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After an encouraging Test performance first up against Wales, the focus now switches to Paris as the Wallabies look to add to the momentum against an unpredictable and currently under-performing France.
As we all know, French rugby is a funny beast.
The culture of individualism, and club before country, is strong. Not only does this impact on the players’ motivation to perform, as is usually apparent during the limp visits to the Southern Hemisphere for their end-of-season June Tests, it also impacts at times around selection.
High profile appointments are invariably based around alliances rather than performance.
It’s why a coach like Guy Noves, whose record of success through the years running Toulouse is Alex Ferguson-like, has never had a shot at Les Bleus.
It is also why incumbent Philippe Saint-Andre is still there when the results have been so poor that the French team Australia carved up mid-year had dropped to its lowest ever IRB ranking (7th), while there are major issues behind the scenes with discord among the players.
If it all sounds familiar, that’s because it is.
Australian Rugby hasn’t quite reached the point where the national side is totally subservient to the whims of the club owners yet, but we are on our way, and need enlightened leadership from the top to ensure we don’t head further along that path.
One area in which a progressive tone could be set is around the issue of accessing foreign-based players for the Wallabies, albeit on a special case basis, as opposed to open slather, which would quite simply stuff the domestic game.
It was sad to read the other day that the chances of Nick Cummins returning from Japan for next year’s Rugby World Cup are virtually non-existent. Not only has the ‘flying mullet’ developed himself into one of the better wingers on the world circuit, as he showed again with the Baabaas, Cummins also brings much needed personality and character to the game in Australia.
‘Badgery’ is now a global phenomenon, as was evidenced by the look-alikes wearing Baabaas jerseys in the crowd at Twickenham, and the presence of the IRB television crew which accompanied the ‘Honey Badger’ throughout (almost!) every move of his maiden Barbarians experience.
Whether they understood anything that he actually said is another matter!
In his own unique way, the Honey Badger has taken the game into new areas of interest in Australia.
People who don’t know much – or anything – about the game, seem to know about the rugby player who calls himself the Honey Badger, even if they don’t actually know his real name.
And the beauty is, he is one of our own, a lad who grew up playing rugby, and came through the Australian rugby development system, as opposed to being recruited from another sport. If ever there was a reason to bend the eligibility rules slightly on promotional value as well as playing grounds; then surely the case of Nick Cummins is it.
For all that, Australia needs to come up with more innovative solutions to either retain, or continue to tap into, some of the expertise that is being lost in increasing numbers.
The mail is that the end of 2015 is going to see a bit of an exodus and the Wallabies simply can’t afford that, there are far too many Australians of either Wallaby or Super Rugby pedigree playing offshore already.
Which brings me back to Paris, and what my advice would have been to the ARU covering this week. I’d have turned the team hotel into Stalag 13, with armed guards on the front door, and special passes required to go in and out.
All trainings would have been closed-door affairs, while I’d have had satellite monitors on all of the players, with armed escorts to prevent any contact with undesirables (that being French player agents).
Ok, I’m joking about the Gestapo-style tactics, but the reality is that any expedition to France is like being part of one of the huge open-air goods markets the Europeans are so fond of. While not all of the produce (that being the players) might be available immediately; relationships are established by the agents that can bear fruit later.
One freshman on his rookie tour a few years back remarked to me that he couldn’t get over how many agents were around, and the large volume of his teammates who seemed to be disappearing out of the hotel to free meals, show performances and other such attractions, all of which was being organised by local recruiters, who were acting on behalf of the clubs.
The player concerned caught on quick – he is now plying his trade in France.
It’s big business, and it clearly works, now more than ever, judged by the exercise I have done assembling a France-based Wallaby squad, which I reckon would give the current touring party a decent go – probably more so than the French did in June.
The squad includes a handful of players who have yet to play for the Wallabies. One is even an Australian Under-20 rep from earlier this year, centre Lalakai Foketi.
I’ll admit now that I have cheated in one position.
The French don’t seem to buy many of our props so I’ve seconded ex-Wallaby Salesi Ma’afu and recently ex-Western Force prop Kieran Longbottom from their English bases to complete the front-row.
I’ve also bolstered the bench a bit by including guys who, while not eligible for the Wallabies, have contributed to the Australian game by playing for our Super Rugby sides. Their selection is valid for the purpose of this exercise: if they weren’t now in France, they might all still be here.
Several lads from D2 (the competition below the Top 14) have been promoted also but, second division or not, they are all guys who would still be handy to have back here in ‘Australie’ (that’s Australia in French!).
The depth of our foreign legion is also highlighted by the appointment of a couple of France-based Aussies as coaches. Between them, Lyon’s Tim Lane and Bayonne’s Patto Noriega represent one-seventh of the Top 14’s head coaches, so they will organise my team.
Lyon 2IC Scotty Wisemantle, Narbonne head coach Justin Harrison and his offsider Chris Whitaker will act as the assistant coaches.
And just for good measure, I’ve added an Aussie CEO, Rocky Elsom.
Yep, for those of you unaware, the ex-Wallaby captain is these days the big boss of Narbonne, a French second division club, which he part-owns among a consortium of fellow Aussies.
His old teammate Harrison is the coach, although he might be sitting uneasily in the chair at the moment as Narbonne, after narrowly missing out on promotion to the lucrative Top 14 last term, is currently 15th of 16 in the D2, from which the top two earn promotion.
Maybe both he, and the ARU, needs to recruit a few from my Aussie Foreign Legion XV.
Fullback – James O’Connor (Toulon)
Wings – Drew Mitchell (Toulon), Blair Connor (Bordeaux-Begles)
Centre – Digby Ioane (Stade Francais)
Inside Centre – Matt Giteau (Toulon)
Flyhalf – Brock James (Clermont-Auvergne)
Halfback – Ben Lucas (Montpellier)
No. 8 – Ben Mowen (Montpellier, captain)
Flankers – George Smith (Lyon), Peter Kimlin (Grenoble)
Locks – Sitaleki Timani (Montpellier), Mark Chisholm (Bayonne)
Props – Kieran Longbottom (Saracens – England), Salesi Ma’afu (Northampton – England)
Hooker – John Ulugia (Clermont-Auvergne)
Reserves: Alfie Mafi (Brive), Napolioni Nalaga (Clermont-Auvergne), Lalakai Foketi (Bayonne), Richard Kingi (Stade Francais), Daniel Halangahu (Narbonne), Brett Sheehan (Narbonne), Jono Jenkins (Narbonne), Hugh Pyle (Stade Francais), Hendrik Roodt (Grenoble), Leon Power (Oyonnax), Huia Edmonds (Narbonne)
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.