NRL legend Johns drops in on Wallabies while Cleary pops up for Pumas as Tri Nations heats up

Fri, Nov 27, 2020, 4:46 AM
Christy Doran
by Christy Doran
NSW and Australian rugby league great Andrew Johns dropped in on Wallabies training on Thursday. Photo: Getty Images
NSW and Australian rugby league great Andrew Johns dropped in on Wallabies training on Thursday. Photo: Getty Images

Less than a week after being held tryless against the Pumas, Andrew Johns - arguably the greatest rugby league playmaker of the modern game - has appeared at Wallabies training ahead of their final Test of the year on December 5.

The former NSW Blues and Knights halfback was invited to training by Wallabies attack coach Scott Wisemantel on Thursday.

Johns, who previously dropped in on Eddie Jones' England camp during their 3-0 whitewash series win in Australia in 2016, only spent 30 minutes with the Wallabies but his appearance went down a treat.

It's believed Johns had hoped to fly under the radar but Wallabies halfback Nic White let the cat out of the bag by posting a photo on his Instagram account.

Johns spent time with the entire team and passed on knowledge around block plays in rugby league and union and what triggers to look for.

His appearance comes after the Wallabies failed to score a try against the Pumas during their 15-15 draw in Newcastle.

The Wallabies had their chances last weekend but failed to take advantage of two clear cut scoring opportunities.

Dave Rennie's men came under criticism for their failure to close out the match, where they let a 15-6 lead slip from their grasps and were guilty of poor discipline and gifting possession away.

The draw means the Wallabies' hopes of winning some prized silverware have taken a massive hit.

Despite losing two Tests throughout the Tri Nations, Ian Foster's All Blacks can all but seal the trophy if they beat the Pumas with a bonus-point on Saturday in Newcastle following their massive win over the Wallabies in Sydney last month.

The All Blacks are paying Winx-like odds to beat the Pumas despite Mario Ledesma's men recording a win and draw from their opening two matches of the Tri Nations.

Ledesma's Pumas also had a special rugby league guest provide some tips on Thursday ahead of their crunch game on Saturday.

Current NRL star and Blues halfback Nathan Cleary was spotted at Pumas training on Thursday.

"His kicking coach is in New Zealand and he couldn't come so he offered Nathan to come and give some pointers to the boys," Ledesma said on Thursday.

"I thought it was really nice of him to come and give us a hand.

"Being a big rugby league fan I was happy to have him."

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Ledesma has made 10 changes to his starting XV for their third match of the tournament, with injury and the toll of playing three Tests in as many weeks starting to show.

Meanwhile, Foster has named a relatively settled side despite the All Blacks falling to back to back defeats for the first time since 2011.

Foster has named an unchanged backline, with three changes in the forward pack with Joe Moody, Scott Barrett and Akira Ioane called into the starting side.

PUMAS (1-15): Mayco Vivas, Julian Montoya, Santiago Medrano, Guido Petti, Lucas Paulos, Pablo Matera (c), Marcos Kremer, Facundo Isa, Felipe Ezcurra, Nicolas Sanchez, Santiago Cordero, Jeronimo de la Fuente, Juan Cruz Mallia, Ramiro Moyano, Emiliano Boffelli

RESERVES: Santiago Socino, Nahuel Tetaz Chaparro, Lucio Sordoni, Matias Alemanno, Santiago Grondona, Gonzalo Bertranou, Santiago Carreras, Lucas Mensa

ALL BLACKS (1-15): Joe Moody, Dane Coles, Nepo Laulala, Scott Barrett, Sam Whitelock, Akira Ioane, Sam Cane (c), Ardie Savea, Aaron Smith, Richie Mo'unga, Caleb Clarke, Jack Goodhue,, Anton Lienert-Brown, Jordie Barrett, Beauden Barrett

RESERVES: Codie Taylor, Karl Tu'inukuafe, Tyrel Lomax, Patrick Tuipulotu, Hoskins Sotutu, TJ Perenara, Rieko Ioane, Will Jordan

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