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So to the second part of my Wallaby selection blackboard. This time I’m dealing with the flyhalves, halfbacks and the loose forwards.
If you’ve looked at my outside backs, as anointed in my previous column, you’ve no doubt already disagreed – so here are some more names for you to put a line through!
I’ve been brutally honest in a couple of incidences: the joys of The Insider’s anonymity!
Flyhalf – As well as Christian Leali’ifano, who would be in my squad and a strong option at 10 or 12, I’m going for James O’Connor at 10.
Robbie Deans has always said that’s where he’d end up, and if you remember how he went from flyhalf on the 2011 Spring Tour; there’s no arguments.
For sure, James needs to grow up a bit – especially off the field, but the responsibility of directing the game helps: it forces him to think beyond himself.
This happened a little bit when he took up the goal-kicking as first choice. He’s kicked some pretty important goals which have won Test matches for Australia in the time since, which says all that needs to be said about his nerve.
The same comes through when he plays at 10. When James has slotted in at first receiver for the Rebels, he has created space for others, although that hasn’t always shown on the scoreboard due to the lack of scoring power outside him.
My bottom line is the Wallabies need to have their best attacking player have the ball in his hands as much as possible, so James plays 10, where he can expose the slight gaps created by tired forwards.
His defence holds up too. He isn’t the biggest guy but James is tough and doesn’t shirk the tackles.
I agree with a previous columnist on The Roar who suggested the ‘Three Amigos’ need to be split up. That’s one reason why I’ve overlooked Quade Cooper.
He has a consistent history of causing distractions both for himself, and others, off the field. His performances this year also don’t merit it yet.
While he has been better since Will Genia returned, and had a big hand in helping the Reds beat both the Bulls and the Highlanders, the stats show he still turned the ball over 14 times combined in those two games.
And that’s since Genia came back to take a lot of the pressure off him: the mistake rate was even greater before that!
He is also still hiding at fullback in defence so rarely tackles. History has shown that practice won’t work in Tests where there is no place to hide.
Quade has shown, even when in a good head space, that Test rugby can find him out because his time and space to do the fancy stuff is cut down – especially against the All Blacks. They intimidate him to the extent that I would never play him against them again!
The other ‘Amigo’, Kurtley Beale, needs to seek help to overcome his personal issues before he returns.
As I wrote in an earlier column, a happy Kurtley is good for Australia. Unfortunately an unhappy Kurtley isn’t. We saw that in last year’s opening Bledisloe.
I hope he can get the help he needs to master his problems.
Halfback – Will Genia is obviously the man. The whole country expected him to hit the ground running and he has.
Will has always played well against the Europeans, who struggle with the challenge he provides around the rucks and mauls, given that he’s so quick off the mark. Look at how he exposed the Welsh in Brisbane last year.
While I’m sure the Brits will have plans to shut him down; it will take a bit to do it. The All Blacks are about the only team who’ve managed it in the past.
Nic White would be my back-up; he’s picked up from where he left off with the Brumbies last year.
Nick Phipps did a great job last year, but has found it tough at the Rebels (as everyone has), and the club have hardly supported him by dumping him from next year for Luke Burgess.
From a national perspective, the return of ‘Burgo’ is good news. I’m sure he will quickly make his presence felt when he gets back and be pestering the hell out of everyone!
He is a guy whose value as a player and a leader is under-rated by the public and media, but not by the players. When he came and saw the team before last year’s Test in Paris, everyone was all over him.
No. 8 – As with Willy Genia at halfback, Wycliff Palu is well ahead of the field.
Last year’s tour showed how much the Brits struggle to contain him, and the syndismosis injury he’s had this year has allowed him a decent break.
This should mean he will hopefully be niggle free, fresh, fit and fearsome by the time the Lions arrive, as he was on last year’s Spring Tour. And that lifts everyone around him while intimidating the opposition!
If anything goes wrong there, the Brumbies wrecking ball Fotu Auelua has really stepped up, and is the best equipped 8 of the others that Australia has to do the job ‘Cliffy’ normally does.
Ben McCalman is getting back into form after injury and could be a valuable squad member given his hard-nosed attitude and utility value.
Pat McCutcheon is another one who fits into that mould, not as big but effective all the same. But you can’t pick them all!
Openside flanker – As this is my team, I make the rules. That means George Smith plays.
Hopefully all can be sorted with the red tape so this can happen. It seems everyone is in unison on this, Robbie Deans seems to be judged on media reports; so I’m sure the Brumbies and the ARU will back him and make it happen.
George is perfectly suited to the physical game the Lions will bring; we saw that playing for the Brumbies in South Africa. Like David Pocock, he is strong over the ball and accurate, especially around his timing as in when to go for the ball at rucks.
George also carries the advantage, like Richie McCaw and ‘Poey’, that referees know he generally gets his timing right, so they rarely penalise him for having a crack. That’s a level of respect Michael Hooper hasn’t earned just yet, but will.
‘Hoops’ was unreal last year. He’s probably reached a stage of his development as a Test player that he might have been expected to make in a couple of years’ time.
The great thing about Hoops is that he is also fast developing as a leader. Listen to the ‘ref cam’ on Fox around scrum time and the voice you will hear is Hoops, encouraging and cajoling his teammates.
Given that we’ll have George to take the punishment so to speak, of the physical onslaught in the early stages, Hoops will be devastating as we try to speed the game up and run the Lions ragged at the back end of games.
It was a combination that worked well against Wales last year, when we finished over the top of them.
Blindside flanker – Ben Mowen and Dave Dennis are the two main contenders. Both are well respected, fast developing as leaders, and wouldn’t let Australia down.
Prior to the Brumbies loss to the Stormers, Ben would have been my man, but he was quiet in that match, and has struggled in the past against physically-orientated opponents, especially if his tight five is battling a bit.
Dave has taken a while to wind up this year, probably due to the added burden of the captaincy, but he came good against the Blues when his runs at the end were critical.
Dave has the Test experience of last year on his side. He’s also the marginally better lineout forward, and will be needed to call the lineouts.
Both are critical advantages he has as we enter the era post Nathan Sharpe, where I’m sure the Lions will attack our lineout, perceiving it as a weakness.
Scott Higginbotham is finding it tough at the Rebels. While he is dynamic, ‘Higgers’ can be a bit loose in his play, more like a seven than a blindside. His athleticism could be useful when the games open up, but he would make the bench at best in my team.
He would vie for that spot with Liam Gill. As a youngster, still growing, ‘Fish’ (as he is known, original isn’t it?), has all of the skills but probably not yet the physical prowess to go a full 80 against the Lions.
His carry against the bigger packs in Super Rugby hasn’t been as effective as Hooper’s was last year in Tests; hence Hooper is my man to back up Smith.
Even so, Gill will be well suited operating in tandem with one of Smith or more likely Hooper, from the blindside, at the back end of games.
He’s actually played most of his games as a blindside for the Wallabies, as he was used like that last year.
Given the choice between Gill and ‘Higgers’ for the bench spot, I’d go with Gill for now.
Join The Roar rugby editor Christy Doran, former Wallaby Matt Toomua and a cast of regular and special guests as they look at the biggest issues in the game on The Roar Rugby Podcast. If you’re looking for great odds on the next game check out Aussie bookmaker PlayUp. Chances are you’re about to lose. Set a deposit limit.