Wallabies to play Super Rugby “Barbarians” in Sydney next week
The Wallabies will step up preparations for next month's Bledisloe Cup with a full contact trial match against a Barbarians style side consisting of Australian Super Rugby players.
The match will be played at Leichhardt Oval in Sydney next Friday evening, with all proceeds from the gold coin donation at the front gate to be donated to grassroots rugby.
“We were keen to have more Super Rugby teams playing for longer, obviously, and if we look at the last two years we just want to keep the intensity of footy up," Wallabies coach Michael Cheika said.
“Spending five weeks on the sideline before a Bledisloe Test match is not what we want ideally. We want guys to play footy.
“It’s not just about the contact, because you can get all that in training. But just the little things. The pressure in front of a crowd, the referee telling you what to do, the dressing room build up, all those things. The mental side of footy,” Cheika said.
Australian Women's Sevens coach Joh