Payto & Panda: Wallabies prop Toby Smith set to sign for Hurricanes

A WALLABY heading to New Zealand, a Waratah and an old coach to the Brumbies, inside the ARU meeting and more in the world of Australian rugby.

WALLABIES prop Toby Smith is set to defect to New Zealand and sign with defending Super Rugby champions the Hurricanes.

Smith, who spent most of his life in New Zealand and had four seasons for the Chiefs before moving to Melbourne Rebels, wants to head back home to spend more time with his young child.

The 28-year-old has played five Tests for Australia - including a fortnight ago against Fiji - but has been in deep discussions with the Canes for some time.

Toby Smith leaps over a Fijian player.

The Rebels are understood to be completely understanding of Smith’s situation and desire to be closer to his child.

The move will create an intriguing situation about Wallabies selection eligibility.

National coach Michael Cheika obviously sees Smith as a key front rower, but whether he’d be willing to select him while playing for a Kiwi club remains to be seen.

Regardless, the first consideration for Smith will always be his family.

LISTEN: Payto and Panda look at the fallout from the Wallabies’ loss to Scotland and the why the clash between Sonny Bill Williams and Ben Te’o could decide the first Test between the All Blacks and the Lions.

FISHER BACK RUNNING WITH BRUMBIES

THE Brumbies will welcome back one of their favourite sons when ex-head coach Laurie Fisher rejoins the franchise as an assistant.

Fisher quit his role as head coach of Gloucester suddenly in March and has returned to Canberra, where he’ll link up with new coach Dan McKellar.

Fisher, affectionally known as “Lord”, has previously served as a forwards coach, head coach and director of rugby at the Brumbies. He knows the joint inside out and is one of the best forwards coaches in the country.

He will be joined by former Waratah Peter Hewat, who will become Brumbies backs coach after filling that role at Japanese club Suntory for several seasons.

PUMA RUNS FROM BRUMBIES

STILL on the Brumbies, Argentinian halfback Tomas Cubelli will move on after two seasons and be replaced by skilful NSW no.9 Matt Lucas.

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INFLUENCE: How Izzy influenced tantalising Te’o tale

Lucas has been stuck behind Nick Phipps and Jake Gordon at the Tahs this year and after admitting he was considering moving to get more game time, we hear he’ll pack a haul and head down the Hume Highway.

The Brumbies have Joe Powell and highly rated rookie Ryan Lonergan in their ranks.

MOORE’S CENTURY FLASHBACK

Moore with kids from Coorparoo State School in Brisbane.

A VISIT to Coorparoo State School by the Wallabies this week brought back a vivid memory for recalled captain Stephen Moore.

Standing on the oval, Moore felt it was familiar and then he released why: Moore scored his one and only century for the Brisbane Grammar under-14s cricket team on the same ground.

PULVER KEEPS PLEDGE

ARU chairman Cameron Clyne said Bill Pulver’s leadership wasn’t raised at the EGM on Tuesday but our spies tell us that’s not exactly true.

We hear Pulver did exactly as promised and informed the room he’d resign if they wanted him to. No-one spoke up so the meeting moved on.

NERVOUS WORDS FOR REBELS

MELBOURNE types weren’t focused on the part of Pulver’s media interview this week where he said he’d resign.

They were more nervous about this line regarding cutting a Super Rugby team: “I am in multiple discussions at the moment which I am not at liberty to discuss.”

It has poured fuel on rumours that the ARU are still in talks with Rebels owner Andrew Cox. Cox, you’ll recall, declared last month he wouldn’t sell the club.

FUTURE’S BRIGHT, SAYS CRON

COACH Simon Cron says a lack of game management at key times proved costly for Australia at the under 20s world champs in Georgia.

But despite finishing sixth, Cron says he’s buoyant about the calibre of young Aussie talent coming through.

“If that bunch of boys are the future of Australian rugby, or make up a part of it, then Australian rugby is a good position,” Cron said.

Australia lost by a single point to England, who went onto make the final, and Hamish Stewart had a chance to snap a 31-phase field goal at the end but didn’t take it. Australia then lost to Scotland in the 5v6 playoff after the siren, but only after gifting the Scots the ball on line several times with errors in the last minutes.

“The biggest thing in terms of our team that we probably missed was our game management in certain situations, in terms of field position and making decisions on the field,” Cron said.

“But they’re much better for having played those games now. It takes time and it takes games to learn. The more rugby the better for those kids.”

Reds and Australia under 20s star Izzy Perese. Picture: Peter Wallis

After several years of underperformance, the Australian under 20s program is set to get a major rebuild, with the ARU looking to put squads together a year earlier at under 19 level. Top players will then spend more time together in a camps-based system before the World Championship, as New Zealand do.

The Super 20s competition may return to a shorter, tournament format.

RUGBY FINALLY KEEPS STAR

YOU’VE heard about all the Aussie rugby schoolboys lost to league: Angus Crichton, Kayln Ponga, Tyson Frizzel, Dane Gagai etc.

But they don’t get them all. Queensland’s Izzy Perese - who played with league-bound Ponga and Mack Mason at Churchie in 2014 - was chased hard by North Queensland Cowboys but chose to stay in rugby.

HORE SEES MERIT IN SUPER CULL

NSW Rugby boss Andrew Hore says the formation of a Super Rugby commission has the potential to help revive the flagging competition in Australia.

Bill Pulver’s future got the headlines but the ARU EGM on Tuesday yielded two results: a majority of ARU members rejecting to proposal to keep five Super Rugby franchises, and backing the creation of a Super Rugby commission inside the ARU.

It has long irked the Super Rugby franchises how little say they have in the running of the SANZAAR competition, and not just in Australia.

Hore, who confirmed NSW had voted in favour of cutting a team, said the move to set up a Super Rugby commission in the ARU was a positive step.

“As with all things, the devil is in the detail and it will depend on the attitudes of everyone going in, but the key thing is you are going to have people in the room who every day wake up thinking about Super Rugby,” Hore said.

“The problems and the solutions are largely in the same room. It is a matter of giving us a forum with one or two topics that we can work on with a prolonged period of thinking time. Time will tell but at least there is a vehicle now that has been agreed that will enable us to have that discussion.”

Hore said NSW saw the “merit” in reducing to four teams but said they’d like to see accompanying changes to structures around contracting and “the way we reward states that develop talent so they continue to develop talent”.

“There needs to be open thought now on how we make sure we make the best of four,” Hore said.

“If we make the best of four, we could go to five. If we don’t make the best of four, we could end up going back to three.

“The commission has given us a real opportunity to look at all those factors. To identify what’s important and how we are going to grow rugby again.

“The new competition model which is proposed is a step forward, with regard to getting people’s interest et cetera. There is no doubt that local derbies are really positive, and we will have New Zealand influence and South African teams everyone knows.”

GOOD ON YA, GOODIWINDI

FOR a town of 11,000 people, Goodiwindi churns out its fair share of rugby talent. The Goodiwindi Emus have six players in the Queensland Country team this year and we’re told that’s a pretty standard representation.