Four of Australia’s new breed make their mark
Columnist
By Brett McKay, 16 Mar 2010 Brett McKay is a Roar Expert
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- Reds, Rugby Union, Super Rugby, Waratahs
One of the more common criticisms of the state of Australian rugby is that there’s no depth, or even that there’s not enough quality to cater for four Super rugby teams, let alone one more with the arrival of the Melbourne Rebels in 2011.
These criticisms place Australian rugby in the classic catch-22; without the four (and soon to be five) professional teams, places are very limited and the chance for young players to impress is often brief, and almost always cut-throat.
Either way, the talent argument or how much of it there is or isn’t, is actually for another day. Looking around the Super 14 this year has seen some pretty handy young players making their mark already, and I’ve picked out four to focus on this week.
NSW Waratahs flanker and lock Dave Dennis is one player who has already got plenty of wraps from the actual and armchair experts, which should come as no surprise after Robbie Deans took him to Europe at the end of 2009 after a starring season captaining Sydney University’s premiership side.
The 24-year-old didn’t take long to establish his place for the Tahs this season, and his strong form on their South African tour was enough to consign long-standing lock Will Caldwell to the bench after the return of Dean Mumm from suspension.
Moving back to blindside flanker has been a godsend for Dennis though, and his performance in Friday night’s rout of the Lions particularly, was pretty hard to ignore.
In the first half on Friday night, Dennis’s large frame was a constant presence in the tackle and ruck areas, but it was in the second half as the game opened up where Dennis really came into his own.
Suddenly he was making line breaks and offloads seemingly at will, and proved to be a headache for the already-aching Lions defence in centre field. If there were repeat phases to be had, Dennis was in them up to his ears, and he was a crucial link between forwards and backs in attack.
I don’t want to go making rash statements (for a change), but I can see a lot of Wallaby captain Rocky Elsom in Dave Dennis currently. It wouldn’t surprise me one bit to see him in a Wallaby jumper before the year is done.
ACT Brumbies playmaker Christian Lealiifano was tipped by plenty – me included – to be the main loser with the return to Canberra of prodigal son Matt Giteau.
After young flyhalf Matt Toomua finished the 2009 season in strong form, and found himself as a late call-up on the Wallabies’ Spring Tour, the thought was that Lealiifano would spend most of 2010 on the bench, and that the Melbourne-raised midfielder would become an inevitable signing for the Rebels.
He may well end up returning home in 2011 yet, but if he does it won’t be because he’s unwanted in Canberra.
Lealiifano has instead benefitted massively from Giteau’s return, and has slotted into the inside centre position almost seamlessly. What’s more, because Giteau is under pressure to deliver a title and walk on water at the same time, Lealiifano has been able to ply his creative trade at No.12 with little or no pressure at all.
More often than not, Lealiifano is calling the plays for his outside men, rather than Giteau, and it would appear that the Brumbies are pinning their attacking game around Lealiifano in that New Zealand-style second five-eighths position.
Queensland Reds inside centre Anthony Faingaa was something of a surprise naming in the Reds’ No.12 at the start of this season, but since then, he’s repaid new Queensland coach Ewan McKenzie’s faith in spades.
While the likes of Quade Cooper, Will Genia, and even rookie speedster Luke Morahan are getting the rave reviews in the Reds’ cracking season start, Faingaa has been a constant performer among these names, even if he hasn’t been as widely noticed.
His defence has always been a strong point, and this has certainly continued to be the case in 2010, though admittedly, anyone defending in the line next to Quade Cooper is going to look fairly solid.
But he’s also a straight, hard running centre, not unlike NSW’s Tom Carter, and Faingaa’s ability to hit holes really shone in the Reds’ 50-10 demolition of the Western Force in Brisbane on Sunday, where he scored his first and then second try for the Reds since moving north from Canberra at the end of 2008.
While his talent was always evident, it seems he’s finally benefitting for the same thing every young player craves: opportunity. On current form, there should be plenty more of it coming his way.
Western Force flanker Ben McCalman first caught my eye a few weeks back, when I forced myself to ignore a lifetime’s worth of backline instinct and watch forwards for a weekend (yes, it was painful, and no, I’m not quite back to normal).
Having made his Super rugby debut from the bench in round 1, McCalman was elevated to the starting line-up following the long-term injuries to Wallaby backrowers Richard Brown and The Roar’s own David Pocock, and has just gone from strength to strength since, albeit in some fairly well-beaten Force teams this year.
While there’s been seemingly weekly shuffling of the troops in the Force pack of late, McCalman has been a fixture in the No.6 jumper, and his work in combination with openside flanker Matt Hodgson has been a rare highlight so far in a season the Force desperately needs to get back on track.
Like his Sydney Uni team-mate Dave Dennis, who then went to Europe last Spring, McCalman was brought into the Wallabies pre-tour training squad having grabbed the attention of Robbie Deans while playing strongly in last year’s Shute Shield finals.
His ability to cover lock and backrow can only be a good thing for his future selection hopes, and it’s not difficult to picture him in Australian colours in the coming years.
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Bruce Ross said | March 16th 2010 @ 3:23am | Report comment
Brett, just a couple of points in relation to Dave Dennis who I thought had a sensational game against the Lions. I agree with you that he is very much a player of the future.
You state that “Robbie Deans took him to Europe at the end of 2009 after a starring season captaining Sydney University’s premiership side.” It should be noted that Dave captained the side for the first half of the season before stepping aside when “the Skipper”, Tim Davidson, came back from England. Davidson, undoubtedly the most successful captain in Uni’s long history, then went on to notch up his fifth successive Premiership as captain.
You also mention that Dennis’s “strong form on [the 'Tahs] South African tour was enough to consign long-standing lock Will Caldwell to the bench.” In fairness to Will he is still regaining strength and condition after a very serious and debilitating illness that saw him drop 25kg of bodyweight. I think it is very much in his interests that he is not presently being called upon to play 80 minutes. By the end of the Super 14 he too is likely to be in strong contention for the national squad.
Brett McKay said | March 16th 2010 @ 5:52am | Report comment
G’day Bruce, thanks for your comments..
You’re quite right about Will Caldwell of course, on all counts actually, and his illness has been well covered prior to, and since the commencement of the season. The omisson of these facts here was somewhat deliberate however, more a case of context and wanting to keep the column to a reasonable length.
Overlooking the triumphant return of Tim Davidson though, who I’m happy to hear is being spoken of as a likely Melbourne Rebels signing, well, that’s again part contextual, part mea culpa. Thankfully, it doesn’t change the main points or the premise of today’s column…
And onto today’s topic, the injuries to Richard Brown and David Pocock will make the early Wallaby squad selections interesting. I can certainly see Dennis featuring prior to and during the Tri Nations, even if as a bench option covering lock and blindside in that similar role Dean Mumm has played in recent years. He’s been super impressive since the Tahs returned to Sydney especially.
McCalman might feature in training squads this year again too, and he’s also played a bit of No.8 from memory, but he might be a few years off yet. Although, Aussie Rob does like his forwards versatile..
Hobart Friz said | March 16th 2010 @ 5:38am | Report comment
Good post, Brett. There are quite a few of us on The Roar who aren’t on the local scene and know little about the up and comers. Maybe one of your colleagues can do the same for NZ rugby. Be nice to see some of the players you mention get a run for the Wallabies against England in June.
Brett McKay said | March 16th 2010 @ 7:33am | Report comment
Hobart, it would be great to find some time to watch some NZ games!! Now that the Tahs and Brumbies have come back from South Africa though, the NZ teams will be in view a bit more, so we’ll see what we can come up with.
I haven’t seen Aaron Cruden play yet, but certainly want to, but I have seen enough of Zac Guildford already to know he is going to be a very dangerous player to contain in the coming years. He does a lot of work in traffic for a smaller-built winger…
ThelmaWrites said | March 16th 2010 @ 12:14pm | Report comment
Hear, Hear, Hobart.
Brett, some levity from me: This week-end: I finally noticed that there were Fainga’a twins on the same Red side. (We’ve finally succumbed to rugby temptation. My daughter (the All Blacks supporter, she doesn’t want to be known as “the All Blacks convert”
insisted on getting me Foxtel. Now It takes will power to attend to other compelling tasks!) I hope the Hooker Fainga’a doesn’t shed his locks, otherwise I won’t be able tell him apart from the Center Fainga’a. Twins in sports fascinate me. The Waugh twins are fraternal twins, but it was their twin-ness that got me to watching cricket. I walked past the TV and was told that Steve was on 99 and his twin brother, Mark (6 seconds younger), was runnining for Craig McDermott. Mark got run-out and left Steve stranded on 99. There will be words exchanged in the Waugh household, the commentator said.
Then there are the Morris brothers. Thank God they have numbers on jerseys.
Brett McKay said | March 16th 2010 @ 12:25pm | Report comment
Thelma, of all the various reasons I’ve heard people give for watching rugby, or sport in general, “Twins in sports fascinate me” is a new one!!
Both Faingaas are going well for Qld this year though, so you’d do a lot worse on Foxtel than watching more of them…
(and at least the Morris boys play for different clubs too. Wait ’til they start playing Origin!!)
ThelmaWrites said | March 16th 2010 @ 1:24pm | Report comment
Come to think of it, I think there were the Flowers twins for Zimbabwe cricket in the 90′s. Not sure.
Brett McKay said | March 16th 2010 @ 2:40pm | Report comment
Thelma, Andy Flower is actually 2 or 3 years older than brother Grant, so long birth delivery aside, I’m pretty sure they’re not twins….
ThelmaWrites said | March 16th 2010 @ 8:14pm | Report comment
Didn’t anyone pick up the error in my post above? Mark Waugh couldn’t have been 6 SECONDS younger than Steve. More like 6 MINUTES!!! Perhaps the Roar posters were too polite to call my attention to the mistake???
Brett McKay said | March 17th 2010 @ 7:05am | Report comment
Thelma, my work was done with the Flower “twins”….
ThelmaWrites said | March 17th 2010 @ 9:09pm | Report comment
Thanks, Brett, for all the clarifications, e.g. the Flower “twins”. I’m just an enthusiastic pedant with a faulty memory and extreme lapses of concentration.
Grimmace said | March 16th 2010 @ 6:35am | Report comment
Good stuff Brett, focus on the piggies again this week and the quality of your artices will know no bounds. Lets hope the ARU leaved RL players alone and focus their money on unearthing more Dave Dennis’ and co. I think the amount of young players making their mark this year has been a highlight thus far.
Brett McKay said | March 16th 2010 @ 7:41am | Report comment
Ha Grimace! I’m quite concerned for my own welfare actually, all of a sudden I’m noticing the hit in the scrum, whereas previously I would have been looking to see how the centres were facing up. I’m noticing things like George Smith staying bound to a wheeling scrum by little more than DNA and The Force (the actual Force, not the Western kind), and applauding his cunning, rather than wondering how he gets away with it.
Heck, the other night out at the rugby, I noticed John Smit and Bismarck du Plessis buckle on engagement right in front of us in about the 15th minute, and said to my wife “the Brumbies are going to win the scrums in a canter tonight…”
I’ve been scrubbing myself, scrubbing bloody hard, but I can’t get rid of it, and I just feel so dirty…….
Working Class Rugger said | March 16th 2010 @ 8:52am | Report comment
Brett
” I’ve been scrubbing myself, scrubbing bloody hard, but I can’t get rid of it, and I just feel so dirty…….”
Why? You obviously have matured as a Rugby fan to the point that you can finally appreciate the finer arts of the game. Don’t be ashamed. Embrace your inner Piggy.
Brett McKay said | March 16th 2010 @ 9:31am | Report comment
WCR, I grew up playing cricket and football – league, predominantly – and from a young age, I was well-versed on infinite psycholgical mega-war that has waged eternally between batsmen and bowlers, backs and forwards.
Like bowlers, I just saw forwards as a necessary evil, a mere detail of the game that had to be tolerated to achieve the glory that innevitably came the way of we batsmen and backs.
So I’m sorry mate, there will be no embracing, and there is certainly no inner piggy (if we ever meet, you’ll see why!) I don’t make the rules WCR, it’s just how it is
Working Class Rugger said | March 16th 2010 @ 9:49am | Report comment
Oh well, there for a fleeting moment appeared to be some hope for you. It’s a pity. But if you’re happy to live blissfully ignorant amongst the mirror holding pretty boy brigade then so be it.
Brett McKay said | March 16th 2010 @ 9:59am | Report comment
and so the battle wages on WCR….
Ballywhore said | March 16th 2010 @ 12:07pm | Report comment
Funny line about the rugby league Brett.
Another two coder.
The Peter Fitzsimons thing has been done to death.
Time for a new song to sing, rah rah.
Gary Russell-Sharam said | March 16th 2010 @ 8:02am | Report comment
Good article Brett. The main message that I recieved from your article was that there is a plether of young rugby players knocking on the door to gain selection in the Super teams. They just need to have the opportunity to show their wares. The inception of the new Rebels team will be an avenue to facilitate this. I have always maintained that there is plenty of talent in Australian rugby they just needed to have the opportunity. In the past there hasn’t been the teams to accomodate them, now from 2011 there will be. All the worry worts that have been saying that the player base is thin on the ground haven’t been able to see the true picture. The amount of talent in the GPS system in Qld alone is enough to supply half of the Super teams that exist in Australia already and in the future there will be talent being nurtured in other non-traditional states like Vic and WA. As the example of the Brumbies and Canberra, if you install a team in the area you then grow rugby around the team. Who would have thought 20 odd years ago that the Canberra region would have a strong comp going.
Brett McKay said | March 16th 2010 @ 11:48am | Report comment
cheers Gary, glad you’ve enjoyed it. ‘Opportunity’ is very much the central theme here, and like the ARC showed us back in 2007, if it’s there, there’s plenty of young bucks willing to grasp it, run with it, tuck it up the proverbial jumper, etc..
It’s funny you mention what the Brumbies have done for rugby in the ACT, and there would be plenty of Roarers who will know exactly who I’m thinking of when I say your thoughts here are very much contrary to one which is regularly expressed in these forums.
And it’s true, the Brumbies have been good for rugby down this way. They provide a well-defined path for young kids in the region to follow, from the very entry level all the way to the Wallabies. What’s more, local coaches and officals benefit from newer methods and knowledge sharing. It all flows on. Last year was the first time the Wallabies played in Canberra in ten years, and they’ll be back again this year. None of any of that would have happened without the Brumbies…
reds fan said | March 16th 2010 @ 8:16am | Report comment
Brett, please rectract your libelous comments regarding A. Faingaa. He in no way resembles Tom Carter.
Vented Relief said | March 16th 2010 @ 9:22am | Report comment
Agreed. He’s more in the mould of Wynand Olivier – great in defence, speed to burn (unlike carter) and knows how to run lines (unlike carter).
LeftArmSpinner said | March 16th 2010 @ 8:16am | Report comment
Interesting choice of youngsters. I’m with you all the way. Not sure that Faingaa is in the same class as the others but, he is certainly playing some good rugby. He is showing Carter to be out of position at the tahs. Carter is simply not a 13, but that discussion is for another day. Some of the others that come to mind are Mowen, Higginbotham, Kingi, Daley and Weekes for starters.
And then there is the sorry Beale, once clearly ahead of Cooper and not clearly not even in the frame for a tahs start. He has been done no favours by the tahs since he arrived and has made a few mistakes himself.
Rickety Knees said | March 16th 2010 @ 8:56am | Report comment
Great post Brett – one point of disagreement however A Faingaa is a class above T Carter.
warrenexpatinnz said | March 16th 2010 @ 9:39am | Report comment
I agree RK re Faingaa being a class above Carter with the later seemingly lost on occasions when in space and although large in size doesn’t seem to have the leg drive of a Mortlock. His try against the Lions was good, I’ll give him that but Faingaa from the looks has a better read of the game and his defence as in most of the Reds backs seems to be very accurate and punishing. Even Cooper has improved his tackling with his positional defence markedly improved.
Higginbotham reminds of Mark Chislom but unlike Chislom he can hold onto the ball in contact and seems to have considerably more pace.
Although the WF got belted, a little annoying for a WF supporter like me, I still saw enough in their young brigade to be confident they will knock over one or two big boys this year, especially when Pocock makes his return and when O’Connor starts linking better with the other backs. *For the life of me I can’t understand why Mitchell doesn’t have Staniforth and Cross running off his shoulder at pace and straight?
As for the piggies, what a turnaround in Aus front rows and the depth that we now enjoy there! The Tahs, Reds and Brumbies are generally head and shoulders above their opposition and then when you throw the Reds backline in with those from the Tahs and Brumbies and add Sharpe, O’Connor and Cross the potential Wallaby squad has three or more available in any given position which is a darn site more than what the ABs seem to have at the moment with the obvious notes to this being that McCaw and Carter still irreplaceable.
Early days yet but looking very promising.
Brett McKay said | March 16th 2010 @ 9:24am | Report comment
well, hasn’t this caused something of a stir?!? I likened Anthony Faingaa to Tom Carter because I figured it would be much safer than naming the legendary Qld and Wallaby No.12 that came to mind. Who’d have thunk it!!
The short of it though is that there are some good young kids out there, and some of them are playing very, very well. All the guys Leftie mentions are all playing well, and Daley and Weekes are almost the poster-boys for Qld’s resurgent scrum this year.
Tyronne Smith may well get an expected chance to start for the Brumbies in Auckland this Friday, a direct result of Stirling Mortlock’s unfortunate and ill-timed loss of effectiveness (considering his contract situation) and a pinched shoulder nerve last weekend.
Maybe there’s more depth and talent than we think sometimes…
formeropenside said | March 16th 2010 @ 9:49am | Report comment
I disagree on the depth issue, but that is neither here nor there for present purposes. Basically, what we have are four good Super Rugby players, who might play a handful of tests in their careers due to injuries to others, but are unlikely to ever be first choice Wallabies, at least for any extended period.
Two players are backrowers, primarily 6 but able to play 8. Versatility is their strength, but I would rate both of them behind Elsom, Higginbotham, Mumm, Mowen and Chapman, and probably behind Dick Brown too.
The other players are both 12s, although Faingaa is a traditional Australian inside centre while Lealiifano is a second five-eight. One can cover 13, the other 10. They are likely though to be behind a number of players in Wallaby pecking order (whether rightly or wrongly) such as Cooper, Giteau, Barnes, O’Connor or Beale.
The reason that young players are snapped up and exposed to Super rugby generally before they are ready, is that only two States actually produce players. But with two other franchises sniffing around, young talent must be warehoused to keep it – and if you dont keep it, why develop it in the first place?
So you have teenagers thrown into Super rugby and only now coming really good after some years, when it might be better with a longer term view (always the view taken by those pro-expansion) to have these players learn skills in club rugby rather than in the first class or Test arena.
A nice article highlighting a few players who are having some time in the sun. Good luck to them all.
Bruce Ross said | March 16th 2010 @ 9:56am | Report comment
Brett, you’ve managed to infuriate the Carter-haters:
“Brett, please rectract your libelous comments regarding A. Faingaa. He in no way resembles Tom Carter.”
“He’s more in the mould of Wynand Olivier – great in defence, speed to burn (unlike carter) and knows how to run lines (unlike carter).”
“Great post Brett – one point of disagreement however A Faingaa is a class above T Carter.”
“I agree RK re Faingaa being a class above Carter with the later seemingly lost on occasions when in space and although large in size doesn’t seem to have the leg drive of a Mortlock. … Faingaa … has a better read of the game and his defence … seems to be very accurate and punishing.”
It doesn’t take much; just mention his name without ridiculing him and they resume their battle.
Let’s pursue the comparison between Anthony Faingaa and Tom Carter using the stats provided at the rugbystats.com.au site for the first five rounds of the Super 14:
Minutes played: Faingaa 392; Carter 373
Tackles: Faingaa 30; Carter 40
Tackles missed: Faingaa 9; Carter 4
Runs: Faingaa 18; Carter 32
Metres gained: Faingaa 102; Carter 208
Linebreaks: Faingaa 1; Carter 2
Offloads: Faingaa 0; Carter 4
Rucks & Mauls; Faingaa 11; Carter 28
Penalties: Faingaa 3; Carter 2
Turnovers: Faingaa 1; Carter 1
Most fair-minded people would agree with you, Brett, that Anthony is a fine young player. But fair-minded people would not think it “libelous” to compare him to Tom.
Vented Relief said | March 16th 2010 @ 10:25am | Report comment
Those stats are weird – Faingaa made 3 linebreaks in the Force game alone.
reds fan said | March 16th 2010 @ 10:53am | Report comment
He did make 3 according to this site.
http://www.ruggastats.co.za/games.aspx?G=33
reds fan said | March 16th 2010 @ 10:47am | Report comment
Oh Bruce lighten up for gods sake. Surely even the use of the word “libelous” should have alerted you to the faux overstatement contained in my comment. geez.
Bruce Ross said | March 16th 2010 @ 11:21am | Report comment
Fair enough, rf, but look at how many of you want to line up to put the slipper into him.
He’s not an Eddie the Eagle who’s an obvious target for scorn. He’s a very hardworking professional footballer that makes the most of what talents he has. To my knowledge he’s never claimed to be a world beater; he just goes out and does a very consistent job each week. He shoulders an enormous work load that makes things a lot easier for the team mates around him.
I’m not about to “lighten up” because I might be spoiling the mob’s fun. I might equally suggest that some of the posters here need to “grow up”. They’re not in the schoolyard now picking on the kid that doesn’t fit in.
reds fan said | March 16th 2010 @ 11:36am | Report comment
All good Bruce. Yes he does do his best with what he has and doesn’t shirk the work asked of him. (you might need to update your stat file for A.Faingaa though, rugbystats.com.au does have him down for 3 linebreaks against the Force.)
penguin said | March 16th 2010 @ 5:49pm | Report comment
Now Bruce, there’s no need to be gratuitously offensive to Eddie the Eagle.
Eddie was a little battler, who despite being completely devoid of money, natural talent and any semblance of skill, realised his dream of competing at the highest level.
For the rest of us who, blessed with the same unholy trinity of disadvantages, regularly hack our way around public golf courses, wheeze up hills on our bikes, and turn out on cold wet Saturdays to slog through mud for the 7th XV, dreaming all the while of sporting glory, Eddie is our inspiration because he lived the dream!
Bruce Ross said | March 16th 2010 @ 6:52pm | Report comment
I”l have to concede your point, penguin. My apologies to the Eagle’s family and friends for any hurt I have inadvertantly caused.
You raise an interesting point. I think that some of us remain seriously addicted to sport precisely because we were never good enough to be given the opportunity to get it out of our system. By contrast many outstanding ex-athletes can’t be bothered even to watch it. They have had their fill and more.
Even looser said | March 16th 2010 @ 9:42pm | Report comment
Is THAT why I like porn?
Brett McKay said | March 16th 2010 @ 11:32am | Report comment
Bruce, I’m sure the irony in all this isn’t lost on you, that I’m not the biggest Tom Carter fan in the world either, as you’ll recall from previous exchanges of ours.
People, I merely made the mention (it wasn’t even a comparison) of Carter when describing Faingaa’s method of operation at inside centre, so as to put a current player in the picture. I didn’t want to get everyone in a twist likening Anthony Faingaa to Tim Horan (in terms of playing style), but it seems it might have been the better option!!
Steady on Roarers, let’s not get ourselves worked up over a small detail like which modern-day player Anthony Faingaa reminds me of. Let’s focus on the talent….