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Rebels, Waratahs locked in negotiations over services of young Wallabies star

Jack Maddocks in action for the Rebels last year. (Photo by Mike Owen/Getty Images for SUNWOLVES)

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Elusive Wallabies utility Jack Maddocks could become the NSW Waratahs’ fullback in a player swap deal with the Melbourne Rebels ahead of the Super Rugby season.

Management of both teams have confirmed ongoing discussions over 22-year-old Maddocks, who played seven tests in 2018 but missed selection for last year’s World Cup.

The Waratahs have a dearth of experienced outside backs following the sacking of Israel Folau and the likelihood is that test utility Kurtley Beale will begin the year at five-eighth to replace the departed Bernard Foley.

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A host of quality backs in Melbourne and Maddocks’ desire to return in Sydney for personal reasons makes the shift a viable one.

AAP understands the Waratahs are open to providing financial compensation but that the Rebels would prefer a player swap.

Agreeing on the identity of the player and landing one willing to shift south have created a sticking point.

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Also muddying the waters is Rugby Australia’s involvement in the discussions and Maddock’s goal to compete in sevens at the Tokyo Olympics, which would probably reduce his Super Rugby availability.

The Rebels are believed to have requested the services of winger Cam Clark or young five-eighth Ben Donaldson

Rebels chief executive Baden Stephenson told rugby.com.au that the likelihood of a deal is diminishing as the Super Rugby season start on January 31 nears.

“We were hopeful, if something was to get done, was for it be done before Christmas and the longer it goes, as the old saying goes, time kills all deals. It is becoming very late in the piece for us and the Tahs and for Jack as well,” Stephenson said.

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The likelihood of a swap deal once the season was under way was slim, Stephenson added.

– AAP

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Flankly 1 hour ago
'Absolute madness': Clive Woodward rips into Borthwick in wake of NZ loss

Borthwick is supposed to be the archetypical conservative coach, the guy that might not deliver a sparkling, high-risk attacking style, but whose teams execute the basics flawlessly. And that's OK, because it can be really hard to beat teams that are rock solid and consistent in the rugby equivalent of "blocking and tackling".


But this is why the performance against NZ is hard to defend. You can forgive a conservative, back-to-basics team for failing to score tons of tries, because teams like that make up for it with reliability in the simple things. They can defend well, apply territorial pressure, win the set piece battles, and take their scoring chances with metronomic goal kicking, maul tries and pick-and-go goal line attacks.


The reason why the English rugby administrators should be on high alert is not that the English team looked unable to score tries, but that they were repeatedly unable to close out a game by executing basic, coachable skills. Regardless of how they got to the point of being in control of their destiny, they did get to that point. All that was needed was to be world class at things that require more training than talent. But that training was apparently missing, and the finger has to point at the coach.


Borthwick has been in the job for nearly two years, a period that includes two 6N programs and an RWC campaign. So where are the solid foundations that he has been building?

4 Go to comments
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Nickers 1 hour ago
Scott Robertson responds to criticism over All Blacks' handling errors

Very poor understanding of what's going on and 0 ability to read. When I say playing behind the gain line you take this to mean all off-loads and site times we are playing in front of the gain line???


Every time we play a lot of rugby behind the gain line (for clarity, meaning trying to build an attack and use width without front foot ball 5m+ behind the most recent breakdown) we go backwards and turn the ball over in some way. Every time a player is tackled behind the most recent breakdown you need more and more people to clear out because your forwards have to go back around the corner, whereas opposition players can keep moving forward. Eventually you run out of either players to clear out or players to pass to and the result in a big net loss of territory and often a turnover. You may have witnessed that 20+ times in the game against England. This is a particularly dumb idea inside your own 40m which is where, for some reason, we are most likely to employ it.


The very best ABs teams never built an identity around attacking from poor positions. The DC era team was known for being the team that kicked the most. To engineer field position and apply pressure, and create broken play to counter attack. This current team is not differentiating between when a defence has lost it's structure and there are opportunities, and when they are completely set and there is nothing on. The reason they are going for 30 minute + periods in every game without scoring a single point, even against Japan and a poor Australian team, is because they are playing most of their rugby on the back foot in the wrong half.

43 Go to comments
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