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Joe Powell reveals the player who he thought had dented his Wallabies selection chances

By AAP
(Photo by Matt King/Getty Images)

Halfback Joe Powell says he’s better prepared for another crack with the Wallabies if he wins selection for next week’s opening Bledisloe Cup test against the All Blacks in Wellington.

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Powell made his test debut back in 2017 but has only played four matches since, and none against New Zealand, who Australia face on October 11.

Now 26 and having won the Super Rugby AU title, where he started in the Brumbies No.9 jersey, Powell says he ready to put his mark on the Wallabies.

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The Aussie Rugby Show | Episode 20

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He’s in a four-way tussle for the test halfback role, with his Brumbies teammate Nic White the incumbent, while the Reds’ Tate McDermott and Waratah Jake Gordon also have strong cases.

“My first time in this set-up I was 22, so I was probably a bit quieter and not as confident around the group, I’d just listen a lot more,” Powell said on Friday.

“Having the opportunity at the Brumbies to be a part of the leadership group has helped me out a lot, and I’ve enjoyed it.”

Under former Wallabies coach Michael Cheika, Powell sat behind White and Wallabies centurion Will Genia, who is now playing in Japan.

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But the signing of new coach Dave Rennie presented a clean slate.

He admitted he thought with White’s mid-season return to the Brumbies from Europe could dent his hopes with Rennie and he could again be left out in the cold.

“I thought I might have been playing around in club footy for the rest of the year, so it was definitely really exciting times to get the call up to the squad,” he said.

“I think with any new coach everyone’s trying to put their hand up and perform the best.

“I think the selections he’s already made in terms of the squad, there’s plenty of new faces so it is exciting, a refreshing time to see some new blood in the squad.”

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Powell’s desire to play test football helped make his decision to leave Canberra after six years of Super Rugby and sign with Melbourne this week.

With White and Ryan Lonergan at the Brumbies and the Rebels losing Ryan Louwrens to Japan, it was a perfect match.

“Playing for the Wallabies a is a huge part of why want to stay in Australian rugby,” he said.

“I wanted to exhaust my options here before I looked overseas.

“I’m definitely happy that the Rebels are there to give me an opportunity to continue to play in Australia.”

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Jonathan Foster 4 hours ago
Scott Lawrence: 'I think the forward pass for the Fiji try was a pivotal moment in the game'

In this match, Fiji’s performance was exceptional, and the statistics reflect that they were the superior team on the day.


For instance:


Possession: Fiji controlled 59% of the possession during the match, while the USA only had 41% (RugbyPass, 2024). This allowed Fiji to apply constant pressure on USA’s defense and create more opportunities for scoring.


Territory: Fiji spent 64% of the match in USA’s half, keeping the Americans under sustained pressure (World Rugby, 2024).


Offensive Play: Fiji made 7 line breaks, compared to USA’s 3. In addition, Fiji completed 12 offloads while USA only managed 5, highlighting Fiji's superior attacking ability and ball handling (World Rugby, 2024).


Scrums and Rucks: Fiji was dominant in the scrums, winning 100% of their own scrums (8 out of 8), whereas USA only won 71% of theirs (5 out of 7).


Additionally, Fiji won 6 turnovers compared to USA’s 2 (ESPN, 2024). This scrummaging and breakdown superiority was a critical factor in controlling the game.


Additionally, while forward passes can be contentious, it’s important to note that USA was also guilty of making 3 forward passes during the match, which resulted in lost opportunities and turnovers (RugbyPass, 2024).


These key errors disrupted momentum and contributed to their inability to maintain a sustained attack.


References

ESPN. (2024). Fiji vs USA match report. Retrieved from https://www.espn.com/rugby/match


RugbyPass. (2024). Scott Lawrence on the Fiji match and forward pass controversy. Retrieved from https://www.rugbypass.com/news


World Rugby. (2024). Fiji triumphs over USA in a thrilling encounter. Retrieved from https://www.world.rugby.com

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J
JW 5 hours ago
‘Did Conrad really score that many’: Rieko Ioane dismisses All Blacks drought

Indeed, but I also appreciate how Razor now has him covering the backfield more. Are they conflicting uses? Who was it that covered the Arg game, John(?), no it was a YTer (squidge?) suggested Jordies role was to chase and support the wing for a tap back.


That turnover try was actually a great example of were Jordies boot could have been used for territory instead of attacking (contestable). Hansen talking again about 'learnings' about what part of the field they want to play in. I would have thought that would be a basic principle about how the coaches want to play and it would be a bit late now to be learning that.


Nevrtheless we wait and see. One Barretts carrying though I'd suggest he only has a mandate to bring some physicality, not in how he does it. You can see how out of kilter he gets when he tries to do anything other than a simple cart up and pop. Just look at least week when he had two players on the outside to hit in multiple ways and he just indecisively takes the tackle before giving a poor overhead pop. That he still got the pass away hints at what he is "capable of" but as you saw, with free license, its just far off the mark. I've decided Rieko is my 12 from now on. I'd like Jordie to remain primarly at 12 at the Hurricans, as I feel that's were his best alround game can be kept in good shape, and you never know perhaps he will fill into the position after a while, but I'd like to try other centers essentially. But yes, if Razor/Hansen can get both him and Dmac humming in partnership they could also essentially cover many of the fb roles which aren't Jordans strength. Also obv happy to see Rieko tried on the wing just now I think that's more likely to fail than a Rieko/Proctor midfield.

17 Go to comments
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