Key Wallabies will be rested for as many as three games during the 2023 Super Rugby season – and not play more five weeks in a row – under a draft agreement between the states and the Wallabies to keep players fresh for the World Cup.
As seen before the 2019 World Cup, the Wallabies and Australia’s five Super Rugby teams are set to sit down in coming weeks to work out a plan to make sure key players arrive in France with plenty of petrol in the tank.
The specifics are yet to be finalised but sources familiar with early discussions told the Herald the star Wallabies who had heavy workloads in 2022, and who will be regular starters for in Super Rugby as well, will sit out as many as three games in the 14-game regular season.
Not every Wallabies player will be asked to rest that much, however, with a tiered system likely to be implemented.
Players who play big minutes for club and country, such as Allan Alaalatoa, Rob Valetini, Nic White, Len Ikitau, and older players like Jed Holloway, Dave Porecki, Michael Hooper and Cadeyrn Neville, would likely sit out more games than lightly-used Wallabies like Fraser McReight, Jock Campbell and Mark Nawaqantiwase, who would benefit from more game time, not less.
Allan Ala’alatoa and the Wallabies forwards in Melbourne, with halfback Nic White.Credit:Getty
Wallabies coach Dave Rennie and general manager Chris Webb will begin travelling around to the Super Rugby clubs ahead of Christmas to work out individual management plans for players.
The resting strategy for 2023 has been part of Rennie’s plans for a long time, and is not in response to the horrific injury toll suffered by the Wallabies this year, which saw a record 51 Wallabies used in Tests and will be examined as part of an end-of-year review.
Rugby Australia CEO Andy Marinos said the planning for maximising the Wallabies’ prospects at the 2023 Rugby World Cup was “well advanced”.
“I know Dave and the management team and the medical team have really engaged with the Super Rugby coaches about the program for next year,” Marinos said.
“Those conversations are well advanced and so as soon as we get back they’ll be going around and sitting down with each of the coaches and individual player plans for the pre-season and into next year.”
Izack Rodda returned to contact training for the Western Force last week.Credit:Getty
Introducing a potential cap on consecutive games would mirror the practice of New Zealand Rugby, and could be in response to a problematic roll-out of the resting plan in 2019. Most teams calculated their plans carefully, but Waratahs coach Daryl Gibson kept pushing for the finals at full-strength until the last round, when he had to rest five Wallabies and the team was thrashed by the Highlanders.
As is common, most Wallabies tourists will not feature much in the trials but given many stars are returning from long-term injuries, there may be more than usual.
After missing the entire Test season due to a foot injury that required surgery, Izack Rodda did his first contact session last week at the Force, and the Waratahs are all expecting Lachlan Swinton, Izaia Perese, Lalakai Foketi, Harry Johnson-Holmes and Angus Bell to all be ready for action near the start of the season.
Queensland expect Hunter Paisami to be fully recovered from an MCL injury for the start of the season, but aren’t banking on seeing Taniela Tupou pull on a Reds jersey at all in Super Rugby.
The Brumbies are confident Valetini will be back on deck from a syndesmosis injury for Super Rugby but caution will be undoubtedly applied given he elevated himself to being Australia’s most valuable forward in 2022.
Rob Leota is also returning from an Achilles’ tendon injury and is a chance to return for the Rebels late in the Super Rugby season.
And though Andrew Kellaway’s toe injury is more serious than first thought, it is hoped he will be back on deck in the early rounds of the Super season.
