Australian Wallabies visit the NT ahead of 2023 World Cup
The NT rugby community has embraced the Wallabies with the Australian team heading north before the 2023 Rugby Union World Cup. SEE ALL THE PHOTOS.
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Young Territory prop Tua Reea was overjoyed to meet his Wallabies heroes during their visit to the Top End as part of their final preparations before the World Cup.
The 14 year old had impressed with the under-14s NT representative team earlier this year and was eager for the chance to get up close and personal with the Australian front rowers.
The Wallabies are in Darwin as part of their final preparations before they head to France for the Rugby World Cup, having announced the playing squad in town on Thursday.
Reea was right among the action and quick to ask legendary coach Eddie Jones what he looked for in a front rower, eager to one day be a part of the Wallabies himself.
“It’s great to meet the Wallabies for the first time up here, especially the props,” Reea said.
“I asked Eddie Jones what he looks for in a prop and he told me a good scrummage, be bulky and being able to tackle and he said once I’ve turned 15 I’ve got to start hitting the gym to lift weights.
“I was in the under-14s side earlier this year, it was exciting to be a part of the team and go up against tough teams in Canberra and being exposed to that environment.”
One of the key reasons for visiting the Top End as their final preparations, was to get exposed to the heat which they will experience plenty of once in France.
Wallabies’ flanker Fraser McReight said coming north, which would include a trip to Arnhem Land, mirroring the famous 2003 trip, was the perfect preparation.
“It’s been a rude awakening to the heat after being in New Zealand, where it’s quite cold, for a week,” McReight said.
“I don’t think a few of the boys expected it to be this sort of dry, but coming from Queensland it’s kind of good to get back in the heat.
“It’s going to be great preparation for us for France where we’re going to play in day time so this is the perfect place to prepare and connect as a group and with the community.
“We’ve had a great turn out, it’s awesome to come up here and see so many nice faces and get around the community, it’s great for rugby and it’s what we love doing.
“Eddie was up here 20 years ago and that worked well, he’s obviously a smart man and has a lot he wants to do to bring this group together.”
The 24-year-old was obviously delighted to be picked in the group heading to the World Cup on Thursday and called the moment he found out a dream come true.
But he, like the rest of the squad, knows there’s plenty the group needs to fine tune after a disappointing Rugby Championship results wise.
“It’s super exciting, obviously it’s something I’ve always wanted to do as a rugby player and what I’ve always dreamed of being a part of,” he said.
“There were a lot of ups and downs this year and you didn’t know if you would be a part of it, super excited to go to France and play in a World Cup that everyone can only dream to be a part of.
“We’re excited and pumped, each game we’ve had things we’ve wanted to work on and we’ve been able to tackle them and actually grow as a team.”
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Wallabies touch down in Darwin for final World Cup preparations
The Australian Wallabies have touched down in Darwin with many squad members learning if they will or won’t be part of the travelling squad for the 2023 World Cup in France.
It’s a trip which in many ways will emulate that taken by the 2003 Wallabies, also helmed by coach Eddie Jones, who came to the Territory prior to the home World Cup.
It was a trip which was held in high regard by every member of the squad known to have brought the group together ahead of the side reaching that years’ grand final.
The 2023 Wallabies, though a noticeably less experienced side than their forebears, will be hoping to emulate that trip in the lead up to the trip to France where momentum will be everything.
James Slipper, who was co-captain during the Rugby Championship, indicated the whole side knew they were in for a lot of hard work in the lead up to the Cup.
“Eddie was pretty excited to get back up here and he did mention there’s going to be a lot of hard work,” Slipper said.
“Back in the ’03 campaign he brought the group up here and every player spoke very highly of the activities they got up to here.
“It’s a bit of a secret what they got up to, but we know a lot of sweat, a lot of tears and a lot of hard work is on its way.”
For the 131-cap prop and the squad it was also a chance to take their game to a part of the country which rarely gets to see the top level of the code.
However, after a disappointing Rugby Championship, results wise, Slipper knew his side had to put in the hard yards to get close to World Cup winning form.
“We’re very excited to be here, we know it’s going to be tough work but in terms of being in Darwin we’re all excited,” Slipper said.
“The people are great up here and they love their rugby, but also it’s a warm climate which we know we’re going to get in France over the next couple of weeks.
“It’s an opportunity for us to go somewhere different, work hard and get around the community ahead of the World Cup.
“We’re going to have win seven games on the trot to win it so momentums big and we want to keep getting better and know we need to get better,”
So far we haven’t got the results so we know there’s improvement in us and we need to get there.
Not among the travelling party was former squad captain Michael Hooper who had reportedly been dropped from the squad on Thursday morning.
Slipper said it was a disappointment not to have his long time teammate along for what would most likely be both of their last World Cups.
“It’s always disappointing, Hoops has been one of our best for the past decade and has led the team very well,” he said.
“It’s probably not the way he saw it coming, but if there’s any way for him to feature in the World Cup later on due to injury or whatnot he will be ready.
“He was genuinely a leader who led by example, which is said a lot about leaders but is true for him, he was always the first one out there putting in the effort and feeding off every play.”
The Wallabies will be hosting a fan day at the Skyring Rugby Park from 3.30pm Friday.
Wallabies pre-World Cup visit to give massive boost to NT Rugby
NT Rugby Union has received a massive boost this week with the Wallabies making their way north for their final training camp before heading to France for the World Cup.
The Wallabies are in Darwin fresh off a tightly-contested Bledisloe Cup match to both announce the final squad and train and interact with the NT’s budding rugby stars.
The action kicked off in Alice Springs on Tuesday with the Classic Wallabies getting among the communities offering a free come and try event to help grow the game.
Darwin will get a taste of the same throughout the remainder of the week before a massive community rugby clinic at Skyring Rugby Park on Friday.
NT Rugby chief executive Nathan McDonald said the whole community was looking forward to what promised to be a massive week which will also feature free Tri-Tag come and try days, including at O‘Loughlin Catholic College.
“We’re really excited to have them up here in Darwin and using our facilities as part of bringing the team together before the World Cup,” McDonald said.
“I’m getting so much feedback from our community with people coming together to see the Wallabies, everyone’s so excited to have them in town.
“We expect it to be huge, we have everything from tri-tag to rugby sevens to our big Gala Day on Friday, it’s going to be a massive week.”
Wallabies coach Eddie Jones famously played for the South Darwin Rabbitohs in the 80s and his bond with the Territory has never truly wavered.
This trip will mirror that of his 2003 Wallabies, who also came north prior to the World Cup and interacted with the community.
Another part of the trip the new edition of the Wallabies will experience is an adventure out to Arnhem Land where they will learn more about their country and come closer together as a group.
“It’s a massive boost for what is being sold in our rugby community here in the NT,” McDonald said.
“It just shows that he (Jones) has brought his team here to bring them together, and shows how much he thinks about our rugby community.
“He came up here in 2003 and played for South Darwin in the 80s, but the biggest thing he’s said is how coming to Darwin teaches the team about Australian culture and what they’re playing for.”
Jones said the NT was the perfect place for the final camp, particularly after the change he saw his team experience 20 years ago.
“The Northern Territory is the perfect location for our team to prepare for the Rugby World Cup,” he said.
“Our time in the Top End will allow us to learn about the history of our country while shaping the future for Australian Rugby by working hard and building connections on and off the field.
“We’re looking forward to working hard in what’s a mini preseason for us in a perfect setting, while spending quality time with the local communities.”
And with the next home World Cup in 2027 it’s the perfect time for Territory rugby to grow along with the rest of the nation and perhaps propel one of its own to the top level.
Already they’re seeing growth in that area with six boys being selected in the under-16 side playing the Queensland Reds Academy.
And two girls, Paige McCourt and Natalia Grant, are also showing their talents nationally with both selected in the Super W youth camp.
Not to mention both senior men’s and senior women’s sides will travel to Brisbane on September 26 for the Australian Rugby Shield.
“This is definitely the time for us to grow the game and show our players the pathway that is available for them now,” McDonald said.
“Rugby Australia are working hard on that community pathway and helping people from around the country toward that pathway to see if they unearth the next major talent.”
Hands in for Wallabies school visit
Australian rugby union team Wallabies will be hosted by Top End high school O‘Loughlin Catholic College for a special session next week as part of a national tour before they head to France for the World Cup next month.
The school has been told the entire squad will pay the special visit next Thursday afternoon with St Johns Catholic Senior College and Darwin Middle School set to join for the hour-long session.
The event follows a visit from former Wallabies players Radike Samo and Digby Ioane to the Karama school last year.
O’Loughlin Catholic College year 11 student Nate Jarrett-Wright said he couldn’t believe it when he found out the Wallabies were coming.
“We had a year level meeting and Mr Jack told me that they would come to the school,” Jarrett-Wright said.
“I was pumped. I didn’t believe him at first, I thought he was mucking around.”
O’Loughlin Catholic College careers practitioner and rugby coach Nick Jack, who played a major role in bringing the national team to the school, said “it was great” when he found out the Wallabies were coming.
“I knew they were going to be going to be in Darwin because they have visited before (in the lead up to World Cups) but to have them come to the school was a huge win,” Jack said.
“So we are really looking forward to it.
“It’s a huge opportunity to have them come, particularly a smaller school like us, we are not one of the 1500-kid schools like the rest of Darwin, we are a reasonably small school.”
The school has won the NT rugby school championship in the last three years with a number of its players enjoying the game at local Darwin level as well as school.
Another year 11 student Joey Lewis said he wanted excited to see the players including winger Marika Koroibete and captain Michael Hooper.
Thomas Ranie said he wanted to get a cool video with one of the players.
“I want a video of one of them running straight at me,” Ranie said.
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