Isoa Nasilasila turns league rejection into Fijian Drua history
We hear about his visits home to Fiji as a kid, a special Super Rugby debut in front of his family and what it was like to beat the Wallabies at the World Cup for the Flying Fijians.
Posted 12m ago 12 minutes ago Thu 29 May 2025 at 8:43am
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The Advertiser
4 minutes ago
- The Advertiser
Schmidt dilemma: Edmed waits on Wallabies' No.10 woes
The Wallabies will ponder eve-of-Test changes to their line-up after a late injury blow forced coach Joe Schmidt into a hasty rethink before their Rugby Championship opener in South Africa. Schmidt is having to consider a rejig to his 23 after playmaker Ben Donaldson, who had been primed to share flyhalf duties with James O'Connor, suffered a leg injury in the penultimate training play of the day in Johannesburg on Thursday. Schmidt has, for the moment, opted against bringing in a third playmaker, Tane Edmed, into his named team to replace Donaldson, preferring instead to name a sixth forward, Nick Champion de Crespigny, on the bench. But the New Zealander later admitted that the one-cap Edmed could still feature in his plans for Saturday's (Sunday AEST) daunting clash at Ellis Park after he has a last look at his options during Friday's final training run. The team he named on Thursday currently features no specialist cover for O'Connor, the 35-year-old veteran who's been thrown into his first Test in three years in the face of a flyhalf crisis following Tom Lynagh's concussion and first-choice Noah Lolesio's absence with a neck injury. Schmidt, who admitted he had originally been planning to use Donaldson as a halftime replacement for O'Connor on Saturday, added: "We're still trying to probably work out what we do to best get that coverage (for O'Connor). "(Scrumhalf) Nic White can maybe cover No.10 and is astute enough to do so, (outside back) Andrew Kellaway has the skill set to cover 10, but it does leave us a little bit light. We know that Tate McDermott covers the wing well. "Tane's in consideration, for sure, he's one of the options" Schmidt added of the 24-year-old. "Our intention was probably to potentially give Tane a run next week (for the second match against the Springboks in Cape Town) after having spent the week with us. "Tane has only had two trainings with us. It's a big ask, but we've got confidence in him." Edmed will be itching to play after his debut for the Wallabies last November against Ireland lasted only three minutes in Dublin when he came on as a 74th-minute sub and got kayoed while making a tackle. "Nick Champion de Crespigny, Carlo Tizzano, and Hunter Paisani played No.10 in the under-20s and then shifted to 12, plus that gives us really good midfield cover. So there's a few options we're just going to try to get our best coverage and best confidence from," added Schmidt. Donaldson's injury, after his fine 50-minute effort which helped the Wallabies seal a confidence-boosting third-Test win over the British & Irish Lions a fortnight ago, is a real blow. "In the second to last play of the training, 'Donno' kicked the ball and pulled up short so we don't know yet what the extent of the injury is," reported Schmidt. "He will get a scan now and we'll have a definitive picture because we need to know for next week as well whether we need more cover." Otherwise, Schmidt has stuck by the same side that rose to the challenge, defeating the Lions 22-12, as he seeks to steer the Wallabies to their first win at Ellis Park in 62 years following their 11-9 win over the Springboks there in 1963. Australia team: 15–Tom Wright, 14–Max Jorgensen, 13–Joseph Suaalii, 12–Len Ikitau, 11–Dylan Pietsch, 10–James O'Connor, 9–Nic White, 8–Harry Wilson (captain), 7–Fraser McReight, 6–Tom Hooper, 5–Will Skelton, 4–Nick Frost, 3–Taniela Tupou, 2–Billy Pollard, 1–James Slipper Replacements: 16–Brandon Paenga-Amosa, 17–Angus Bell, 18–Zane Nonggorr, 19–Jeremy Williams, 20–Langi Gleeson, 21–Nick Champion de Crespigny, 22–Tate McDermott, 23–Andrew Kellaway. The Wallabies will ponder eve-of-Test changes to their line-up after a late injury blow forced coach Joe Schmidt into a hasty rethink before their Rugby Championship opener in South Africa. Schmidt is having to consider a rejig to his 23 after playmaker Ben Donaldson, who had been primed to share flyhalf duties with James O'Connor, suffered a leg injury in the penultimate training play of the day in Johannesburg on Thursday. Schmidt has, for the moment, opted against bringing in a third playmaker, Tane Edmed, into his named team to replace Donaldson, preferring instead to name a sixth forward, Nick Champion de Crespigny, on the bench. But the New Zealander later admitted that the one-cap Edmed could still feature in his plans for Saturday's (Sunday AEST) daunting clash at Ellis Park after he has a last look at his options during Friday's final training run. The team he named on Thursday currently features no specialist cover for O'Connor, the 35-year-old veteran who's been thrown into his first Test in three years in the face of a flyhalf crisis following Tom Lynagh's concussion and first-choice Noah Lolesio's absence with a neck injury. Schmidt, who admitted he had originally been planning to use Donaldson as a halftime replacement for O'Connor on Saturday, added: "We're still trying to probably work out what we do to best get that coverage (for O'Connor). "(Scrumhalf) Nic White can maybe cover No.10 and is astute enough to do so, (outside back) Andrew Kellaway has the skill set to cover 10, but it does leave us a little bit light. We know that Tate McDermott covers the wing well. "Tane's in consideration, for sure, he's one of the options" Schmidt added of the 24-year-old. "Our intention was probably to potentially give Tane a run next week (for the second match against the Springboks in Cape Town) after having spent the week with us. "Tane has only had two trainings with us. It's a big ask, but we've got confidence in him." Edmed will be itching to play after his debut for the Wallabies last November against Ireland lasted only three minutes in Dublin when he came on as a 74th-minute sub and got kayoed while making a tackle. "Nick Champion de Crespigny, Carlo Tizzano, and Hunter Paisani played No.10 in the under-20s and then shifted to 12, plus that gives us really good midfield cover. So there's a few options we're just going to try to get our best coverage and best confidence from," added Schmidt. Donaldson's injury, after his fine 50-minute effort which helped the Wallabies seal a confidence-boosting third-Test win over the British & Irish Lions a fortnight ago, is a real blow. "In the second to last play of the training, 'Donno' kicked the ball and pulled up short so we don't know yet what the extent of the injury is," reported Schmidt. "He will get a scan now and we'll have a definitive picture because we need to know for next week as well whether we need more cover." Otherwise, Schmidt has stuck by the same side that rose to the challenge, defeating the Lions 22-12, as he seeks to steer the Wallabies to their first win at Ellis Park in 62 years following their 11-9 win over the Springboks there in 1963. Australia team: 15–Tom Wright, 14–Max Jorgensen, 13–Joseph Suaalii, 12–Len Ikitau, 11–Dylan Pietsch, 10–James O'Connor, 9–Nic White, 8–Harry Wilson (captain), 7–Fraser McReight, 6–Tom Hooper, 5–Will Skelton, 4–Nick Frost, 3–Taniela Tupou, 2–Billy Pollard, 1–James Slipper Replacements: 16–Brandon Paenga-Amosa, 17–Angus Bell, 18–Zane Nonggorr, 19–Jeremy Williams, 20–Langi Gleeson, 21–Nick Champion de Crespigny, 22–Tate McDermott, 23–Andrew Kellaway. The Wallabies will ponder eve-of-Test changes to their line-up after a late injury blow forced coach Joe Schmidt into a hasty rethink before their Rugby Championship opener in South Africa. Schmidt is having to consider a rejig to his 23 after playmaker Ben Donaldson, who had been primed to share flyhalf duties with James O'Connor, suffered a leg injury in the penultimate training play of the day in Johannesburg on Thursday. Schmidt has, for the moment, opted against bringing in a third playmaker, Tane Edmed, into his named team to replace Donaldson, preferring instead to name a sixth forward, Nick Champion de Crespigny, on the bench. But the New Zealander later admitted that the one-cap Edmed could still feature in his plans for Saturday's (Sunday AEST) daunting clash at Ellis Park after he has a last look at his options during Friday's final training run. The team he named on Thursday currently features no specialist cover for O'Connor, the 35-year-old veteran who's been thrown into his first Test in three years in the face of a flyhalf crisis following Tom Lynagh's concussion and first-choice Noah Lolesio's absence with a neck injury. Schmidt, who admitted he had originally been planning to use Donaldson as a halftime replacement for O'Connor on Saturday, added: "We're still trying to probably work out what we do to best get that coverage (for O'Connor). "(Scrumhalf) Nic White can maybe cover No.10 and is astute enough to do so, (outside back) Andrew Kellaway has the skill set to cover 10, but it does leave us a little bit light. We know that Tate McDermott covers the wing well. "Tane's in consideration, for sure, he's one of the options" Schmidt added of the 24-year-old. "Our intention was probably to potentially give Tane a run next week (for the second match against the Springboks in Cape Town) after having spent the week with us. "Tane has only had two trainings with us. It's a big ask, but we've got confidence in him." Edmed will be itching to play after his debut for the Wallabies last November against Ireland lasted only three minutes in Dublin when he came on as a 74th-minute sub and got kayoed while making a tackle. "Nick Champion de Crespigny, Carlo Tizzano, and Hunter Paisani played No.10 in the under-20s and then shifted to 12, plus that gives us really good midfield cover. So there's a few options we're just going to try to get our best coverage and best confidence from," added Schmidt. Donaldson's injury, after his fine 50-minute effort which helped the Wallabies seal a confidence-boosting third-Test win over the British & Irish Lions a fortnight ago, is a real blow. "In the second to last play of the training, 'Donno' kicked the ball and pulled up short so we don't know yet what the extent of the injury is," reported Schmidt. "He will get a scan now and we'll have a definitive picture because we need to know for next week as well whether we need more cover." Otherwise, Schmidt has stuck by the same side that rose to the challenge, defeating the Lions 22-12, as he seeks to steer the Wallabies to their first win at Ellis Park in 62 years following their 11-9 win over the Springboks there in 1963. Australia team: 15–Tom Wright, 14–Max Jorgensen, 13–Joseph Suaalii, 12–Len Ikitau, 11–Dylan Pietsch, 10–James O'Connor, 9–Nic White, 8–Harry Wilson (captain), 7–Fraser McReight, 6–Tom Hooper, 5–Will Skelton, 4–Nick Frost, 3–Taniela Tupou, 2–Billy Pollard, 1–James Slipper Replacements: 16–Brandon Paenga-Amosa, 17–Angus Bell, 18–Zane Nonggorr, 19–Jeremy Williams, 20–Langi Gleeson, 21–Nick Champion de Crespigny, 22–Tate McDermott, 23–Andrew Kellaway.
News.com.au
3 hours ago
- News.com.au
‘Harry played for it': Nathan Cleary and Harry Grant clash over controversial ruling in Storm's epic golden point win over Penrith
Superstar halfback Nathan Cleary has accused Storm rival Harry Grant of playing for a penalty in the final few minutes of Thursday's epic encounter in Sydney, with Melbourne's main man firing back that Penrith players knew they were in the wrong. A depleted Storm side outlasted the defending premiers thanks to a crafty Grant try in golden point, but the Panthers feel they should have won the game in regulation after Cleary potted a field goal with three minutes remaining. The shot would have given them a 19-18 lead but referee Ashley Klein immediately penalised prop forward Moses Leota for running interference and stepping into Grant's path to block him from getting to Cleary who later had two attempts charged down. The Panthers challenged the call but it was immediately dismissed because attacking players aren't allowed to loiter in the ruck to block defenders. Moses Leota blocks the charge down attempt, and Melbourne escapes a Cleary field goal! ðŸ'° Watch #NRLPanthersStorm on ch.502 or stream on Kayo: â�°âœ�ï¸� BLOG â�°ðŸ'¢ MATCH CENTRE — Fox League (@FOXNRL) August 14, 2025 'Harry was too smart at both ends. That's pretty much it,' a diplomatic Ivan Cleary said after the match. But his son was fired up, with Ivan even encouraging him to 'be honest' when he paused momentarily to answer the question. 'If that was in the field of play and you run a block shape, it wouldn't have been an obstruction because they ruled that out if you're typically defending at that three man and you play for an obstruction, they don't want that in the game,' he said. 'But for some reason, it's different for a field goal. 'I thought the blocking rule was brought in so that people wouldn't stand next to the play the ball, but Moses wasn't in that position. 'I don't believe that everyone can get behind me on that field goal, and then essentially Harry played for it because he knew he was going to get the penalty. 'I don't believe that Moses moved so it was pretty frustrating.' The Panthers have been clinical in so many field goal scenarios, with Cleary recently nailing a long-range shot to send their game against the Titans to golden point. 'It was a bit different because it happened straight after a line break so I went into that position – it wasn't a standard field goal,' he said. 'I think that's what makes it harder because it was after a line break so Moses was there to take the next run. 'I'm not sure what he was meant to do. I know it's a common cliché but is he meant to then run through? But if he runs through, then he's a chance to take people out. 'Do we expect him to get all the way behind the ball, but then we've got no one to run it. I feel like it's a split second thing where I'm calling like I want the ball to take the field goal and Moses is there to take the run, and he didn't move.' Grant was told of Cleary's frustrations but said all teams know the rules around blockers and that he could hear Penrith players telling Leota to 'get out of the road'. 'I think anyone in the game has seen that's been policed numerous times, and that's the rule within the game,' he said. 'Even the Penrith boys were aware of it in the game and when it happened so I'm happy if that's the rule then we stick to it, but if we want to change it then come out during the week and change it. The defence parts like the Red Sea and the Storm win it in Golden Point. ðŸ'° Watch #NRLPanthersStorm on ch.502 or stream on Kayo: â�°âœ�ï¸� BLOG â�°ðŸ'¢ MATCH CENTRE — Fox League (@FOXNRL) August 14, 2025 'I think anyone would agree that's been policed numerous times throughout the year. Hats off to the officials for policing it the same way because it would have been easy to change it. 'A lot of attention will go to that, but it doesn't need to. 'The attention should go to what a quality contest it was and how well they played. We were underdogs and had a fair few players out but we turned up so I really think that (people should focus on the result).' The controversial penalty overshadowed Grant's heroics at the death when he fooled the markers who raced out to pressure a potential shot at goal, with the Storm hooker able to dart over for the winner as he did at the same venue in golden point against the Eels two years ago. It capped a vital win for the Storm who remain in the hunt for the minor premiership, with Xavier Coates starring on the wing as they snuck home without Jahrome Hughes and Ryan Papenhuyzen.
Perth Now
4 hours ago
- Perth Now
O'Connor at No.10 as Wallabies suffer more injury woe
Veteran James O'Connor has been called on to take on the playmaking duties as the Wallabies seek to build on the impetus of their Lions' third-Test win with a rare victory in South Africa at the start of the Rugby Championship. But a plan for the 35-year-old O'Connor, back in the green and gold after three years, to share the No.10 role has had to be shelved after Ben Donaldson went down injured in training on Thursday. The idea had been for O'Connor to play the first 40 minutes with Donaldson coming on after the break but the injury has left the Wallabies looking at risky alternatives in the playmaking department as they get set to face the world champions in Johannesburg on Saturday (Sunday AEST). "In the second to last play of the training, 'Donno' kicked the ball and pulled up short so we don't know what the extent of the injury is," coach Joe Schmidt revealed after naming the team. "We've only been back from training for about an hour so he will get a scan now and we'll have a definitive picture because we need to know for next week as well whether we need more cover. "Nic White can cover No.10 and is astute enough to do so, Andrew Kellaway has the skill set as well if we go with what we've got at the moment." The inclusion of the 35-year-old O'Connor at No.10 is the only change to the starting XV that defeated the British & Irish Lions 22-12 in Sydney a fortnight ago, as he comes into the side after Tom Lynagh suffered a concussion in that encouraging victory. O'Connor, who helped New Zealand outfit Crusaders win the Super Rugby title this season, hasn't played for the Wallabies since 2022 but still looks the safest pair of hands after all the fly-half woes Schmidt has had to contend with, what with first-choice Noah Lolesio also out with neck trouble. O'Connor's halfback partner will be another veteran, White, who has doubled back on his decision to retire after the Lions series when first choice Jake Gordon got injured. Donaldson's injury has necessitated a late change to the planned bench with Schmidt having to replace the versatile back with loose forward Nick Champion de Crespigny. That means Australia will go from a five-three to six-two split between forwards and backs among the replacements. Yet Schmidt sounded upbeat as he noted: "The group has had a good week of preparation, adjusting pretty well to the time zone and the altitude well here in Johannesburg. "There's not many bigger Tests than playing South Africa on their home turf and we know we're going to need to be at our best on Saturday night." Australia are seeking their first win at Ellis Park since 1963, when they beat South Africa 11-9. Australia team: 15–Tom Wright, 14–Max Jorgensen, 13–Joseph Suaalii, 12–Len Ikitau, 11–Dylan Pietsch, 10–James O'Connor, 9–Nic White, 8–Harry Wilson (captain), 7–Fraser McReight, 6–Tom Hooper, 5–Will Skelton, 4–Nick Frost, 3–Taniela Tupou, 2–Billy Pollard, 1–James Slipper Replacements: 16–Brandon Paenga-Amosa, 17–Angus Bell, 18–Zane Nonggorr, 19–Jeremy Williams, 20–Langi Gleeson, 21–Nick Champion de Crespigny, 22–Tate McDermott, 23–Andrew Kellaway.
