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As Wallaby fans still attempt to close their mouths following the biggest shock defeat since about this time last year, it appears there is still a bit of light at the end of the tunnel.
The beauty of losing a Lions tour is that we can use our usual defence of four countries against one and if they want we can go even further and get some player numbers out and all those sorts of things.
This year is a good year to lose to the lions because the ARU have scheduled five Tests for the end of year tour. Four of those are against the home nations so there is a real opportunity to claw back some respect.
With the news that Ewen McKenzie is to be unveiled straight away as the Wallabies new coach it might be a time to forget about the old and focus on the new and here are a few things that I would like to see under Mckenzie.
Will Genia not standing around looking desperately for the right option
This rarely happens at the Reds and contrary to popular current opinion this is not just James O’Connor’s fault. It has been a hallmark of Deans since Genia has been his halfback and it is infuriating to say the least.
Under McKenzie at the Reds, there is never this indecision. If there is indecision that is nullified straight away by a pick and drive or pop to a forward runner.
Deans’ refusal to keep the ball tight has been a huge mistake during his reign and this indecision at the base has held the Wallabies back considerably.
Every second that the ball stays at the base is another second for the defensive line to get set and catch their breath and if we want to play an expansive game we have to play it at speed.
The All Blacks and now the Lions have successfully played a league style, evenly spread defensive line against Australian sides because they know that the Wallabies won’t pick and drive.
Palu being used to run the ball on the front foot
It took until game three for Wyclif Palu to carry the ball with some momentum as in the first two games he was simply the go to man to truck up slow, rubbish possession, which he did brilliantly.
Palu always gets quick recycle ball due to his size and strength and the standard one or two knock-ons a game that were his trademark early in his career have disappeared.
He certainly isn’t the quickest back rower in the world and needs a few steps to build up the pace but he is one of the best carriers going around.
Let’s see him hitting it up from quick ball off the lineout with a bit of momentum or after a few phases with some front-foot ball.
I think I will be physically ill the next time I see another Wallaby tight-five runner dropping quality ball inside the opposition 22.
Balance in the backline and on the bench
It astounded me last week when Ben McCalman replaced Rob Horne on the bench.
Horne has his critics but he is somewhat of a Welsh specialist when it comes to chopping down big runners like Roberts, Davies and Faletau.
Christian Lealiifano was awful in defence missing a game high five tackles on the weekend and something needs to be done in this area.
The Lions series was played and refereed very much like World Cup rugby with a lot of slow possession which results in a lot of traffic in the 12 channel.
It’s no good Australia playing well in the Rugby Championship with a ball playing 12 if it comes to World Cup time and we’re a liability in defence.
Horne and a currently out-of-form Anthony Fainga’a are the two best defensive options in this area and we need a mix of one of these two and Lealiifano depending on the game plan and the opposition.
Football fans will know of Jose Mourinho’s habit of hooking players after a few minutes if the player isn’t right for the situation and the same can be said here.
It will be very interesting to see who Mckenzie fancies here because if Quade Cooper is the fly-half you don’t need a ball playing 12.
Cooper doesn’t get caught in contact very often, which means that you don’t need a second ball player and this also factors in my next point.
Beale, O’Connor and Mogg running wide
The most disappointing thing about the Lions series was that we never stuck it to them out wide like the provinces did.
It’s been well documented about the inability to use any width through the disastrous selection at fly-half but what killed me was not seeing Kurtley Beale and others using their pace out wide.
Beale was forced to come inside and help distribute and nullified the effect he can have out wide.
He is well known for his kick returns and it was brilliant this series but in 2010 he should have got IRB player of the year for his hitting the line out wide.
Him tearing apart opposition backlines that year was something beautiful and now under Mckenzie we’ll have someone to provide him with those passes again.
The same goes for O’Connor and Jesse Mogg, who both have the pace to cause trouble out wide in the same line-hitting capacity once we have someone who can provide the passes.
The same situation applies with Beale and Mogg that applied with Horne and Lealiifano. They can be chopped and changed from the bench depending on game plan and opposition.
Some variety in the game plan and earning the right to go wide
There are lots of preconceived notions regarding Mckenzie’s Reds and the game plan that they use.
Some believe that the Reds play the most expansive game plan of any Australian team and yet some point to the lack of tries this year at the Reds.
The truth is somewhere in the middle with the Reds adapting different methods every week but as a generalisation I would say that the Reds do play a very forward-oriented game most of the time.
However, when Genia and Cooper say “go”, it’s time to go wide with quality possession that has been earned by the forwards.
The Reds ran most teams off the park in 2011 when they won the title and yet that year they went to Cape Town and out-bored the Stormers who were not expecting it at all.
This year we’ve seen the Reds run teams into the ground (albeit not as successfully or as ruthlessly as in the past) and we’ve also even seen the Reds protecting leads against the Kiwi teams by kicking for touch and holding possession in the forwards.
Quade Cooper is sixth overall on both the number of kicks and the kick metres in Super Rugby this year which speaks volumes about the variety that Mckenzie provides at the Reds.
Obviously Test rugby is very different but my point is that Wallabies fans that want to see variety in attack and the overall game plan are sure to get it under Mckenzie.
And finally now I am speaking to the ARU official who said the following about Mckenzie.
“As long as my backside is pointing to the ground, Ewen Mckenzie will not coach Australia. You cannot have a front-row forward in charge of the Wallabies because they know nothing about backline play.”
Sorry but you can’t have people with no idea about rugby in charge of picking a coach because they know nothing about forward play, which is where the game is won or lost.
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.