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Wallaroos swing the axe for second Test with Black Ferns

Arabella McKenzie from Australia reacts to another Black Ferns try during the match between New Zealand Black Ferns and the Australia Wallaroos at Orangetheory Stadium on August 20, 2022 in Christchurch, New Zealand. (Photo by Peter Meecham/Getty Images)

Wallaroos coach Jay Tregonning has made sweeping changes as the Australian women’s rugby team tries to make a dent on a dominant New Zealand.

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The Wallaroos will play their first ever Test at Adelaide Oval on Saturday in a double-header with the men’s Australian team, who take on South Africa.

In the first Test of the O’Reilly Cup last weekend in Christchurch, the women were thrashed 52-5 by the Black Ferns to record Australia’s heaviest loss in five years.

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Among the seven changes to his starting side, Tregonning has handed a Test debut to Brumbies centre Siokapesi Palu and winger Bienne Terita, a member of the World Series-winning Sevens squad.

Liz Patu returns to the starting side in place of injured Bree-Anna Cheatham while Adiana Talakai and local Adelaide product Eva Karpani have been elevated from the reserves in a new-look front row.

Waratahs lock Atasi Lafai, who made her return from injury in New Zealand, will start in the second row alongside Michaela Leonard.

Grace Hamilton has been rewarded for her training effort with selection, replacing No.8 Grace Kemp who is out after a head knock.

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“We’ve made some changes this week off the back of last week’s result, as well as some minor injuries within the squad,” said Tregonning.

“We’re lucky to have built significant depth within the group over the last few months.

“We have two new players coming into the backline this week in Siokapesi and Bienne, and we believe they both have a lot to offer the team.

“We’ve had another solid week of training, off the back of an in-depth review following last weekend’s match, and the team are really looking forward to playing in Adelaide for the first time ever.”

The teams are preparing for the Rugby World Cup in New Zealand in October, where the host will start among the favourites.

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The trans-Tasman rivals are slated to meet on the opening night of the tournament at Auckland’s Eden Park on October 8.

Wallaroos: Pauline Piliae-Rasa bale, Bienne Terita, Georgina Friedrichs, Siokapesi Palu, Ivania Wong, Arabella McKenzie, Iliseva Batibasaga, Grace Hamilton, Shannon Parry (capt), Emily Chancellor, Michaela Leonard, Atasi Lafai, Eva Karpani, Adiana Talaka, Liz Patu. Res: Ashley Marsters, Emily Robinson, Bridie O’Gorman, Kaitlan Leaney, Piper Duck, Layne Morgan, Trilleen Pomare, Lori Cramer.

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J
JW 1 hour ago
Let's be real about these All Blacks

I didn't really get the should tone from it, but maybe because I was just reading it as my own thoughts.


What I read it as was examples of how they played well enough in every game to be able to win it.


Yeah I dunno if Ben wouldn't see it that way (someone else would for sure need to point it out to him though), I'm more in the Ben not appreciating that those close losses werent one off scenarios camp. Sure you can look at dubious decisions causing them to have to play with 14 or 13 men at the death as viable reasons but even in the games they won without such difficulties they made a real struggle of it (compared to how good some of their first half play was). This kind of article where you trying to point out the 3 losses really would most likely have been wins only really makes sense/works when your other performances make those 3 games (or endings) stand out.


There might have been a sentence here and there to ensure some good comment numbers but when he's signing off the article by saying things like ..

Whilst these All Blacks aren’t blowing teams off the park like during the 2010s, they are nuggety and resourceful and don’t wilt. They are prepared to win the hard way, accumulating points by any means necessary.

and..

The other top sides in the world struggled to put them away. France and South Africa both could have well been defeated on home soil.

I don't really see it. Always making sure people are upto date with the SH standing/perspective! NZ went through some tough times with so many different perspectives and reasons why, but then it was.. amusing how.. behind everyone was once they turned a corner. More of these 'unfortunate' results returned against SA and France at the start of the RWC which made it extra tasty to catch other teams out when they did bring it. So that created some 'conscious' perspective that I just kept going and sharing re thoughts on similar predicaments of other teams, I had been really confident that Wallabies displays vs NZ were real, that the Argentines can backup their thing against Aus and SA (and so obviously the rest), and current one is that England are actually consistent and improving with their attack (which everyone should get onboard with), and I'm expecting a more dominant display against Japan (even though they should have more of their experienced internationals for this one) that highlights further growth from July. 👍

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