Cheika to 'axe' Leicester Duo?
NEWS: Under-fire Michael Cheika is contemplating whether to exclude Leicester Tiger duo Matt Toomua and Tatafu Polota-Nau from his November Test Series squad.
According to rugbycomau, the pair have flown back to England to return to the Tigers with the conclusion of the Rugby Championship and will not be eligible to play in the final Bledisloe Test in three weeks under World Rugby’s Regulation Nine.
They are both eligible to play in the November Spring Tour but with their heavy workloads, Cheika said he was contemplating giving them a break.
Toomua had three consecutive starts during the Rugby Championship but was shifted back to the bench for Australia’s final clash with Argentina with Cheika preferring Bernard Foley in the 10 role.
Polota-Nau’s position could be the more curious, with Cheika left to contemplate his front row group as the end of the year nears.
Though Polota-Nau is not a prop, Cheika said the loss of Tom Robertson for the better part of a year with a suspected ACL injury would be a factor in his overall front row picks.
“We’ll have to see how we structure the front-row stocks now we’ve lost a loosehead there,” he said.
“We’ll see what happens there, what happens with Taf.
“Those guys who are playing in England, him and Matt Toomua, [we] have also got to be mindful of what that looks like, the whole season.
“Whether I decide to go with them in November or not, we’ll see.
“Otherwise they may get a chance to have a bit of a breather in November because they’ve got Anglo-Welsh games,”
Meanwhile, Cheika is hoping that Samu Kerevi will be available for the tour, pending a return to the NRC in coming weeks.
Kerevi’s Brisbane City are just outside of finals, potentially giving him just one week to get a match under his belt almost four months after injuring his bicep in the Wallabies June Series, but Cheika was optimistic about his chances.
Fellow injured centre Tevita Kuridrani appears less certain of a 2017 return after a pec injury he suffered in the final regular round of Super Rugby.
“Samu Kerevi should be back soon,” he said.
“He’s ideally going to play some football so he can be considered for the tour.
“Kuridrani’s due back around the time we leave for the tour, so whether he’ll have enough footy or any footy under his belt will be an issue,”
The Wallabies leave for Japan on October 21 and head to Europe on November 3 with Tests against Wales (November 10), Italy (November 17) and England (November 24) to finish the season.
Source: @rugbycomau
