Sean Maloney: Australian rugby expert on the Wallabies' mood ahead of the Bledisloe Cup opener

Over across the ditch, the Wallabies are feeling hopeful ahead of Saturday's Bledisloe Cup opener against the All Blacks.

Australian rugby expert joins D'Arcy to discuss.

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:06):
You're listening to the Sports Talk podcast with Dancy Wildergrave
from news Talk z'd be.

Speaker 2 (00:12):
I'm not quite sure what we'll learn out of this though.
If the Wallaby show up with all the intensity in
the last twenty minutes, I begainst Argentina. Let's go to
someone who has a little bit more about Australian rugby
than ida. His name Sean Maloney. He's got the call
for Stan sport comes off the Wallabies. He joins us
now from over the ditch. Awan, welcome, great to have

(00:33):
you on board again. Thanks for this and I suppose
that your team's been named now be hoping for a
little more than what they served up last week, well
two weeks ago. Anyway, in the last twenty versus Argentina.

Speaker 3 (00:47):
It never happened. They came over in Santa Fe. Never
ever happens. So we come into this off the back
of that browsing last second victory akads Argentina in gay
one over there. So are in good form, We're ready
to go for the weekend and obviously a couple of
changes have been brought by coach Joshmit.

Speaker 2 (01:07):
What are those changes? Is there anything worth like looking at?
Are they major adjustments mind.

Speaker 3 (01:12):
The big the biggin is seeing Fraser mc wright in
there in the number seven Jerseys.

Speaker 4 (01:20):
So that's a huge return for for Fraser.

Speaker 3 (01:23):
He's been massive for the Worldbies for a long period
of time now and we know we've seen through a
super Rabia that he can actually match it with the
best that you've got over on that side of the
Tasman as well, so he's a big in Jeremy Williams.
I was surprised to see Jeremy Williams get the start
in the number five Jersey instead of Luka and Salakai Lotto,
who's been.

Speaker 4 (01:42):
A real enforcer this year for Joe Schmidt.

Speaker 3 (01:46):
Rest of the back row make up fairly similar with
Bobby v at six Wilson.

Speaker 4 (01:52):
Nick White's the other big one mate Nick White going
in at nine.

Speaker 3 (01:54):
I thought we might have seen Tate McDermott in the
nine this weekend, but it will be the veteran Nick White.

Speaker 2 (02:00):
And settling on that is Joe slowly working out Joe Smith.
That is about who x he represents the country best
and his position was he's still very much a juggler,
not unlike Scott Robinson.

Speaker 3 (02:13):
Well, I mean there is a little bit of juggling
going on because Jake Gordon was the scrum half of
choice through the early part and was good too, a
couple of Man of Mats performances earlier this year was
strong and getting that win against Argentina, so there was
a few of us that were surprised.

Speaker 4 (02:29):
I think they see Nick.

Speaker 3 (02:30):
White in there in the number nine. So yeah, to
answer your question, there is a touch of juggling around it.
And then we've got those sorry twelve through fifteens pretty
much as expected. Hanna Pie's Sami returns, so he takes
that inside center spot from Haymi Stewart, then Marika, Tommy
Wright and Kellaway in the wing position as well.

Speaker 4 (02:53):
So it's a solid enough team.

Speaker 3 (02:56):
It's a good team, and they'll have the chance in
the sunshine on Saturday afternoon.

Speaker 2 (03:01):
And a reason to celebrate for a prop called Slipper.
He's overtaking the terrorizing four more years. George Gregan as
the most play all time. That's impressive.

Speaker 4 (03:12):
For it's huge.

Speaker 3 (03:15):
I mean he has put his body through all sorts
of hardships, I guess is the best way of putting
it overcame some off field issues going back a few
years made that jump from Queensland down to the Brumbies
where he sort of got a new shot on his
career and he's just huge, man, he's just unbelievable, much

(03:37):
loved over here, very much loved as captain on occasion,
and yeah, as you as you say, one hundred and
forty test matches on the weekend, thank you very much.

Speaker 2 (03:47):
It's extraordinary. So tell me Sean Maloney, what went wrong
in the game that didn't go ahead? Just what do
they need to Obviously the first half you got to
love that. The second half it seemed in the clowns.

Speaker 4 (04:01):
What happened?

Speaker 2 (04:02):
Can they change this around us?

Speaker 4 (04:03):
Narrative? God? I hope so. Oh it's so we call
I call that game.

Speaker 3 (04:10):
I had Morgan Nui and Michael Hoop alongside in the
commentary box over here, and so they get that they're
up twenty to three and they were playing some of
their best attacking rugby that we've seen in ages. There
was so much cohesion with what they were doing. The
passing and skills were up much better than what they
had been even earlier this year.

Speaker 4 (04:28):
They looked terrific.

Speaker 3 (04:30):
And then and then they stuffed up a restart and
they stuffed up another restart, and then that second half
was just an absolute horror show like Argentina Court Fire.
There's no doubt about that. But our guys certainly made
it very easy for them. I still can't believe they
scored four tries in eight minutes of the back end
of the game.

Speaker 4 (04:47):
How do you do that?

Speaker 2 (04:48):
Oh, with ease up against your guys?

Speaker 4 (04:52):
Sorry, that one, isn't it? That would be? That would be.

Speaker 3 (04:58):
It'll be a long way back for all of this
if that's what happens on Saturday.

Speaker 4 (05:01):
But I don't know that it's going to be that
comfortable for the all Blacks. I don't.

Speaker 3 (05:05):
I don't necessari know that our guys can can win,
But I just don't know that it'll be that comfortable
for the men in black on.

Speaker 2 (05:14):
The hard fast dick in the sunshine. Who does that favor?
Do you think?

Speaker 3 (05:20):
Probably your blokes, i'd suggest going off that sunshine thirty
degree day over in Santa Fe a couple of weeks back.
Probably your fellas. But I mean, we can obviously still score.
I think we've picked the team that can put quite
a few points on the board as well. There's some
real strike power there and if they click as we

(05:41):
all hope that they do.

Speaker 4 (05:43):
They can. I'm anticipating in high scorer.

Speaker 3 (05:46):
But I don't know if we'll be able to finish
with enough at the end of the eighty to be
in front.

Speaker 1 (05:50):
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