July 30, 2012
A 36-man national training squad has been named to assemble in Sydney on Wednesday for the second of two three-day camps prior to the announcement of the Wallabies squad for the inaugural Rugby Championship.The group features a number of members of the Queensland Reds side from Super Rugby who were omitted from last week’s first camp in order to rest after their exertions from that competition.
Wingers Digby Ioane and Dominic Shipperley, midfield backs Anthony Fainga’a and Mike Harris, halfback Will Genia and loose forward Scott Higginbotham all join after being allowed to by-pass the first post-Super Rugby assembly.
Western Force second row Nathan Sharpe is also included after being allowed to miss the first training camp.
All seven additions were involved in the Qantas Wallabies squad during the June Tests.
The players involved in the first training camp who will not participate in the upcoming session are the Melbourne Rebels centre Mitch Inman, NSW Waratahs winger Lachie Turner, Waratahs utility back Bernard Foley, Brumbies loose forward Ben Mowen, Rebels lock Hugh Pyle and NSW Waratahs prop Paddy Ryan.
The training squad breaks again on Friday, with the 30-man Qantas Wallabies squad for the Rugby Championship to be named on Tuesday August 6. That group assembles in Sydney the morning it is named.
The Qantas Wallabies training squad for this week’s second camp in Sydney ahead of the inaugural Castrol EDGE Rugby Championship is: Kurtley Beale (Melbourne Rebels), Adam Ashley-Cooper (NSW Waratahs), Drew Mitchell (NSW Waratahs), Digby Ioane (Queensland Reds), Cooper Vuna (Melbourne Rebels), Nick Cummins (Western Force), Dominic Shipperley (Queensland Reds), Rob Horne (NSW Waratahs), Anthony Fainga’a (Queensland Reds), Ben Tapuai (Queensland Reds), Pat McCabe (Brumbies), Mike Harris (Queensland Reds), Quade Cooper (Queensland Reds), Berrick Barnes (NSW Waratahs), Will Genia (Queensland Reds), Nick Phipps (Melbourne Rebels), Nic White (Brumbies), Radike Samo (Queensland Reds), Scott Higginbotham (Queensland Reds), Jake Schatz (Queensland Reds), David Pocock (Western Force), Michael Hooper (Brumbies), Liam Gill (Queensland Reds), Dave Dennis (NSW Waratahs), Kane Douglas (NSW Waratahs), Nathan Sharpe (Western Force), Rob Simmons (Queensland Reds), Cadeyrn Neville (Melbourne Rebels), Sitaleki Timani (NSW Waratahs), James Slipper (Queensland Reds), Sekope Kepu (NSW Waratahs), Benn Robinson (NSW Waratahs), Ben Alexander (Brumbies), James Hanson (Queensland Reds), Stephen Moore (Brumbies), Tatafu Polota-Nau (NSW Waratahs).
* The players who were not considered because of injury are: Salesi Ma’afu (Western Force), Dan Palmer (Brumbies), Saia Fainga’a (Queensland Reds), James Horwill (Queensland Reds), Ben McCalman (Western Force), Wycliff Palu (NSW Waratahs), Paddy Ryan (NSW Waratahs), Christian Leali’ifano (Brumbies), James O’Connor (Melbourne Rebels), Joe Tomane (Brumbies).
