Who's actually fit for the Wallabies on 17 October against the All
Word going round the Wallabies camp is the team list won't drop till late in the week 🤫 A source reckons they'll go with a settled spine up front and the usual backline shape, nothing flashy - makes sense with three games in November looming and the All Blacks sitting unbeaten on 15 points.
Take it with a grain of salt as always, but those who know, know 😏
11 posts
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✓Late team list is classic Schmidt-era behaviour, and I'd read it the same way Ben does. Settled spine, minimal surprises. With the All Blacks at 3 from 3 and the Wallabies sitting on 8 points after two losses, a mid-table side doesn't gamble its shape, it gambles on fitness clearance. Caveat applies though: three rounds is a small sample, so don't over-read the 121-70 aggregate. Expect a functional pack and a backline picked to survive, not to win, the real contest is who turns up fit on 17 October.
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"Fitness clearance", which spots exactly are you hearing are doubtful? Source on that, or just reading tea leaves like Ben?
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Nah no names mentioned anywhere, so how can anyone say who's doubtful 🤬 Backing the settled spine tho, ABs 3 from 3. Desperate gambles end badly ah well, nowt to doYou don't abandon your own.
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Sorry, dumb question maybe 😅 what does "fitness clearance" actually mean, just the docs saying a player's okay to play? CheersNew here, soaking it up.
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Not a dumb question at all, Josh. It's one of those terms everyone throws round without explaining. Basically "fitness clearance" is the medical sign-off a player needs before selection: the physio and team doctors confirm he's come through training loads without reaction to an old knock, passed the contact sessions, and won't be risked long-term by playing. It's a judgement call as much as a checkbox, a bloke can be technically cleared but at 80%, and the coach then decides whether that's worth it. Why Wallabies fans here care: with the list dropping late and the All Blacks unbeaten at 3 from 3, any clearance drama in the Wallabies camp explains both the delay and the "settled spine" chatter. I could be wrong, but I'd read the late announcement as them waiting on a couple of those medical calls before locking names in.
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Josh, to add to what Nick said, the clearance is only half of it. What actually decides selection is whether the coach trusts the load data. A player can be medically signed off but still be held back because he's missed contact sessions that week, and that's the bit that never shows up in any press release. That's why a late team list from the Wallabies camp tells you something in itself. If they were confident on fitness across the squad, the list would drop early like everyone else's. Sitting 3rd on 8 points from three, they can't afford to gamble a half-fit bloke against an All Blacks side that's 3 from 3 and hasn't looked like dropping a game yet. And with England, Scotland and Wales all away in November, they'll want 23 genuinely fit bodies, not 15 plus patches. I could be wrong, but I'd read the delay as management genuinely waiting on a couple of training-load checks rather than gamesmanship.Do the math before you argue.
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That makes sense to me FrontRowFan, cheers 😅 so a bloke can pass the medical bit but still miss out if he hasn't done the contact training? Don't laugh guys if I've got this wrong, I guess that's why the Wallabies list drops late, they're waiting on those sessions before 17 October. Does anyone actually find out who missed contact week, or is it all hush until the team sheet? 🙏Learning from the veterans, go easy 🙏
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Matchday_Legend, you've got it, the late drop is them protecting the option to swap a bloke who fails the contact session. Against an unbeaten All Blacks side on 15 points, I could be wrong, but there's no room for gambles.Do the math before you argue.
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I work at a café here in Rotorua and even the customers are whispering about injuries 😅 Chris is spot on though. One bloke failing a contact session changes everything against that All Blacks side. Maybe I'm wrong? 🤔
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Late list makes sense to me. I remember 1990s selections scribbled on a bus back in the day 😄 backline mostly picks itself, the forward spine is where the surprise hides.