewarded with a pressure release of a penalty. Unfortunately, tapping and going here just isn't smart footy; the team is clearly buggered, and there's still 60 minutes to play in brutal conditions. I get that people want to see fast, frantic footy, and this is clearly what Kiss wants from his teams, but this was a really costly mistake that can largely be attributed to the Japan try that followed in the next few phases. Yes, this could have led to a Wallaby try, and I see what McWright is doing here, but rugby is an 80-minute game, and the best teams understand when to really put the hammer down and when to regroup. As I mentioned before, I'm not trying to shift the blame onto McWright, but I'm conveying that other players make poor mistakes and aren't nearly as harshly criticised as JAS. Furthermore, Amatererso is a walking liability, and his actions actually do deserve criticism; it was stupid, pointless, and cost the Wallabies massively. Cost them an almost certain try and forced them to be down a player for 20-plus minutes.

3. Fans and Pundits love to criticise and critique JAS without providing any real solution.

This is the most frustrating double standard in my opinion, as people love to say the JAS should play elsewhere than 13 without actually understanding the logistics of the scenario or the actual reality of the conversation. I personally think JAS' best positions are in the centers weather that be 12 or 13, and anyone who thinks he would be better suited in the back 3 is dreaming. Firstly lets look at the logistics of the scenario: Len Ikitau is arguably the best centre in the World at either 12 or 13; he's more than proven that with his tenure at Exeter. However, other than JAS, the Wallabies don't possess another option at centre that is nearly as close in quality. The current options that the Wallabies could use are all very similar, and none of them provides the point of difference that JAS can and does. Paisami is a physical ball carrier and a hit man in defence for sure and has made a knack for getting good offloads away; however, his size profile doesn't attract multiple defenders as the likes of JAS, nor does he possess JAS' ability to straighten up hard and cut back against the grain. Flook is a genuine 13, and like Pasimi is quality; however, he similarly does not have the size or raw athleticism or skill of JAS. He's a well-rounded and hard-working 13 without a doubt but lacks the power of JAS. Henry is in a similar position, too similar to Ikitau and the other to warrant his selection, but a quality option. Danganu possibly provides the biggest point of difference; however, he is in a similar position to the others- not the biggest, a good skill set and physical enough; however, he lacks the ball-playing option of JAS and Ikitau. I think he should be our nailed-on #23, can cover centres and wing, and also possibly #7 in a pinch. My point here is that not one of the 'other options' that people like to bring up is really knocking down the door for selection, and what people most conveniently ignore is the trade-off that would have to occur if JAS was moved to the Wing or Fullback.

If JAS were to be moved to the wing, it would force one of the current players out of the team. Jorgensen is nailed on when fit; Peistch is class and a true powerhouse and a genuine point of difference. Potter has his flaws, but he's been execllent in the past two games; he's proving that when used effectively, he is a class player. Further down the line are players like Corey Toole, a genuine speedster, and Dangunu, similarly quick with substatil physically and non-Wallaby players who are probably only a few years away from being Wallabnies them selves, such as Harvey, Pritchard and Ryan. My point here is that the Wallabies are hardly starved of Good options on the wing, and moving JAS would be forcing one of these players out of the team entirely. Furthermore, Wing dosent suit his frame or playstyle. JAS is an excellent ball carrier, and arguably his best attribute is when he straightens in attack and forces two defenders to re-align. In doing so, he often carries one or two defenders with him before he gets taken down. People don't often understand how valuable this is; having a ball carrier who can get over the gain line with two defenders hanging off him creates so much space on the outside for the electric players like Jorgensen and Wright. This just doesn't really happen for wingers; for context, look how far a player like Leicester Fainga'anuku has come since he moved to the centres a few years ago; he similarly is incredibly powerful through the hips and regularly requires two defenders to get him to ground. On the wing, players usually have to evade their opposition defenders due to the quality of 1 on 1 defemding common in outside backs these days. Obviously, a guy like JAS could break plenty of tackles out wide, but so can Peistch and Danganu; however, he has the unique ability to carry guys with him, and his post-contact meters are one of his best attributes. This is something no other Wallaby back really possesses; as I mentioned before, none of the other centre options possesses this skill, and JAS does. Another aspect of his game that is a genuine point of difference is his ability to skip to the outside and bring two defenders with him while getting and offload away. This is not unique to JAS, but he does it so frequently with reasonable success that moving him to the wing would be a significant loss for this specific skill in the Wallabies.

Finally, I want to talk about fullback. I don't think he is as suited to 15 as people would like to think. Out of all the 15s in the game currently, none are really akin to JAS in terms of skill set, yes he would get space, but so does Tom Wright, and I would argue that partially the reason he does get as much space as he does is through JAS's work taking defenders out of the game. Watch the try Wright scores against Ireland in 2024; JAS runs a great line which causes two Irish defenders to bite in, allowing for the Wallabies to score. Most world-class fullbacks in the modern game are game managers and playmakers rather that ball running threats; this is a skill set that doesn't come overnight. Tom Wright's evolution into a world-class fullback is a poignant example of this. He began his career in rugby as a speedster with great finishing, but he has evolved into a well-rounded fullback with an excellent rugby brain. Not to say JAS couldn't do the same, but his skill set and physical attributes have him suited to the centres.

My overarching point here is that although JAS is not the silver bullet that will fix all that is wrong with the Wallabies, he cops a lot of unwarranted criticism. He's not faultless at all; he's a player, and he makes mistakes as all players do. But the Wallabies' woes are a team issue, and his position and selection are the silver bullet many would think them to be.

Another good center for the Tahs, what a joke of an administration, i actually think they will be a bottom 4 team next year

The Brumbies just announced the signing of Aiden Straight, another great signing in my opinion alongside Leafi Talataina and Tristan Rilley. After a highly disappointing 2026 season, I thought the Brumbies really missed the jump in the 2025 off-season. The Brumbies lost a lot of key players (Lolesio, Hooper and Ikitau) and had multiple veterans on ice for a large portion of the year (Frost, AAA and Wright). As a Brumbies fan, I felt we lacked a lot of what is key to our identity and what has made us the dominant franchise in Aussie rugby. We lacked set piece execution, poise in high-pressure situations and the ability to close out games effectively. To be completely honest, the werent many positives about 2026 by the end; only just sneaking into the Top 6 as a team that is usually safely 3rd or 4th was disappointing, made worse by the absolute battering by the Hurricanes in the quarter. We started fast, as we often do, with two successive 50-point efforts, one against the reigning champs at their home. We also pulled off two impressive wins against strong NZ opposition; however, both were highly fortuitous wins with tries after the buzzer in both. Ryan Longeran was my player of the season; the guy absolutely put the team on his back on a few occasions, and at times he was playing for 2 or 3 players. Charlie Cale showed signs of brilliance but was unfortunately resigned to spending the back half of the season on the sideline with injury.

On to the signings for 2027, I feel they are excellent for two reasons, first being that the Brumbies, for a few years, haven't replaced departing players with quality signings of established players, rather choosing to elevate academy players, which in itself is a great thing and is a testament to the quality of the Brumbies organisation. However, we severely lacked any serious punch in many cases. On so many occasions I felt when the Brumbies utilised their backs they either went backwards if we went through the centres or found ourselves struggling with the ball and playing catch-up when we went wide, this is largely due to the inability to build any serious platform through the fowards as we were without any real ball carrying threats outside Boddy V, who him self didnt have the best of seasons but i dont think the blame can be entirely on him. For most of 2026, the brumbies selceted and 2nd Row pairing of Shaw and Neville. Shaw is an absolute workhorse who is statistically the hardest worker in all of Super Rugby based upon his involvement in carries, tackles, rucks and lineout. Neville is similar but without the mobility of Shaw. I'm not a set piece expert myself, but our lineout was abysmal in 2026. If I had to guess, I would say this is likely down to Nick Frost being on ice or not operating at 100% for the season, as typically he has been our #1 lineout option for the past few years.

The back row was largely a combination of Bobby V, Scott and either Cale or McPherson with Reimer off the bench. I like the combination, but neither Scott, Cale nor McPherson are abrasive ball carriers, and I just feel we really lacked some go-forward through the middle. Scott is a DAWG and is a Temu Fraser McWright, which is a complement to him and is high praise for a 7; he gets through a lot of work and is a traditional 7. Remirer is also a DAWG, and we will miss his impact off the bench; he's one of those special players that just makes things happen, a bit like Jorgo but in completely different realms. I dont need to say anything about Bobby V; we know how good he is and how good he can be. McPherson was kind of our Swiss Army knife this year, did everything, played 2nd and Back Row. Unfortunately for him, he probably isn't big enough to be a genuine 2nd Row and isn't really physically dominant enough to be a ball-carrying 6 or 8; he's a class asset though and adds a lot of versatility to the team. He shouldered a lot of the load this year, basically filling the gap left by Tom Hooper's exit, Frost being rested or on managed minutes or Cale being injured. Regarding the New Signings i hope that Leafi and Staight will inject some of the power needed to physically compete with top teams.

Onto the Backs, as mentioned before, Longagn basically played all the minutes in 2026. He started all but 1 game and played 60+ minutes in each of those, often being left on for the full 80. Klayton Thorn was the only other 9 used by the Brumbies in 2026, and he only played 146 minutes all season. Which is absurd considering he was on the bench 15 times. I think this is down to a few factors, foremost: Lonergan was so important for the brumbies sucess that he pretty much needed to be on the field at all times; secondly, he was our first-choice goal kicker, with Tane Edmend (who also hardly played in 2026) being the replacement when he was off. Unfortunately, the gap between the starter and the bench 9 was so large that it wasn't worth taking Lonergan off; finally, Dan Nelson, who was the third 9 named in the squad, had a season-ending injury, which meant risking that an injury to Thorn would be catastrophic. Regarding 10, it was a similar story; Mederith pretty much played all the minutes, averaging 60 minutes across the 15 games with 14 starts. Edmend was the second option and, to be polite, struggled to find his feet in 2026. I still believe he's a quality player with the potential to be a Super Rugby starter. I really feel for the guy; he's had a rough 18 months and can't seem to catch a break. It seems his confidence has taken a blow in 2026, which wasn't helped by the fact that he was often brought on when the game was slipping away from the Brumbies. He wasn't flawless in 2026 by any means, and he didn't really leave any lasting impression. I've heard some discourse saying that he should transition to 12, which I think could be a great shift for him. He'd need to fill out a bit more, but it would lend itself to his skill set, and a ball-playing 12 could be his best position with Len at outside. For now, though, he's just a struggling 10 who hasn't been able to string together any consistent performances on limited minutes. Joe Dillon was the 3rd option 10 who wasn't shown any love by Larkham this year, as he was shipped back to Manly at the start of the season. Encouragingly, he's been playing some great footy at the Marlins; he's not your traditional game manager 10, but he's got a lot of Finn Russell about him. Ridiculously skilled and pulls off some pure magic at times. Similarly, Shane Wilcox was shipped off to Norths in his first year outside of the U20S program; if you've been watching, you know, but he's absolutely been carving up, which is encouraging to see. He possesses such poise, and he moves so smoothly; he's a genuine attacking option and finisher. I would like to think that he will be the successor to Tom Wright when he moves on or retires in the next few years. I'd like to see him get a serious crack off the bench in 2027; however, the Brumbies seem to have a utility option in the 23 jersey like Creighton or Sapsford.

As for the centres, it will be Len and either Pritchard or Feliaui, with Anderson and Mcleaoud as backup options. Personally id love to see Len at and Rilley at 13; however, I would presume Rilley will be used mainly as a winger. Other than that, the Back 3 kind of picks it self id have Toole, Wright and Wilcox with Len and Rilley in the centres and Sapsford off the bench.

I haven't really talked about the props mainly cause i havent been watching the scrummaging aspect very closely. AAA is still our best tighthead; Slipper is still good at scrum time, but he's a liability around the park; Alatini is really promising, such a great pickup by the Brumbies, yet again displaying how the lack of development and investment in Western Sydney is only hurting the Tahs. Hookers' stocks are looking ok at best; Pollard is a great player, but he wasn't his best in 2026. He is big and dynamic; however, what is most important at the end of the day is set piece for a hooker. In my opinion, whoever is the most consistent lineout thrower starts, end of story.

My best 23 for 2027 would be

1. Slipper

2. Pollard

3. Alaalatoa

4. Frost

5. Shaw

6. Valetini

7. Scott

8. Cale

9. Lonergan

10. Meridth

11. Toole

12. Ikitau

13. Rilley

14. Wilcox

15. Wright

16. Lonergan

17. Schoupp

18. Alatini

19. McPherson

20. Talataina

21. Thorn

22. Edmed

23. Sapsford

Who does everyone genuinely think will play 10 for the Tahs next year? I think the obvious choice would be Foley, being the only player with any real experience at a top level. However, the guy is 37, not to say that makes him unpickable, but the Tahs have a good crop of young players currently and also some exciting academy prospects, so it just seems a bit too much to fully invest in Foley as your #1 option. I'd love to see both Fowler and Buerey as the genuine options at 10 with Foley being your insurance policy on the bench; bring him on with 25 to go, let him guide the team home.

I was chatting with a mate recently, and he made a really good point around this subject. He said that in Aussie rugby we have this perception that once you're 30+ you're no longer fit to play rugby at the highest level. I agree 100%, but I just feel like the Tahs missed the boat on foley, lets asay they re-signed him 4 years ago in 2022 ahead of the 2023 RWC. Obviously I know that it is unlikely that Foley being part of that Wallabies squad would have stopped Eddie from attempting to burn Aussie rugby down from the inside. However, the Tahs would be so much better if they had gotten a guy like Foley back, even when he was 33.

Purely theoretical, but if you were the head coach/director of rugby for the Waratahs, with the aim of a 5-year rebuild post RWC2027, what signings/dismissals would you make as part of a long-term rebuild? Including players that are already locked in, what would an optimal Tahs rebuild squad look like, within a reasonable budget

I saw recently that he is leaving Kintetsu Liners in Japan, as I can't find that he has signed anywhere as of yet. Tahs desperately need a good 10, and they only have Max Burey on their books for 2027 so far. Really hoping he comes back to the Tahs, he's a class player who had a rotten run with injury for a while. He spent 707 days out injured, and when he came back in 2024, he was playing good footy. Pure speculation, but I really hope he does return.

I know this is old news, but I don't know how to feel about it. Mainly because I'm sure the Tahs and RA coughed up a pretty penny for him. Crichton has been RA's "will they, won't they" pretty much since he left school, and he's finally pulled the trigger. (largely prompted by RWC27, I'm sure) However, it's too little too late if you break it down. From what I can gather, AC will play 12, it's where he played in school, and the Tahs desperately need another centre, considering Joey Walton is leaving (more on that later); however, I think the consensus among at least many casual rugby fans is that AC will walk into the Wallaby 12 jersey. However, I just can't see this happening. Before I go deeper into this, I just want to preface that I'm a huge fan of Cricton and so glad he is coming to play Rugby, and I absolutely hope he carves up.

So I'm going to be honest here, I just can't see Crichton being a better 12 than Len Ikitan come RWC2027. Len is an absolute lock for the 12/13 Jersey IMO, he was for sure our best player in 2025, and IMO has been the best Wallaby back in the 2020s. He is either the best or second-best centre in the World, either at 12 or 13, which is ludicrous, but it's an accurate assumption of how good he is. So, basically, that means one of the two possible centre positions that AC could play is effectively rendered obsolete.

That leaves the 13 Jersey, which there is a lot of discourse about, particularly here. I strongly believe that JAS is the Wallabies' best option at 13 and that he should continue to pair with Len at 12. He's only gonna get better with time in that partnership, and I think his role in the team should be more fluid than it currently is. Let Len defend at 13 and let JAS operate as a second fullback in attack. Unfortunately, I also don't see Crichton doing better than JAS is currently doing. JAS has a much more well-rounded skill set and is much more athletic and younger. I dont see AC being a better defensive 13 than JAS, yes, he is a physical presence, which is an attribute that could benefit the Wallaby back line, but JAS cannot be rightly criticised for lacking heart in contact, the guy literally tries to run through a brick wall every time he gets the ball.

Finally, I want to touch on the possible downsides of this deal. I can't be sure, but I'm almost certain that this deal has forced Joey Walton's or even the Waratahs hand to head to France. I can't be sure whether this deal has affected the likes of Hunter Paisami and Josh Flook's decisions to leave, but I think it would to a degree. Both those guys are effectively 3rd and 4th pick for centre for the Wallabies, and seeing AC is coming to the Tahs with the intent to play at RWC2027 wouldn't have helped their case to stay in AUS.

To go back to Joey Walton, I know the guy gets a lot of hate on this page, but I think he is criminally underted. Yes, he probably won't start for the Wallabies for the same reason as I have mentioned above, but he's such a hard worker on both sides of the ball, and he's experienced. This may get me flamed, but I think the AC is a net loss for RA, unfortunately, considering that for him to end up at the Tahs, Joey Walton (who has been a rock in the revolving door that is the Warathas in recent years) has to leave, and also RA are defintely going to end up paying far more for AC than they ever would for Walton, not even because walton is 26 where AC is 30. I'm not saying that Walton is better than AC, but I think AC will offer similar traits to what Walton offers, is 4 years older and will cost way more and probably not even be in the Wallabies starting 23. In my eyes, RA would have been far better off spending big on a young 10 at the Tahs, Joey Walsh or Isiah Katoa. A position that has been terribly managed for many years, and the Tahs are in shambles at the 10 Jersey.

Edit

I have the same issue with this as i do with the Lomax ordeal, im stoked to see him play and i hope he carves up but agian hes expenisve (despite still taking a massive pay cut) and the force already have a pletheora of good outside backs who are kind of being starved of game time as it is. However id love to see both Lomax and AC become world beaters and help the Wallabies Lift a world cup but both would have to leap-frog many deserving and inform players to do so

From my understanding, the guy is out with a Knee injury from the 17th of January, but I can't seem to find any press on his recovery. Sadly, the guy has played only two games so far for Montpellier so far, both in January. It's just sad to see. He was absolutely carving up in 24/25.