Wallabies release players for club duty

Tuesday 08th July 2008

Wallabies lock Dan Vickerman will make a comeback from injury this weekend as one of ten Wallabies being released by the national side to play Club Rugby.

Nine will feature in matches for their respective clubs in the New South Wales Shute Shield competition, while scrum-half Sam Cordingley will flex his skills for the Australian Barbarians against the Queensland Reds in a festival match on Sunday.

Vickerman, who is returning from an ankle injury, will turn out for competition leaders Sydney University in the Shute Shield in Sydney, alongside Dean Mumm, when they take on Northern Suburbs, featuring active prop Ben Alexander.

The other players taking part in Club Rugby this weekend in Sydney are prop Matt Dunning and winger Lachie Turner (Eastwood), Adam Freier (Randwick), Tatafu Polata-Nau (Parramatta), Brett Sheehan (Warringah) and flanker George Smith (Manly).

Polata-Nau (hand) and Dunning (corked thigh), like Vickerman, are also coming off injury breaks.

Wallabies coach Robbie Deans says the decision was based on their policy of securing players additional game time, outside of the national team environment, where it was needed to further their individual preparations for internationals.

Squad members are judged on a case by case basis in terms of what is best, both for the individuals concerned, and for the team.

The Wallabies are currently in camp at Manly but break up on Thursday afternoon, before reassembling in Perth on Sunday ahead of their Tri-Nations opener against South Africa at Subiaco on Saturday 19 July.