Wallabies look to Ireland-based lock Kane Douglas to give forwards a lift
Australia's bid to bring lock Kane Douglas back from Ireland and into test reckoning this week reflects a deeply held concern that the Wallabies could be shunted out of the World Cup by the English and Welsh packs later this year.
Australia's bid to bring lock Kane Douglas back from Ireland and into test reckoning this week reflects a deeply held concern that the Wallabies could be shunted out of the World Cup by the English and Welsh packs later this year.
The 2.02-metre (6-foot-6), 120kg (264-pound) forward was a key member of the New South Wales Waratahs team who won the Super Rugby title last year under Michael Cheika, who has since taken over as Wallabies coach.
Douglas joined Leinster after that triumph but the Irish provincial outfit revealed this week that they had received a formal request from the Australian Rugby Union (ARU) to release the 26-year-old for international duty.
With Sam Carter injured and James Horwill a shadow of the player who led Australia at the World Cup in 2011, Australia's stock of locks big enough to handle the pressure coming through the tighthead side of the scrum looks thin.
If he is coming back to Australia to play and signs with an Australian Super Rugby team, of course we’d be interested in providing a top-up
With only 14 tests under his belt, however, Douglas falls well short of the 60 caps that Australia set as the minimum requirement for overseas-based players to continue to represent their country in a groundbreaking decision early this year.
While most of the focus that day was on the potential return of Matt Giteau, Drew Mitchell and George Smith, ARU chief Bill Pulver also announced that players returning from abroad and signing up with a Super Rugby team would also be eligible.