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As the dust settles on the crushing series defeat to England, the disappointing consensus seems to be that there aren’t the elite players available for Australia to be a consistent international force.
Coupled with the assertion that we don’t have the depth now (nor going forward) to properly supply five professional teams, it is a problematic realisation.
While Michael Cheika has already indicated that he will be again calling up the qualified players in Europe for the Rugby Championship, a closer look suggests that it may not be all doom and gloom for the future of Australian rugby.
Firstly, the current squad need to be better. The results in the England series should provide a wake-up call to the players that their current standard is not enough.
An ongoing frustration has been that the elite players within the Wallabies don’t appear to continue their development into being truly world class in the way players such as New Zealand’s Ma’a Nonu and Dane Coles have done-slowly refining and developing their games.
This is true across the Wallabies. Rob Simmons is now 62 Tests into his career and a crucial component of our set piece, but hasn’t developed his physicality or presence across the park. It would be hard to suggest that Bernard Foley, Tevita Kurindrani, even Israel Folau have enhanced their kicking. Has Nick Phipps passing evolved? Has Scott Fardy’s link play and finishing? Will Skelton’s aerobic fitness? The list goes on.
Amusingly, the only two exceptions to this that spring to mind are the maligned Kurtley Beale and Quade Cooper. Each has honed weakness areas such as game management and defence and become progressively better athletes. The Wallabies will continue to stagnate unless they can develop and manifest a new mentality to keep improving their games and individual skill sets.
To the future, Nicholas Bishop wrote an excellent forward-focused analysis on Wednesday. If there’s one area in which ARU seem to of made sensible and well directed decisions in recent years it’s the development of representative pathways in age-group rugby.
The long running national schoolboys program, has been supplemented over the last two years with the U15 and U17 Junior Gold Cup and this year with Super Rugby U20s. While in their early stages, the provision of meaningful national competition is a boon for talent development, identification and retention.
Although this hasn’t yet translated into success at tournaments with a best finish at the U20 World Cup of fifth since 2012, the progress of Victoria and particularly WA who were semi-finalists in the U17s comp and won the U15 comp this year is positive.
It will be important for the ARU to have centralised control over this process through programs or personnel, to keep the focus unified across the country. As players leave age-group rugby this will in turn bring a steadily increasing flow of talent back into local club competitions and of course the NRC.
The below is a demonstrative not comprehensive team list, limited to players playing professionally at the moment who will be under 29 at the 2023 World Cup.
There are any number of players regularly in selection conversations were born 1991-1993 and will likely still be available at the time too including: K. Godwin, J. Holloway, S. Kerevi, M. Hooper, C. Fainga’a, J. Reid, T. English, J. Debreczeni, W. Skelton, A. Coleman, N Frisby, T. Kurindrani, T. Naiyaravoro, S. Sio.
Australian U22s
1. A. Alaalatoa (1994, ACT)
2. H Scoble (1994, WA)
3. T. Tupou (1996, Queensland )
4. T. Staniforth (1994, ACT)
5. L. Tui (1996, Queensland )
6. J. Dempsey (1994, NSW)
7. S. McMahon (1994, VIC)
8. R. Haylett-Petty (1994, WA)
9. J. Powell (1994, ACT)
10. D. Horwitz (1994, NSW)
11. J. Lailoifi (1994, Queensland )
12. R. Hodge (1994, VIC)
13. H. Hutchison (1997, 7s)
14. A. Kellaway (1995, NSW)
15. J. Placid (1995, VIC)
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.