Joe Tomane
Wallaby coach Ewen McKenzie believes Joe Tomane will soon be back in the selection frame for the national team.
The Wallaby and Brumbies wing, Tomane, signed a new two-year deal with the Australia Rugby Union that will take him through until at least the end of 2016.
His signature further bolsters the rich talent available to the Wallabies in the outside backs with Tomane determined to add to the nine caps he has earned since making his debut in 2012.
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Tomane missed Australia’s recent clean-sweep of the French with a facial fracture although is expected to return to full health during the later stages of the Brumbies campaign, ensuring he will be available for selection during the 2014 Rugby Championship.
Wallaby coach Ewen McKenzie congratulated Tomane on his new deal.
“You can never have enough quality players at a certain position and I know Joe will work hard and be determined to regain his place in the team once he recovers from his injury,” McKenzie said.
“Joe ticks all the boxes in terms of what you are searching for as a coach and I’m pleased he has chosen to continue his future in Australia.”
“He is only at the beginning of his Test career but he does boast a unique combination of size, speed and power, which is invaluable at this level.”
“He’s also a guy who contributes a lot to the team environment off the field and is someone who respects the key behaviours we feel are important to this group.”
After making his debut for Australia against Scotland in 2012, Tomane would prove a revelation in his second year of Test rugby, scoring three tries as part of eight total matches played during 2013.
While a toe injury ruled Tomane out of the opening Test of the 2013 The British & Irish Lions series, he was quickly reinstated to play an important role in the remaining two matches against the northern-hemisphere heavyweights.
Injury again limited his involvement during the opening stages of the 2013 Rugby Championship before he returned for the Wallabies’ third match of the series against South Africa in Brisbane.
While the result didn’t go the way of Australia, Tomane would go on to repay the faith of Ewen McKenzie, playing an important role in five wins from the six matches he was chosen for under the new Wallabies coach.
That included one of the best individual performances of 2013, with Tomane winning Australia’s Man of Gold award for his stellar performance in the Wallabies’ record 54-17 victory over Argentina in Rosario, where he also scored a runaway long-distance try.