Latest news with #MattPhilip
Perth Now
01-07-2025
- Sport
- Perth Now
Philip set to be thrown to the Lions for Waratahs debut
Set to etch his name in rugby folklore, Matt Philip can't contain his excitement as eyes a dream NSW Waratahs debut against the British and Irish Lions. A decade after leaving the Waratahs after failing to crack a Super Rugby start, the journeyman lock is back in Sydney after joining Dan McKellar's squad for the 2026 and 2027 seasons. But there is much on offer before then for Philip, who has already been invited by Joe Schmidt to join a wider Wallabies training squad before returning to the Waratahs this week along with Tane Edmed, Darby Lancaster and Isaac Kailea. After stints in New Zealand, Perth, Melbourne, France and most recently Japan, the 31-year-old, 31-Test former Wallaby jumped at the chance to join the Waratahs. "Awesome, couldn't be happier," Philip said on Tuesday. "I was first here in about 2014. I didn't get a shot then and so it took me a long time, over 10 years, but really happy to be here in the building." Philip said the chance to feature against the touring Lions and in the 2027 World Cup in Australia played a major role in his decision to return home. "So it was a pretty easy decision to come back to the Waratahs," he said. "All those things, it's going to be a pretty exciting time for Australian rugby and the Waratahs, so super pumped up." McKellar will on Thursday name his 23-man team to play the Lions at Allianz Stadium on Saturday night. Few players can say they made their debut for NSW against the revered tourists. "Obviously it's a good way to start your Tahs career with an actual cap against the British and Irish Lions," Philip said. "It's once every 12 years. World Cup is only once every four years, so it would be the biggest game of my career, so you can't not lean into the occasion. "It's the old adage of every game; don't treat any game differently. But it's pretty hard not to in my eyes. It's a huge occasion." Philip is really hoping Lions captain Maro Itoje also plays on Saturday night. "Someone that's one of the top players in my position. As a rugby player, as an athlete, you always like to play against the best," he said. "They've also got some other really skilled big forwards in that forward pack as well, so it's going to be a great challenge." Philip isn't expecting a repeat of the 2001 battle between the Waratahs and Lions, when five players were yellow-carded and NSW playmaker Duncan McRea landed 11 punches to leave Irishman Ronan O'Gara a bloodied mess in one of the most brutal matches of the professional era. "I've heard about it," Philip said. "But I think rugby these days is probably a little bit different in terms of the fighting. "But the emotion, the passion is definitely going to be there."
Yahoo
06-04-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Wallabies lock Philip returning home, joins Waratahs
Hard-working World Cup lock Matt Philip is headed back to Australian rugby from Japan in July, making the NSW Waratahs his third Super Rugby team. The 31-year-old veteran of 31 Tests becomes the latest in a string of players to commit to play onshore until at least the home Rugby World Cup in 2027. Currently playing for Yokohama Canon Eagles, Sydney-raised Philip will add further depth in a position where the Wallabies already have plenty to call on. "I'm stoked to be coming home," saifd Philip in a Rugby Australia statement. "To be able to represent my state of New South Wales and play in front of my family, friends and supporters next year is something I'm really looking forward to. "Japan has been a great opportunity to continue to develop my game and grow off the field but I'm certainly motivated to bring back my experience and contribute again to Australian rugby. "There are some really big events on home soil in the not too distant future that I'd love to be a part of and I'll be working hard to give myself the best opportunity to do so." Previously with the Western Force and then the now-defunct Melbourne Rebels, Philip played in two of Australia's four Tests in the ill-fated 2023 World Cup campaign under Eddie Jones before heading to Japan. Having made his Test debut back in 2017, Phillip became a regular in 2021 when he played in 11 of 14 Tests. At the end of that year, Philip moved to France where he spent one season with Pau in the Top 14, before returning to again linked up with the Rebels ahead of the 2022 Super Rugby season. He went on to reclaim his Wallabies spot for the start of the 2022 Test season before an ACL injury which prevented him contending for the Spring Tour that year.
