“I used to call him Bernie Larkham a couple of years ago when he first came on the scene. I reckon he has just got that calmness at 10, and his speed is underestimated. He has that graceful running style where he can slide through a gap, as you saw against the Brumbies a couple of weeks ago.

“Unfortunately for “Harro”, he has had an injury-hit pre-season and Tane was probably our best player last week in that Shute Shield trial (last weekend). They are all putting pressure on each other for sure, and I guess Ben has the chance to step up this weekend.

“They are all trending nicely and it is going to be exciting to see who takes their opportunities I guess.”

Newsome has the chance to nail down the no.15 jersey, with James Turner and former Aussie sevens speedster Dylan Pietsch named on the wings.

“Think the start of the season is going to very important for us, we obviously have the Fiji Drua on Friday night at home. So heading up to Roma is going to be an important part of our preparation but in saying that, we won our trial against the Reds in Narrabri last year and then didn’t win another game for the rest of the year, so everything in perspective of course,” Newsome said.

Swinton said Cridge had proved himself to be a quality footballer since joining the Waratahs recently.

“He is highly regarded and I can tell off the bat, just with his knowledge and little technical stuff, especially around the lineout detail and he really adds a lot of value into that,” Swinton said.

“And from watching him play you can see he throws his body into things, which is what you want to see from locks.”

Bush bash: Wallabies back for NSW in Roma trial against Reds

The Waratahs go bush on Friday with a full mob of Wallabies for their final trial against Queensland in Roma.

Test players Lachie Swinton, Angus Bell, Izaia Perese, Lalakai Foketi and Harry Johnson-Holmes, as well as former British and Irish Lions star Jamie Roberts, are all likely to fly into the Australian outback for a first and last hit-out before Super Rugby Pacific gets under way next week.

NSW coach Darren Coleman put his cards on the table this week, declaring the side he starts in Roma on Saturday will be his preferred line-up for round one against Super newbies the Fijian Drua in Parramatta on Friday week.

That is looking like all the available Test-capped players. Swinton is set to start at No.6, Johnson-Holmes and Bell in the front row, and Perese and Foketi in the centres.

Ben Donaldson is set to get the nod at No.10, with captain Jake Gordon at halfback. Coleman may give both fullback candidates James Ramm and Alex Newsome a run in the absence of Will Harrison (shoulder).

Coleman will be keen to see how his players match up against the reigning Super Rugby AU champions, who have been hit by a COVID-19 outbreak and will be missing co-captain Tate McDermott and Test centre Hunter Paisami.

In better news for the Queenslanders, they will travel with coach Brad Thorn, who will be out of isolation. James O’Connor, Jordan Petaia and Jock Campbell are also likely to play after shedding the virus. No one else in the playing group has been affected.

Meanwhile, Rugby Australia and the Rugby Union Players Association have agreed to more win bonuses for the Wallabies and more money for the Wallaroos in a new collective bargaining agreement to be announced on Thursday.

The Wallabies will be paid bonuses worth $12,000 per player for a Bledisloe Cup win and another of the same value if they top the Rugby Championship this year.

It is the third CBA the players have negotiated with RA since the pandemic started and appears to be another step closer to the new normal for Australian rugby’s economic fortunes.

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The pay cut the players took in 2020 returned to pre-pandemic levels last year. Wallabies Test match payments remain about $7500 for a win and about $5000 for a loss, well down from the $12,000 per Test of years gone by.

Taking a cut on the Test payments has allowed RA and RUPA to agree a $200 per player per day ($1400 per week) deal for the Wallaroos, who could spend up to 90 days in camp this year with the women’s World Cup on the horizon.

The players union and RA have also negotiated a raise on the minimum Super Rugby contract, up from $56,000 a year to $62,000 a year.

The new agreement also brings Western Force players back into the fold for the first time since the team’s acrimonious exit from Super Rugby in 2017.

Watch every match of the Six Nations on the Home of Rugby, Stan Sport. Continues this weekend with Wales v Scotland (Sunday 1.10am AEDT), France v Ireland (Sunday 3:40am AEDT) and Italy v England (Monday 1.55am AEDT) all streaming ad-free, live and on demand only on Stan Sport.

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