Wallabies Unleash Fijian Giant
The Age
Saturday June 12, 2004
Excitement surrounding the Test debut of newly signed Wallaby forward Radike Samo has lifted a notch, with Australian coach Eddie Jones giving the mountainous Fijian ``free rein" to wreak havoc against Scotland tomorrow.
There promises to be a traditionally brutal Fijian flavour to the first of Australia's winter internationals at Telstra Dome, with Jones also warning that winger Lote Tuqiri has only scratched the surface of his awesome potential since converting from rugby league last year.
Tuqiri and Samo, who hail from neighbouring Fijian villages, have been the focus of extraordinary contract negotiations by Australian rugby in recent weeks. Samo had been named to play for Fiji but became a Wallaby instead when he signed a deal just hours before the Australian squad was named for the season's first four Tests.
Tuqiri, the former Australian rugby league international, committed to rugby union for a further three years only yesterday, ending a secretive bidding war waged across both codes.
Jones was thrilled by Tuqiri's commitment, and revealed great expectations for a player already considered one the game's most potent ball carriers.
``I think that you'll see over the next three years him develop his game greatly," Jones said. ``He's starting to develop a kicking game . . . he's got good aerial skills, he's obviously got good evasion skills and he's big, strong and fast."
``Exciting" is the word Jones and many others have used about the anticipated appearance of 26-year-old Samo in a Wallaby guernsey.
The former Fiji under-19 player is quite a package. At 197 centimetres and 111 kilograms, he played at lock for the Brumbies in their victorious Super 12 campaign this year. Picked as a blindside flanker for Australia, he offers another line-out option against the Scots.
As a powerful ball runner who has played on the wing for the Canberra Vikings, Samo is an awesome attacking option. Adding to the thrill is his captivating tendency to carry the ball like Shaquille O'Neal in one of his massive hands.
Jones said Samo's initial challenge would be to adapt to the tighter, more intense environment of international rugby.
``He did very well at Super 12, (and) we're excited about the prospect of seeing him at the next level," he said. ``It's a completely different sort of game . . .
``But having said that, he's going to have to look after his prime responsibilities of the line-out, scrum, then he's going to be given a bit of free rein to play how he can play."
Samo joins former South African under-19 player and Brumbies teammate Clyde Rathbone as the new faces in a squad largely unchanged from the side beaten by England in the World Cup final last November.
Jones insisted that Australia's selection policy for at least the next two years would be to pick the best 22 players, not to build a side for the 2007 World Cup.
Although Scotland was winless in its five matches in this year's Six Nations tournament, and Australia is a raging $1.04 favourite, Jones saw enough in the Scots' win over Samoa last week to be respectfully wary.
He said he expected new Scotland coach Matt Williams, a former coach of New South Wales, to pull out a surprise or two.
Jones admitted Scotland's selection of former Sydney player Dan Parks at five-eighth, ahead of the seasoned Gordon Ross, had taken the Australians aback.
``We would have thought they'd pick Ross, who we thought played very well against Samoa," he said.
``But Parks is a clever sort of player; he was on the fringe of playing Super 12 in Australia and has taken his opportunity in Scotland."
AUSTRALIA v SCOTLAND
FIRST TEST, TELSTRA DOME, TOMORROW, 4PM
AUSTRALIA
1 Bill Young 2 Brendan Cannon 3 Al Baxter 4 Nathan Sharpe 5 Justin Harrison 6 Radike Samo 7 George Smith 8 David Lyons 9 George Gregan (c) 10 Stephen Larkham 11 Lote Tuqiri 12 Matt Giteau 13 Clyde Rathbone 14 Wendell Sailor 15 Joe Roff
RESERVES Jeremy Paul, Matt Dunning, Daniel Vickerman, Phil Waugh, Morgan Turinui, Matt Burke (may be late change) Chris Latham
COACH Eddie Jones
SCOTLAND
1 Tom Smith 2 Gordon Bulloch 3 Bruce Douglas 4 Stuart Grimes 5 Scott Murray (c) 6 Jason White 7 Donnie Macfadyen 8 Allister Hogg 9 Chris Cusiter 10 Dan Parks 11 Simon Webster 12 Andrew Henderson 13 Ben Hinshelwood 14 Sean Lamont 15 Hugo Southwell
RESERVES Steve Scott, Craig Smith, Iain Fullarton, John Petrie, Mike Blair, Gordon Ross, Graeme Morrison
COACH Matt Williams
BETTING Australia $1.04, Scotland, $8.25.
TV Channel 7, live from 3.30pm
PLAYERS TO WATCH
AUSTRALIA
RADIKE SAMO Annoyed to be overlooked by his native Fiji for the World Cup, the 111kg, 197cm giant is delighted to be a Wallaby after Australia won a battle for his services.
CLYDE RATHBONE The former South African under-21 was on the Springboks' shopping list but elected to become a Wallaby. Makes his Test debut in his preferred spot at outside centre.
SCOTLAND
BEN HINSHELWOOD The 27-year-old centre was born in Melbourne, the son of 21-cap former Scotland winger Sandy Hinshelwood. He went to the UK for work four years ago and plays in England.
DAN PARKS The Sydney-born-and-bred five-eighth gets his second start in his seventh match for the Scots only nine months after moving to Glasgow and switching allegiances
thanks to a grandfather being born in Scotland.
© 2004 The Age