EXCLUSIVE: Brumbies bench warmer who could make the cut for Wallabies Rugby World Cup squad
Ryan Lonergan could find himself on a plane to France with the Wallabies if he continues his fine form off the bench, according to former Australian international Stephen Hoiles.
The 24-year-old from Canberra has been a force for the Brumbies in Super Rugby Pacific since debuting for them in 2017.
Lonergan has been on the fringes of the Wallabies set-up too, earning training camp call-ups under previous coach Dave Rennie.
Watch the 2023 Super Rugby Pacific season on the home of rugby, Stan Sport. All matches streaming ad free, live and on demand
Lonergan has played for Australia at under-18s and under-20s level and last year captained the Australia A team.
A start with the Wallabies has yet to come although that might not be too far away.
Speaking on Stan Sport's Between Two Posts, Hoiles said Lonergan was making a strong case for Rugby World Cup selection as a specialist bench player.
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"What he's doing now, he's actually showing he's becoming the best bench halfback in the country and that's an important role, especially moving forward into Test season," said Hoiles.
"It works perfectly. It is one of the harder positions to play 80 minutes. You start to watch a game and you start to watch every good No.9 around the 60 minute mark and watch them start to slow up.
"The Brums all said it post-game – the whole bench was fantastic, but he looked like he was the guy that led the charge for the bench."
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Hoiles said it was important to have bench players in the squad that will push the starters but also know that their place is primarily to feature later on in the match.
"You need people that are experienced in that role," he added.
"In a World Cup the issue with players coming off the bench is a lot of them are chasing more minutes and they're talking to the coach each week because naturally, players have egos.
"They want more time in the middle, they all think about this, but to get a World Cup-winning side… I always pose this question: are you willing to be sitting, in the World Cup final, as a squad member in your suit to watch your team win the World Cup?
"That's the sign of a true team man. He's a guy that will go there, and if he knows his role, he's not going to try and make an immediate impact, or give away a penalty or be offside because he's trying to make an impact straight away.
"He's seasoned in his performance off the bench."
The three established Wallabies halfbacks are Nic White, Tate McDermott and Jake Gordon.
The Brumbies will face last year's Super Rugby Pacific winners, the Crusaders, on Friday at 5.05pm AEDT in Christchurch.
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