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The Rugby Championship

Wallabies player faces the rest of the season on the sideline

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Sefa Naivalu faces the remainder of the season on the sidelines

Injury-hit Wallabies winger Sefa Naivalu will miss the remainder of 2017 as he prepares to undergo shoulder surgery on Friday.

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Naivalu dislocated his shoulder in the second half of Melbourne Rising’s 41-31 victory over the Greater Sydney Rams in the National Rugby Championship.

It was the 25-year-old’s first match back from an ankle injury suffered in Australia’s 40-27 defeat of Italy in June, when he scored two tries.

The Fiji-born flyer, who has won seven caps for the Wallabies since debuting in 2016, is expected to be sidelined for “four to five months”.

“I’m very disappointed to miss the rest of the year but I know that it’s the best decision for my career to fix my shoulder now,” Naivalu said.

“I don’t like being on the sideline so I will make sure that I do my rehab and get my shoulder right so I can be back and ready for next season.”

Australia meet South Africa in the Rugby Championship in Bloemfontein on Saturday following a 45-20 win over Argentina.

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Comments on RugbyPass

D
DC 12 minutes ago
Mick Cleary: 'The soul was not lit up by underwhelming Lions first Test'

Also a ex member of the Rebels and agree with the comments above! Why the MCG which wont have the 90K attendees being suggested?

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BA 14 minutes ago
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We have the seagulls in NZ to aim at to find space

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JW 15 minutes ago
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Will a full strength AB team be as good as that team last week though?

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Tk 19 minutes ago
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Not convinced myself. I think everyone became entranced with the miracle plays and runs but those can't game manage a hard, close test match. Brilliant rugby player not a great 10.

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JW 20 minutes ago
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I’d have to imagine he’s not on a lot, he prefers to remain in NZ and just take what time he can get in the black jersey, so the sabbatical is just icing on the cake (he would be expecting to make the WC squad).

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Tk 21 minutes ago
Nobody runs the show like Beauden - Why the All Blacks need Barrett now, and at Rugby World Cup 2027

IMHO Hansen's biggest fault was picking his favourite 15 players then trying to show horn them into positions rather than picking the most cohesive and effective team.

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Mark 23 minutes ago
British & Irish Lions player ratings vs First Nations & Pasifika XV | 2025

Player ratings will always be subjective to the person who’s doing the ratings….obviously, it’s no more than an objective opinion is it.

If you took your comment re the Lions being about the whole team/squad, then the rating for this tour would be 6.5 at best.

Its been very mediocre, both in terms of the rugby played by the Lions and the quality of opposition they’ve faced.

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N
NB 23 minutes ago
Why New Zealand learned more from their July series than France

Tbh I don’t think either 10 played particularly well JW.

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N
NB 28 minutes ago
Why New Zealand learned more from their July series than France

Yes these guys may not stick around for long but they can still impact the game positively with their ideas.

267 Go to comments
N
NB 30 minutes ago
Why New Zealand learned more from their July series than France

Yes no reason for Razor to just chuck him in at the deep end at 10. Why not give him a chance to succeed at the spot he knows best first?

267 Go to comments
N
NB 35 minutes ago
Why New Zealand learned more from their July series than France

Defence is a little bit of a problem at 10. Ramos is not a good front line defender and Jalibert’s frailties are known. So who is the best newcomer in behind Ntamack? Hugo Reus?

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BA 38 minutes ago
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NB 38 minutes ago
Why New Zealand learned more from their July series than France

I think you’re underselling Hastoy a little bit there S. I reckon he’s a better player than that, nor am I convinced Ntamack is such a great game manager at 10 without a strong influence at 9 like Lucu or Dupont inside him. Hastoy takes on more responsibility at LAR than Ntamack does with Toulouse. And I certainly do not know why they started Segonds ahead of him in the first two Tests. Was he unfit?

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Jimmy 39 minutes ago
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BA 42 minutes ago
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I thought it was a sabbatical which he has had twice?

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JW 45 minutes ago
Why New Zealand learned more from their July series than France

Even though they drew with France last year?


I haven’t watched the games or followed URC to know if its those same form players though. We’ll have to revisit this come 6N time.

267 Go to comments
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NB 47 minutes ago
Why New Zealand learned more from their July series than France

Not sure about the Auradou-Brennan equation. I think Auradou is a lineout caller so that may count heavily in his favour.


Depoortere is a good un, but I feel he is already ‘there’ in Galthie’s thoughts before hte tour ever happened! Part of the 2027 group, if you like rather than a newcomer to it.


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267 Go to comments
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JW 47 minutes ago
Why New Zealand learned more from their July series than France

Correct by Nick??!! HAHAHAHA he doesn’t even watch SR dude lol


And as I have probably told you already (and Nick has made the point many times as well if you like him as your prophet) one off games do you a lot of good.


Fair enough though that 2017 season was a good go at it, it’s just 2025 now Fran.


You clearly do not follow All Black rugby to a great extent, they are a heavily ‘development’ focused team. They have to be, they live on the smell of an oily rag.

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JW 51 minutes ago
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Haven’t seen the French scrum go so far backwards until this last test…

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JW 52 minutes ago
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I can go along with that be we all know to take domestic footy with a grain of salt comparing to internationals. We have just had an example of this from France with all their form guys getting selected over hardened international players and losing badly.

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