New boss' requirements for a Wallaby jersey
SPOTLIGHT: Tim Ryan has been ordered to bulk up and bide his time by Wallabies coach Joe Schmidt.
The flying Queensland Reds wing lit up Super Rugby Pacific in his rookie season.
The 20-year-old had two hat-tricks in his first four starts, and tallied nine tries from his first seven appearances.
Becoming the first Reds player to notch multiple hat-tricks naturally sparked talk of a quick rise to Wallaby gold.
But the explosive wing was not included in new coach Schmidt’s 38-strong squad that gathered in Brisbane this week ahead of home Tests against Wales and Georgia.
He still spent time with the New Zealand mentor though, with Schmidt revealing their chat had given the breakout star something to aim for.
“I met with Tim for 20 minutes, half an hour, this week,” he said.
“I had a good conversation with [Reds coach] Les Kiss around Tim as well.
“What’s probably best for Tim at the moment? Massive breakout season, but he’s a raw kid who is very lean.
“I wouldn’t be averse to bringing him into a squad at all, if there is a window where we can get some physical development into him just so he’s better prepared.
“We’re trying to make sure that we have got players who are prepared before they come in.
“A lot of his game sense and a lot of his natural, instinctive play is fantastic to watch already.
“He comes from long support lines to score. He goes up in the air over the top of other players to score, and he chases balls through to score.
“I showed Tim all those things on Tuesday evening when we were chatting.
“There’s a number of players that haven’t been named in the squad, but we’ve met with and chatted to – just given a little bit of feedback to for the future.”
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🔗https://t.co/dGJZuY4fuD— rugby365.com (@rugby365com) June 28, 2024
Ryan’s boots are unlikely to gather dust in the off-season, with the Reds hosting Wales next month before a tour of Europe that also includes stops in Samoa and Japan.
