Holmes Gets Chance To Say Goodbye In Style

Sydney Morning Herald

Tuesday April 24, 2007

Greg Growden Chief Rugby Correspondent

JOSH Holmes will be given a chance to prove his spectacular finale to last weekend's Waratahs match was not a one-off as he is scheduled to hold on to the halfback spot against the Chiefs at Aussie Stadium on Friday night.

Although NSW's main two halfbacks, Brett Sheehan and Josh Valentine, are expected to be available for selection, the Waratahs selectors are set to stick with Holmes for their last home game of the Super 14 season.

This will delight NSW supporters who, though disenchanted with the news that the 20-year-old will be heading to the Brumbies next season, were revitalised by Holmes's final-quarter effort which almost had the Waratahs overtake the Highlanders at Aussie Stadium on Saturday night.

It was a performance which deeply impressed Wallabies coach John Connolly, and could have Holmes as the bolter for the 30-man Test squad to be announced next month.

But the Chiefs encounter will be another serious test for Holmes as the opponents possess the mischievous All Blacks halfback Byron Kelleher and an excellent back-up player in Brendon Leonard, who scored three tries against the Force. The Waratahs are expecting Leonard to start as Kelleher recovers from a broken nose.

Waratahs coach Ewen McKenzie said yesterday it was pointless making dramatic changes to the team when its second-last round match was a day earlier than usual.

"We have a six-day turnaround this week, and every time you change a team it affects cohesion," McKenzie said. "We have only one decent training session this week so we have to be careful. I'm more likely to run similar combinations rather than reinvent the team in a short week."

McKenzie was also eager to reward all members of the squad.

"The last 15 minutes of the game against the Highlanders was good, but we played carefree rugby. I am more interested in the first 65 minutes. And despite what people say and think, the reality was that the game plan went the whole game. We stuck to our games and we got better at it. The last 15 was set up by the first 65. So the 22 guys did a reasonable job over the 80 minutes."

Despite suggestions that injured Waratahs captain Phil Waugh would return for the Chiefs match, he is expected to be overlooked. "I don't think Phil will be right," McKenzie said.

Western Force fullback Cameron Shepherd will, meanwhile, be sidelined for more than a month with a cruciate ligament tear in his left knee, and is scheduled to be unavailable for the first two domestic Tests against Wales. Shepherd was a candidate for the Test fullback position, and with Chris Latham not expected to return from injury until the second Bledisloe Cup Test against New Zealand in July, the Wallabies selectors admit they have a problem in finding someone to play in the No.15 jersey.

Wallabies coach John Connolly yesterday listed several candidates including Western Force fullback Drew Mitchell, ACT utility back Adam Ashley-Cooper, Waratahs fullback Peter Hewat and Brumbies utility Julian Huxley. However, it is understood that Shepherd was being considered by the Wallabies selectors as a winger rather than at fullback.

"In the short term, getting a Test fullback is a challenge," Connolly said.

Connolly admitted one possibility was calling former Wallabies fullback Matthew Burke back from English club football. "It has got to be a consideration. Still, there are many wheels which have to turn for it to happen," he said.

Connolly conceded it would be an "expensive exercise" to get Burke back in the Wallabies colours and former Wallabies coach Eddie Jones told a Sydney radio station yesterday that recalling Burke was "definitely a step in the wrong direction".

The annual Australian Universities-New Zealand Universities match will be played at Sydney University Oval at 2.30pm today.

© 2007 Sydney Morning Herald

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