- Video
-
Club Roar
Captured a great grassroots sporting moment? We want to see it!Content Collections
The Roar Community
- Join
- Login
Matt Toomua is hoping to solve Australia’s five-eighth conundrum and make the Wallabies’ No.10 jersey his own after being handed a baptism of fire against the world champion All Blacks on Saturday night.
New Wallabies coach Ewen McKenzie has opted for the 23-year-old uncapped rookie over Queensland Reds favourite Quade Cooper after Toomua piloted the Brumbies to this year’s Super Rugby final.
Toomua only learned of his starting duties on Thursday morning and will have just two training runs knowing he is Australia’s new playmaker for the Rugby Championship and Bledisloe Cup opener at ANZ Stadium.
“It’s obviously a big occasion for Australian rugby fans and also obviously for myself a personal milestone in getting my first cap,” Toomua said.
McKenzie’s predecessor Robbie Deans used a string of big names in the playmaker role during his five-year reign, with James O’Connor in this winter’s unsuccessful British and Irish Lions series following Matt Giteau, Berrick Barnes, Cooper and Kurtley Beale.
“I hope Ewen doesn’t use five or six,” Toomua said.
“Obviously I have ambitions to keep that number, but everyone who’s played that has as well so I don’t want to stand here and say ‘I’m going to keep it’ because that’s just naive.
“I’ve got to work on executing and doing what I can to keep it.”
Toomua, a schoolboy rival of Cooper’s and Beale’s, admitted he was “massively honoured” to follow in their footsteps and paid special tribute to his Brumbies mentor and Wallabies legend Stephen Larkham for helping him get there.
“I’ve been working with a guy (Stephen Larkham) who was a Wallaby great at 10 down in Canberra, so to wear that 10 jersey that he wore is special,” he said.
“But, like I said, I can’t get hung up on sentiments too early. It’s about performing out there and I think doing that will give me the best chance of keeping the jersey.”
While Toomua was on a Skype conference call to his girlfriend and parents relaying the big news, Cooper was digesting being named on the bench after being widely expected to make his return from an 11-month Test exile under Deans in the starting line-up.
McKenzie has been his greatest ally, but said he opted for Toomua because he was in form and a “man for all seasons”.
He said he’d coached Cooper “in a very specific environment” at the Reds and that Toomua, as well as the other new caps, had proven their worth to the Wallabies over the course of the Super Rugby season.
“I’ve also got very specific thoughts about how we need to play this game,” he said.
“We’ve got three playmakers and they all do different things.
“In the end, we’re favouring some certain skills that we think will be handy for us at the start of the game.
“Quade’s still there on the bench. It doesn’t mean Quade’s not going to be part of the game and not have a big role.”
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.