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It was toward the end of July just before the Rugby Championship kicked off when Wallabies coach Michael Cheika appeared on the ABC Offsiders program with Socceroos coach Ange Postecoglou.
I wondered if Postecoglou had the opportunity to pass on to Cheika his coaching philosophy and the importance of investing in youth. Sadly, after the Wallabies team for the first Bledisloe Cup match was announced in August I was able to answer my own question.
Adam Ashley-Cooper, Matt Giteau and Drew Mitchell were mighty for the Wallabies at various stages during the 2015 World Cup. In the pool match against Wales when Australia was reduced to 13 men and were defending their line, I witnessed first hand Ashley-Cooper’s individual defensive efforts.
I rank that effort that day up there with John Eales conversion after the siren to secure the Bledisloe Cup all those years ago in Wellington. Nonetheless, the question remains, why did we waste the opportunity to blood younger players against our fiercest rivals and give those players valuable experience?
It was clear that all three selected for the Rugby Championship were never going to feature in Australia’s plans for the 2019 World Cup?
Giteau certainly looked like a player who was out of his depth and the contest that is the All Blacks had passed him by, when he missed a crucial tackle that led to the first New Zealand try and had a poor clearing kick under pressure prior to injuring his ankle.
It became obvious an opportunity had been missed when Reece Hodge finally did get a run off the bench in Game 2 against New Zealand and immediately looked like he belonged at Test level. That got me thinking why he did not feature earlier in the season in the three Tests against England in June?
Bernard Foley was also instrumental at stages during Australia’s 2015 World Cup campaign, but one can argue he will not be in the match day 23 for the first the game of the 2019 World Cup and certainly not playing at inside centre.
The sooner the younger Hodge gets an opportunity at the troublesome number 12 position for the Wallabies the better.
The importance of investing in youth became apparent when watching Adam Coleman on Saturday night tear into the Pumas with fierce tackling and controlled aggression, and I thought how Coleman might have benefited from playing the June Tests against England. He might have learned to control his aggression a lot earlier and subsequently may not have stepped over the line in Game 2 against the All Blacks and received a yellow card at a crucial stage of the match.
Make no mistake, the aggression and fear factor Coleman brings to the contest will work effectively in tandem with Kane Douglas when he returns to the match day 23 and gets some continuity and confidence back into his game after his long injury layoff. Given the Wallabies were within four points of the All Blacks with 20 minutes to play in the 2015 World Cup, we will never know how significant it was losing Douglas to injury so early in that final.
After David Pocock, Douglas had been Australia’s best-performed forward and would not have looked out of place in a World 15 team.
Having a fit Douglas and rampaging Coleman working in tandem in the future will present the Wallabies their best opportunity to slay the dragon that is the All Blacks. Several of the current All Blacks forward pack get quite uncomfortable when the opposition hits them with sustained controlled aggression.
Remember when current All Blacks captain Kieran Read looked intimated and was complaining to the referee when Will Skelton launched a sustained barrage of controlled aggression for the Waratahs against the Crusaders in a Super Rugby fixture back in 2015?
Coleman represents the future of Australian rugby and at the very least should have had the bench spot in the first Test against England in June, instead of another veteran not even considered for the 2015 World Cup in James Horwill.
Likewise, Sean McMahon simply has to be in every Wallabies team somewhere in the match day 23 from now until Japan in 2019 after his effort off the bench against the Pumas on Saturday night.
He might not always have the required body size to start a match against the very best teams in the world, but his cameos off the bench in the second periods of play in Tests against tiring opposition will prove to be a valuable asset.
Cheika does not have to invest in youth across every position in his Wallaby team, man of the match against the Pumas on Saturday night Will Genia looks like a different player and world class again after spending time away from the grind that is a Super Rugby campaign.
At 28, Genia if he holds his form should figure in Cheika’s plans for Japan in 2019, perhaps Genia will benefit from a European sojourn and return to play a key role in 2019 similar to what Dan Carter did for New Zealand last year.
Postecoglou has revitalised the Socceroos with a youth policy since taking the coaching reins, and after securing the Asian Cup has them on the verge of World Cup qualification. Hopefully Cheika gets the opportunity to catch up with Postecoglou for a coffee and a chat prior to selecting his Wallaby squad for the November Tests in the UK later this year.
Given Eddie Jones famously picked Matt Giteau out of club rugby in Canberra for a Spring Tour to the UK, the rest is history. Is Cheika really going to be out on a limb if he takes the ‘Tongan Thor’ Taniela Tupou on the November Spring tour as a development player?
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.