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Skilful or solid: The Wallabies number 10 conundrum

Daniel Ireland new author
Roar Rookie
31st July, 2015
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Matt Toomua could flyhalf for the Wallabies.(Photo: Paul Barkley/LookPro)
Daniel Ireland new author
Roar Rookie
31st July, 2015
26
1305 Reads

A few years ago, I was watching England beat the All Blacks in a pub in south-west London. After one too many celebratory pints, a heated debate developed around whether Danny Cipriani should be picked for England.

The discussion centred around this question:

If you were the coach of a rugby team (or any sports team for that matter), and in the absence of a Dan Carter-esque superstar, on what basis would you pick your key playmaker?

Would you go for either: (a) the “Danny Cipriani”; or (b) the “Owen Farrell”?

For every ten games that you pick the “Danny Cipriani”, his flair, risk-taking and skill will guarantee you three wins. However, due to such risk-taking it will also guarantee you three losses (with the remaining four out ten games being a 50/50 call).

Conversely, the “Owen Farrell” doesn’t have the skills to win any games single-handedly, but equally, won’t have too many brain fades that will cost you the game – the outcome of all ten games you pick him are a 50/50 call.

The conundrum applies across all sports and as the beers flowed, it became clear that my love of watching the likes of Kevin Pietersen, Sonny Bill Williams, and Ronaldinho massively outweighed my appreciation of the talents of Mike Atherton, Adam Ashley-Cooper, and Roy Keane. I would always take the three wins, three losses and four 50/50s over the ten 50/50s.

This is, of course, a massive oversimplification of the complexities of international sport.

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As an outsider looking in, it seems to me as though the Wallabies are facing this exact question as regards to their World Cup starting fly-half. Michael Cheika does not have the luxury of a self-selecting Johnny Wilkinson or Dan Carter and if you listen to the majority of commentators, he has to choose between Quade Cooper and Bernard Foley for the 10 jersey in England this spring.

Quade with his, at times, unbelievably quick feet, flat passing, and eye for the unexpected, will take games away from any opposition (the less said about cross-field kicks in his own in-goal area the better). Foley on the other hand is solid. Solid in the tackle, solid (if not spectacular) with the boot, and solid in attack. No more, no less.

What should Cheika do?
The correct answer surely lies with ‘The Buckley rule’. William Buckley (the American right wing, conservative author and political commentator) stated that, the Republican party should elect as it’s nominee for President the “rightwardmost viable candidate”.

Notably, he was not in favour of selecting the “rightwardmost candidate”, as presumably, while such a candidate would suit his brand of politics, they would not be able deliver a victory for the Republican party in a general election.

Similarly, in order to stand the best chance of getting out of a World Cup group containing England and Wales and to beat the likes of South Africa and New Zealand in the later stages of the tournament, Australia should pick the most attacking, skilful, and dangerous “viable” fly half on offer.

The Wallaby 10 cannot be a “flair at all costs” player as Quade Cooper can sometimes be, but nor should it be the “safe choice” of Bernard Foley.

Is this a good time to talk about Matt Toomua?

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