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Wallabies star willing to surrender No 10 jersey to James O'Connor or Noah Lolesio

Noah Lolesio of the Wallabies and Wallabies Coach Dave Rennie celebrate winning game one of the international test match series between the Australian Wallabies and England at Optus Stadium on July 02, 2022 in Perth, Australia. (Photo by Cameron Spencer/Getty Images)

Despite replacing injured Quade Cooper to pilot the Wallabies to a stirring Rugby Championship win over the Pumas, Reece Hodge is ready to hand over the No.10 jersey for the second Test in Argentina.

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Hodge came off the bench early in the second half after Cooper ruptured his Achilles and says he’s happy to again assume the utility role for Sunday’s (AEST) clash in San Juan, leaving Noah Lolesio or James O’Connor as chief playmaker.

Having played everywhere in the Australian backline apart from halfback, his versatility meant coach Dave Rennie could load up on forwards amongst his reserves to meet the power-packed Pumas.

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“I think at the moment I’m just happy to play that utility kind of position and week to week I’ll fit in wherever needed,” 27-year-old Hodge said from Argentina on Wednesday.

“Eight weeks ago I missed out on the squad for (the) England (series) and for me every opportunity to be in the Test squad is a privilege.

“I enjoyed getting extended minutes on the weekend despite being so gutted for Quadey sustain that injury but I genuinely am willing to play wherever the team needs me.

“If we were to sit down now and say that I could contribute as part of the match-day squad heading into a World Cup, then it’s something I’d be happy with; I’m just thrilled to be back in the squad.”

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Hodge said the serious injury to Cooper was a big blow for the team.

But he backed youngster Lolesio, who started at five-eighth during the England series, or veteran O’Connor to rise to the challenge.

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“Quade’s a very experienced player and he’s an expert at getting the best out of people around him so we’re not hiding the fact that it’s a massive loss for us.

“But Noah steered us to a series win against France last year and was very solid in that England series as well.

“And then James has played 50-plus Tests and his form at the start of Super Rugby season for the Reds was outstanding; he was probably one of the best players in the competition early on so we’ve got two really good options heading into the game this weekend.”

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O’Connor came off the bench for the second England Test in Brisbane but, in his return from troublesome hamstring issues, looked off the pace.

Hodge said his 32-year-old teammate was now in better shape.

“Rabs (O’Connor) has got his body in really good shape and he’s been training well the last month and really pushing for selection,” Hodge said.

Whether it’s him or Noah who get the nod heading into this weekend we’re confident that both of them are in great physical shape and both training really well so whoever steers us around will have the full confidence of the squad.”

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Tom 5 hours ago
Will Bristol's daredevil 'Bears-ball' deliver the trophy they crave?

Also a Bristol fan and echo your sentiments.


I love watching Bristol but their approach will only get them so far I think. Exeter played like this when they first got promoted to the prem and had intermittent success, it wasn't until they wised up and played a more balanced game that they became a consistently top side.


I really want Bristol to continue playing this brand of rugby and I don't mind them running it from under their posts but I don't think they need to do it every single time. They need to be just a little bit more selective about when and where on the pitch they play. Every game they put themselves under so much needless pressure by turning the ball over under their posts trying to do kamikaze moves when it's not required. By all means run it from your goal line if there is a chance for a counter attack, we all want to see Bristol running in 100m tries from under their posts but I think until they learn when to do it and when to be pragmatic, they are unlikely to win the premiership.


Defense has been a real positive from Bristol, they've shown a lot of improvement there... And I will say that I think this kamikaze strategy they employ is a very good one for a struggling side and could be employed by Newcastle. It's seems to have turned around Gloucester's fortunes. The big advantage is even if you don't have the biggest and best players, what you have is cohesion. This is why Scotland keep battering England. England have better individuals but they look muddled as a team, trying to play a mixed strategy under coaches who lack charisma, the team has no identity. Scotland come out and give it full throttle from 1-15 even if they struggle against the top sides, sides like England and Wales who lack that identity drown under the relentless will and synergy of the Scots. If Newcastle did the same they could really surprise some people, I know the weather is bad up there but it hasn't bothered the Scots. Bristol can learn from Scotland too, Pat is on to something when he says the following but Scotland don't play test matches like headless chickens. They still play with the same level of clarity and ambition Bristol do but they are much better at picking their moments. They needed to go back to this mad game to get their cohesion back after a couple of seasons struggling but I hope they get a bit wiser from matches like Leinster and La Rochelle.


“If there’s clarity on what you’re trying to do as a team you can win anything.”

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