NSW Waratahs Head Coach Dan McKellar has named a twenty-five strong squad for their first match under his watch against the Kubota Spears in Tokyo, Japan on Friday.
To be co-captained by backrower Charlie Gamble and second rower Hugh Sinclair, the squad is a blend of seasoned NSW Waratahs players Hugh, several new recruits plus two NSW Academy players in backrower Eamon Doyle and five-eighth Joey Fowler.
The match against Kubota will be played at Edogawa Stadium and kick-off at 2pm (4pm AEST). It will provide McKellar with his first glimpse in match conditions of how well the NSW Waratahs have developed after five weeks of pre-season training in Sydney.
“It's about the transfer of areas of our game we've worked on in training into a match; while also understanding that we haven't worked on everything yet,” McKellar said.
“We’ve only been going for five weeks; but this is a great opportunity to gauge where we are at this point of our pre-season preparation.”
McKellar said the selection of the two Academy players, Doyle and Fowler, was also an opportunity to continue their development with an eye on the future. “They've obviously come through the Academy and have performed well for New South Wales Under 19s this year and in pre-season training with us,” McKellar said.
“While this isn’t a capped game, it is a great chance for them to experience wearing the New South Wales jersey … and in an international environment.” On the selection of Gamble and Sinclair as co-Captains, McKellar said it was for the experience they bring.
“They're two of our senior players,” McKellar said. “Also, I am always observing players closely, assessing who our leaders are. They will have that responsibility for this week.
“They have trained well. The expectation is that they will lead through their actions.”
The NSW Waratahs fly out for Tokyo on Wednesday morning and will return to Sydney on Sunday morning. They will then have a two-day break before resuming their pre-season training on Tuesday in readiness for the 2025 Super Rugby Pacifica competition.
The NSW Waratahs kick-off their 2025 Super Rugby Pacifica season at home on Friday, February 14 with a Round 1 fixture against the Highlanders at Allianz Stadium.
NSW Waratahs squad to play Kubota at Tokyo on Friday, November 29.
Jamie Adamson, Brad Amituanai, Sifa Amone, Adrian Brown, Ethan Dobbins, Eamon Doyle, Charlie Gamble ©, Clem Halaholo, Julian Heaven. Mesu Kunavalu, Tom Lambert, Fergus Lee-Warner, Hugh Sinclair ©, Leafi Talataina
Jack Bowen, Nick Chan, Joey Fowler, Jack Grant, James Hendren, Triston Reilly, Lukas Ripley, Jackson Ropata, Archie Saunders, Joey Walton, Teddy Wilson
