Wallabies depart amid selection dilemmas - Sports News - Fanatics - the world's biggest events

Wallabies depart amid selection dilemmas

By Adrian Warren 24/10/2009 09:48:16 PM Comments (0)

Wallabies coach Robbie Deans expected to use the team's flight to Tokyo on Saturday night to finalise his side for the fourth and final Bledisloe Cup clash of the year in Tokyo next Saturday.

While some of the 35-man squad departed for Japan on Friday, the majority were scheduled to leave Sydney on a late evening Saturday flight.

Not standing on ceremony, newly appointed captain Rocky Elsom jumped in and helped unload the baggage trolley.

Deans revealed the sides for the first two games of the seven match tour to Japan and the United Kingdom would more than likely be nutted out on the 11 hour flight to Japan.

The Wallabies will have two training sessions before the Bledisloe Cup team announcement that will be made on Tuesday, but Deans suggested they would not impact on selection for the Tokyo fixture.

He revealed he would talk to assistant coaches and co-selectors Jim Williams and Richard Graham about the teams for the Bledisloe Cup game and also the first match of the United Kingdom leg of the tour against English club Gloucester on November 3.

"We as coaching staff will be sitting down on the flight and having some of those conversations," Deans told AAP at Sydney Airport on Saturday night.

"We obviously have great insights into the group over the last couple of weeks, particularly those that we haven't had with us through the Tri-Nations.

"We will sit down and settle on the combinations for the first two games simultaneously."

Deans said there was a fair amount of excitement among the playing group as the seven match program which includes midweek non-international fixtures against Gloucester and Welsh team Cardiff guaranteed every squad member at least one game.

Brought to you by AAP AAP © 2024 AAP

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