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The first question at the media conference where the first Wallaby squad of 25 for the Tests against the British and Irish Lions was announced got to the heart of the matter. “Robbie, there’s no Quade Cooper in the squad?” one of the journalists asked.
And Robbie Deans got to the heart of the matter, too, in his answer.
He dismissed any notion that there was some sort of war or boycott on Cooper on his part. Deans said that he’d picked Cooper for 38 Tests: “To suggest that I didn’t have faith in him is nonsense.”
This is true. Cooper was plucked from the Reds as a raw, inexperienced player and Deans put some shine on his game.
He continued to select him, as well, in 2011, especially during the Rugby World Cup tournament when the commentators supporting Cooper so strongly now were almost as verbose in insisting that he be dropped.
But Deans did make these salient (in my opinion) points in support of his decision not to put him in the first 25 Wallaby squad.
First, Cooper has to defend in the front line. Second, he has to be more ‘assertive’ on attack and defence. At the beginning of the season, Deans made exactly the same points in public.
Ewen McKenzie, who is forever spruiking Cooper’s credentials in being the Wallabies flyhalf has steadfastly refused to allow Cooper to defend in the front line.
He has, in fact, mocked Deans’ requirement about this even though it is absolutely fundamental to the effective running of a backline that the playmaker be immediately available when there is a turnover.
As for Cooper’s assertiveness on defence, well there was a demonstration of how this hasn’t improved very much at the beginning of the Reds – Cheetahs match over the weekend.
The Cheetahs halfback Petrus van Zyl made a break. The commentator called out: ‘He’s got Cooper to beat!’ A second later, with Cooper sitting on his rump having gone into the tackle by sliding away from the runner, Zyl scored his try.
Cooper hasn’t shown much assertiveness on attack this season, either. Gone are those long break-outs that were a feature of his play.
He contents himself with either kicking for his wingers to chase (and doing so splendidly) and producing wonderful passes. But against a team like the Lions, who will be muscular on attack and defence, the weakest link in defence will be exploited ruthlessly.
Wayne Smith of The Australian wrote a piece on Saturday on the necessity of playing Cooper. He likened Cooper to a ‘Porsche’ that Deans has parked in the garage.
But it may be that this is a Porsche that can’t go up steep hills or on roads with pot-holes in them and is only good for long, easy stretches of road.
My guess is that Cooper will be included in the squad of 31, if he plays strongly for the Reds in their early tour match against the Lions. Or if Kurtley Beale does not come back from rehab.
My guess here is that it seems likely that Beale will be playing in the next couple of weeks.
Reports suggest that he has finally accepted he has a drinking problem and is doing the necessary work to get on top of it.
If, and it is a huge if, he returns and is mentally and physically fit to embrace the challenge of Test rugby he will be selected to play.
Otherwise, I reckon Berrick Barnes will be the starting fullback. He is listed in the team list for these positions: flyhalf, inside centre/fullback.
The other listed fullbacks are Adam Ashley-Cooper (fullback, wing, midfield) and Israel Folau (fullback, wing).
On Folau, Deans made the point that although he has played all his rugby at fullback, he did play all his league, including Test matches “on the end of the line.”
This suggests to me that Deans is considering him more as a winger than a fullback for the Wallabies right now.
Deans also confirmed that his starting flyhalf is James O’Connor. In fact, when Bill Pulver, the CEO of the ARU, read out the squad he read out O’Connor’s name as the only flyhalf.
Deans told the journalists that O’Connor would have been the flyhalf last season if he hadn’t been injured and that he’d played splendidly (he was “very good” according to Deans) for the Wallabies as a flyhalf against Wales at the Millennium Stadium.
Deans was asked what O’Connor brought to the backline as a flyhalf that Cooper doesn’t.
He “traumatises defences,” Deans replied. He keeps the “attack square.” This is coach-speak for saying that O’Connor does not drift across the field. He takes the ball up straight. The defence has to keep their positions and not drift until they can be sure he won’t take them on.
By stopping the drift, O’Connor provides more space and more one-on-one attacking situations for his outside backs.
With the injury to George Smith, which is a big blow to the Wallabies, a lot of experience and toughness needed to combat the Lions has been lost.
Michael Hooper who will start (in my view) and Liam Gill, who has the ability to play on both sides of the scrum, will be the back-up.
The main advantage that Hooper has is that he will be the quickest forward in the Tests, as his sideline dash to score against the Brumbies suggested.
My suggestion that at some stage he should be considered as a centre looked to be a serious thought as he dashed away from George Smith to score his try.
The rest of the forward selections are straightforward. The pack should be be mobile, tough, and big enough in the front five to match the size and muscularity of the Lions.
Deans was asked if the squad was picked with a “certain style of game” in mind.
His reply was memorable: “The side has been selected to win.”
He then went on to explain what he meant by this: “We can’t be one-dimensional to win the Tests. We have to threaten out wide. But the Lions will play territory and try to bring the referee into play.”
Again translating the coach-speak he expects the Lions to play very much like the Brumbies under Jake White.
Deans went on to say that this meant that the Wallabies might have to kick at times.
With that The Roar’s David Lord asked if this meant that the ball-in-hand game might be changed into a kicking game.
Deans re-assured him that “predominantly” the Wallabies will be playing a ball-in-hand game. Lord was rightly relieved with this answer.
Before the Wallaby coach was quizzed by the rugby reporters, the CEO of the ARU, Bill Pulver made some interesting comments.
In two weeks’ time, he said, the Lions will be in Perth. The Lions are a unique side that never plays at home. There will be 30,000 supporters following them.
In all, about $100 million will be injected into the Australian economy from the tour as “the biggest rugby event in Australia since the 2003 Rugby World Cup dominates the sports scene” in this country.
The last time the Lions were in Australia, in 2001, they played before 300,000 spectators in 10 matches. This tour has nine matches and will attract 400,000 spectators.
Bill Pulver also broke down some interesting facts about the selected Wallaby 25.
There are three uncapped players. Five of the squad were first selected for the Wallabies last season. There are four state captains in the squad. All five franchises have at least a player in the squad.
The big three, James Horwill, Will Genia and James O’Connor are coming back from injuries suffered last year.
Finally, Deans pointed out that Ben Mowen was in the Wallaby squad last season and Christian Lealiifano would have been in the Wallabies if he hadn’t been injured. This leaves only Israel Folau as a genuine newcomer.
Only one halfback is in this first squad of 25. Deans confirmed that Luke Burgess is the probable back-up half but still has commitments in Toulouse before he is available for Australian rugby. Deans wasn’t sure if the full squad would include a third half.
On the matter of who might come into the squad and how those who are in the squad will be used, Deans made this point: “Nothing is set in stone. Players inside and outside the squad still have chances to make their case.”
But the likelihood is that the starting Wallaby side is somewhere inside the 25-man squad.