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He’s heard the calls for an all-Waratahs backline and even admits it’s a fair argument, but Matt Toomua is going nowhere.
Toomua, the man keeping Kurtley Beale out of the Wallabies No.12 jersey and breaking up the successful NSW inside back combination, continues to be a lock for Australia’s Rugby Championship campaign.
A favourite of coach Ewen McKenzie for his punishing defence, direct running, ball-playing smarts and big boot, the Brumbies playmaker will again line up at inside centre against Argentina on Saturday night on the Gold Coast.
It will continue to irk many who believe the Wallabies would be a more dangerous animal with Beale, now back on the bench, teamed beside halves Bernard Foley and Nick Phipps, and with Adam Ashley-Cooper outside at No.13, not to mention Israel Folau and Rob Horne.
Former Wallabies skipper Phil Kearns is among the loudest voices pressing for well-oiled and Super Rugby-proven combinations to be employed in gold.
“It’s a fair argument,” Toomua said on Monday. “The Tahs did well, they’ve got a great backline and most of our backline are a lot of Tahs players.”
But it’s not getting under the 24-year-old’s skin.
“You can cloud your mind with a lot of that,” he said. “I’d be lying if I said I hadn’t heard anything of that but I consider my job quite simple and it’s to do the best I can out there.
“You can complicate your job a fair bit by playing mind games yourself.”
Instead Toomua, who doesn’t mind reminding people his combination with Foley stands at four starts for four wins, is looking for greater consistency after being disappointed with his form against the All Blacks.
He’s also carrying on his midfield partnership with Brumbies centre Tevita Kuridrani, a stand-out in the 24-23 win over South Africa in Perth, from last year’s European tour.
Toomua, playing as a perfect foil to Quade Cooper, cemented his place in the Australian No.12 jersey in November against England, Italy and Ireland.
Now he’s looking more at home beside Foley after adjusting to suit Beale.
“I thought early on in Bledisloe I could have played a fair bit better,” he said. “I thought I made a move in the right direction on the weekend but in saying that it’s replicating it every week.
“A one-off performance doesn’t mean much and as a team we need to be consistent.”
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.