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No real surprises in Cheika's 40-man Wallaby squad

Liam Gill ought to be considered for Wallabies selection. (Photo: Sportography)
Expert
4th July, 2015
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2941 Reads

There are not many surprises in Michael Cheika’s new look Wallaby train-on squad.

Let’s start with the omissions:

Thankfully, there is no Karmichael Hunt, whose transition to rugby has been nothing short of a disaster – not just for him – but more importantly – for the Queensland Reds and Australian rugby in general.

Irrespective of his off-field dramas, the simple fact is that he has done very little since coming to rugby in 2015 to justify anything, let alone inclusion in a Wallaby squad. Enough said.

James O’Connor is no doubt disappointed at his omission, having returned to Australia with the goal of forcing his way back into the Rugby World Cup squad. The Queensland Reds’ woeful 2015 season has also not helped his cause. There is no doubt O’Connor is a highly talented player, but arguably he has not done enough to warrant selection in 2015.

Nick Cummins from the Western Force is another notable omission and has also suffered from being in an underperforming Super Rugby franchise in 2015.

Jack Debreczeni, the Melbourne Rebels No. 10 can also consider himself unlucky after a stellar season. He is a player to watch for the future and I fully expect to see him wearing the green and gold down the track. Unfortunately for him, Australia is blessed with enormous talent in this position, with Bernard Foley, Quade Cooper, Christian Lealiifano, Matt Giteau and Matt Toomua all capable of doing the No. 10 jersey proud.

Debreczeni’s scrumhalf partner Nic Stirzaker is also a player to watch for the future. While his time may not have come as yet, if he builds on his 2015 performances the halfback position may one day be his.

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In the forwards, 72-Test veterans Ben Alexander and Benn Robinson might also consider themselves unlucky but Cheika is looking for new blood in this crucial front row area and these initial Tests leading up to the World Cup will be used to see whether the new boys selected can step up to the plate. This is a good move.

In the backrow, Liam Gill can consider himself the unluckiest of omissions and one only has to look to the statistics to see how effective he has been at the breakdown. A No. 7’s primary role is to steal the ball and Gill was superb in that area despite playing in a Reds pack that did not do enough to support him.

Given his omission, the ARU should do everything in its power to send Gill into the Australian Sevens team for the Olympic qualifying Oceania Games, as he would be a magnificent addition.

Veteran Force backrower Matt Hodgson is a victim of an abundance of backrow talent and Rebels lock Luke Jones can also consider himself unlucky to miss selection.

Now for the inclusions:

Lock James Horwill can consider himself extremely fortunate to be in the Wallaby squad. While he has experience and can hold his own in the lineout and scrum, Horwill’s defence in 2015 has been extremely poor and his work rate around the park is not up to current international standards.

At this moment in time, the likes of All Black locks Brodie Rettalick and Sam Whitelock, South Africa’s Eben Etzebeth or Ireland’s Paul O’Connell would leave him standing in the shade.

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One only has to recall critical defensive periods in two of the Reds’ matches which changed the nature of the game. The first was against the Chiefs, when Liam Messam scored a try after running past Horwill as if he wasn’t even there, and the second was against the Waratahs, where once again Horwill’s defence of his tryline was lacking.

Rob Simmons is another player that needs to do more. To be fair, his set piece is fine, and in recent times he has tried to be more aggressive, after being labelled too soft for Test rugby. In reality, his general play needs improvement to be one of the starting Test locks at the time of the Rugby World Cup.

Brumbies lock Rory Arnold’s selection is a good one. At 208 centimetres, Arnold has shown he has the potential to form a formidable partnership with the likes of Will Skelton, as the Wallabies look for firepower in their forward pack.

Mind you, as far as the lineouts are concerned, we could put King Kong in as the lineout jumper and still lose the ball, if Tatafu Polota Nau doesn’t learn to throw the ball in straight. One would think after all these years and 50 Tests later, that he would have honed this down to a fine art, but regrettably not so. His work rate around the field is very good, he is a tough and fierce competitor and he has improved his tackling technique.

However, a player must be able to perform their core function better than anyone else in the country to wear the gold jersey and a hooker has to be able to put the ball on a dime. This is remains Polota Nau’s Achilles heel.

Apart from Gill, there are no surprises in the backrow. Most commentary this season has been on the David Pocock-Michael Hooper tussle for the prized No. 7 jersey. Another option for Cheika to consider is playing both Pocock and Hooper in a left and right role rather than the traditional No. 7 and the tall and bigger No. 6.

The added impact at the breakdown of having two No. 7s in play may well outweigh any perceived lineout benefit of a fourth jumper or scrum advantage. No doubt it will be a horses for courses exercise and depend upon the opposition and game strategy.

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Melbourne Rebels Scott Higginbotham thoroughly deserves his position and will challenge strongly for the No. 8 jersey. He is aggressive, very fast, and skilful. Ben McCalman from the Western Force also deserves his selection and is tough and uncompromising. While NSW Waratah Wycliff Paul has also been selected in the squad, he has not done much this season to get too excited about.

The rest of the squad is as expected and all things considered the selectors have done a fairly good job at this point.

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