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With an array of talent to come back from injury next season, I believe there are only three Wallabies that have cemented their place in the line-up for season 2015.
These happen to be the same three players that were named by the BBC in a combined Rugby Championship Spring tour side.
The fact that this is a foreign entity gives much more credibility to the selection, especially when compared to what anyone on The Roar has said recently. There is no interstate bias at the BBC.
So who are the three wallabies? If you guessed they are all backs you’d be correct.
They are Israel Folau at fullback, Tevita Kuridrani at outside centre, and Bernard Foley at flyhalf.
So what was actually said about our boys?
Israel Folau
There’s a lot of competition for this shirt but the Wallaby full-back is an attacking force of nature. He’s an incredible athlete who always manages to slip the first tackle and he’s only been playing Test rugby for 18 months. The 25-year-old is wonderful under the high ball and a great talent who is a pleasure to watch.
(He) was the top metre maker this autumn (405m); also making the most carries (53) and most offloads (11).
Tevita Kuridrani
Centres these days are about the gainline but the 6ft 5in Wallaby is about more than just getting go-forward for his team. The 23-year-old makes clean breaks, scores tries and is a real handful – a very exciting attacking talent.
(He) completed 17 of the 18 tackles he had to make in his 205 minutes of game time.
Bernard Foley
You need a player to release this talented backline and Foley is the consummate 10. The 25-year-old has only played 18 Tests but he is a real general who knows when to kick, when to pass – and whether to go short or go wide- and is very reliable with the boot, keeping the score ticking over.
(He) was the top points scorer this autumn (spring), notching up 57 in 269 minutes of action, including two tries.
So there you have it.
Perhaps Folau had a quieter EOYT than what we expected, but it bodes well for him that even when he is quiet he still makes more metres than everyone else.
Now before Roarers all roar that he makes metres because he returns the ball from deep, think about the fact that for a lot of his carries he begins by taking up-and–unders, before almost always beating several defenders.
His ability to make 5-10 metres while being surrounded by tacklers is amazing and it is what sets him apart from every other fullback in world rugby.
In terms of Kuridrani, he has been brilliant since the Rugby Championship and I’m sure this will continue into next season.
He will have to continue to be as good to keep Ashley-Cooper on the wing. Ashley Cooper’s performance against England was superb and a timely reminder that he plays his best rugby also at 13.
I’ve said it before but Adam Ashley-Cooper made more run metres (159m) than the entire English backline put together last Saturday.
That is simply outstanding no matter how you want to spin it. On a side note, having watched the replay once more I saw no situation where Ashley-Cooper should’ve definitely passed the ball.
All that criticism about him not passing the ball is curious to say the least. Kuridrani, for example, is a player that has passed the ball less times than there have been world wars yet I have not heard one criticism of that part of his game. Curious.
In my opinion Kuridrani and Ashley-Cooper should continue to both be in the side somewhere.
But what about Foley? Many are calling for his sacking. For me he is just as safe to be a Wallaby starter at next year’s world cup as the other two mentioned by the BBC.
At the beginning of 2014 I wouldn’t have thought so but he is now the best flyhalf in the southern hemisphere. It helps that Dan Carter has been injured this year.
All the debate regarding Foley is a symptom of division among us. People want Quade Cooper in the side for suspicious reasons.
He hardly played the house down for the Reds this year and his game against the Barbarians was reflective of that.
This is my take on the Cooper v Foley argument. Cooper is in many ways the opposite of Foley.
Cooper is flashy and flamboyant, Foley is quiet and conservative.
Cooper plays deep and uses long passes to good effect where-as Foley plays extremely flat and relies on his short passing and off-loading while taking on the line.
Both have genuine claims to the no 10 shirt but one of these styles suits Michael Cheika and the other doesn’t.
The other point I would like to note is that Cooper doesn’t kick on average as many metres (Foley out-kicked everybody in terms of average metres in all four recent Tests) and Cooper isn’t as accurate at goal kicking. For me it’s a no brainer.
Foley has usurped Cooper and as long as he continues his form I believe he will be a stand-out Fly-half at the Rugby World Cup 2015, alongside the likes of Dan Carter and Johnny Sexton.
I believe many roarers have been clutching at straws to belittle the deeds of a player such as Foley.
Some are saying he doesn’t take on the line, which is inaccurate, and some are saying he can’t kick – when the evidence is to the contrary.
The fact is from a neutral’s point of view Foley is the best the entire southern hemisphere has to offer at the moment and we should be excited about that.
I for one am looking forward to 2015 with great anticipation.
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.