Chris Beck writes: After listening to the Dan Herbert interview earlier today on The Roar, I tracked down the Wallaby lineup that was sent onto the field for the final of the 1999 Rugby World Cup. That got me thinking: who would I put onto the field out of all the Wallabies I’ve watched over the years?
Some caveats are in order. I’m an American who’s never played a bit of rugby in my life. I’ve followed the sport since about 1999 or so, and have adopted the ACT Brumbies as my favorite team, probably because they’ve had the most consistent success in the Super 12/14 over that timespan. Following rugby here in the US, where the sport is in a complete shambles at the national level, has become more difficult in the last two years since regular TV coverage has effectively ceased.
Given all those constraints, this is who I’d send onto the field.
Front row: Bill Young, Jeremy Paul, Patricio Noriega. I know Young was severely criticized toward the tail end of his career, but I always liked him for his craftiness.
Paul at his best was excellent, and I choose him over Michael Foley, of whom I have little recollection.
Noriega seemed to be the most legitimate international-caliber #3 I could remember watching, although Rodney Blake may get there someday.
Locks: John Eales, Dan Vickerman. Eales is obvious, anyone knows that. I choose Vickerman over David Giffin since I think he makes a bigger impact.
Nathan Sharpe is not selected because I think he doesn’t contribute as much as I think he’s capable of, and Justin Harrison misses out because, well, he’s too much of a hothead.
Back row: Owen Finegan, George Smith, Toutai Kefu. Every team needs an antagonist, and Finegan fits the bill as a menacing defender and runner of the ball. I rate Smith much more highly than Phil Waugh, and frankly I prefer Smith
over Richie McCaw because I think he’s got a broader all-around game. Kefu gets in because he’s the best and most consistent ball-runner of the #8s that I’ve seen.
Halves: George Gregan, Stephan Larkham. I agree with criticism of Gregan’s passing, but he’s here for his leadership and defense. Larkham has always been my personal favorite to watch – he plays differently than anyone else, I love his vision with the ball and his style of play, and you can throw in the excellent defense. I wish he’d not been injured so much over his career, and I wish he wasn’t heading overseas.
Centers: Matt Giteau, Stirling Mortlock. Giteau because of the talent and unpredictability, Mortlock because he can crash the ball up and defend stoutly.
Matt Burke and Daniel Herbert are other options here. I don’t recall much of Tim Horan, who I suspect most people would pick at #12.
Wings: Joe Roff, Ben Tune. No refugees from league in my fifteen. I loved watching Roff, who possessed wonderful rugby instincts and made everything look easy. Why Eddie Jones preferred Wendell Sailor and Lote Tuqiri over Roff in the
2003 World Cup is totally beyond me. Tune, when not injured, was a terrific finisher to place on the other side of the field.
Fullback: Chris Latham. The hardest call, over Burke. Latham has superior one-on-one abilities. It is hard to go wrong either way here – this is my team and Latham gets the spot purely on personal preference.
Bench: Picking the starting front row was hard, so the backups aren’t any easier. I go with Brendan Cannon and Ben Darwin. My other forwards are Mark Chisholm and Matt Cockbain, each of whom can play two or more positions and
provide for a strong lineout.
Halves: Chris Whitaker is the next best scrum-half after Gregan, and Elton Flatley had the unfortunate luck to play behind Larkham all those years. Burke gets the center/wing/fullback bench spot.
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