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Wallabies inside centre card comes up Hunt

12th June, 2017
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Karmichael Hunt was born in New Zealand and now can play for the Wallabies. (AAP Image/Dave Hunt)
Expert
12th June, 2017
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Like plenty of you last week, I wondered if Michael Cheika’s inner gambler was surfacing.

In something of a surprise move – Cheika named Queensland Reds fullback and multi-code convert Karmichael Hunt at inside centre to face Fiji in Melbourne.

I loved the call; let me be clear about that. But it had all the hallmarks of the rocks-or-diamonds existence that we’ve come the know the Cheika reign over the Wallabies. It could just as easily have turned out Rob Simmons and Will Skelton versus England last year, as it could have Michael Hooper and David Pocock at the World Cup.

Hunt himself admitted to training at fullback for most of the week in Melbourne, so there was even a little bit of surprise for man wearing the no.12 on debut himself.

But in hindsight, it really shouldn’t have been much surprise at all. Though he’s worn the Reds no.12 jersey just once in the last two seasons – and no.15 every other time – in truth, he’s played as the second playmaker for the side anyway, be that for Quade Cooper or Jake McIntyre at flyhalf. With Cooper pulling the strings in 2017, Hunt hasn’t had to be so focal in attack, but that has had the effect of him being somewhat more dangerous, asking more question of the opposition.

Karmichael Hunt Tall

(AAP Image/Julian Smith)

Furthermore, with the squad Cheika named for this month, the sheer amount of back three players – and some of them in pretty hot form – meant that Hunt was going to pushing it uphill to get a game at fullback. If he wasn’t being considered as a centre from the outset, then the withdrawal of Samu Kerevi ensured he was from thereon.

Whether Kerevi was in front of Hunt in the pecking order for the first Test of the year mattered not. But with Rob Horne coming into the side almost exclusively as a 13 option, Hunt was firmly in the frame.

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Over his time as the Wallabies coach, we know Cheika has preferred a ball-player at 12 wherever possible. He’s always liked a straight-running, line-bending impact at 13, and has used similar options at 12 when forced. But if he’d had the ability to play a ‘second-five’ type of inside centre, he’s done it. Kurtley Beale, Matt Toomua, Christian Lealiifano, Matt Giteau; they’ve all played a similar role outside a traditional flyhalf.

Hunt’s ability to cover several positions meant he was going to feature in the front line somewhere this month. I initially thought he might’ve been the ideal no.22, covering 10-12-15 all equally well in say, the last quarter of a match. It could easily have been the way to introduce him to Test match rugby.

But his tackling ability meant that starting him at 12 could simplify the Wallabies backline defence, and reduce the number of moving pieces from last season, where at times it chaotically appeared as though no-one in numbers 10 to 15 actually defended in the traditional position. And didn’t England enjoy finding space during the transition.

Now sure, Hunt’s defence on debut wasn’t necessarily his strongest suit. He missed two of his 14 tackles attempted, which isn’t terrible at all, but was guilty at times of being slightly out of position in the front line, and not necessarily wrapping up the ball carrier like we know he can.

That might be a result of not having a George Smith or Henrik Tui nearby, but it’s undoubtedly something to improve, particularly with a hungry Scottish side now on Australian soil. At the risk of invoking dangerous Wallabies scepticism and much mirth, fixing his defence will be easy.

Where Hunt shone was in attack, and particularly in the second half as the Wallabies regained the shape they managed to lose once Israel Folau went to the sin bin and for the rest of the first half.

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Like he does with Cooper at the Reds, Hunt took the pressure and the workload off Bernard Foley, which allowed Foley to set up for subsequent phases; classic second playmaker use, and very similar to how Stephen Larkham played Toomua and Lealiifano together at the Brumbies.

Whereas Foley as first receiver provides the width for the Wallabies to play – and I though he played well doing just this – when the Wallabies needed to go forward, Hunt went into first receiver. He did this from second receiver often enough as well, but if there was room to be exploited out wide that needed a more direct initial route, Hunt took the first pass.

Now, I’m hardly about to put Nicholas Bishop out of a job here, but here’s but one example of Hunt providing the direction for a wider line break.

Image: FoxSports

Image: FoxSports/Brett McKay

It’s simple stuff; Hunt’s immediate direction was straight at the Fijian defenders, and while he’s engaged two defenders himself and Dane Haylett-Petty’s out-in line engages a third, the space opens up out wide. The plan would’ve been for Folau to follow behind and create a four-on-two, and even if he was brought to ground, Foley is one of the three players outside him. The play could still have gone down that short side.

As it happened, Hunt went short to Haylett-Petty, who actually got a nice offload on the outside to Hunt, who’d trailed behind. Folau and Foley kept going wide, and this was the lead-up to Tevita’s Kuridrani’s disallowed try in the corner just after half time.

Note here, that Hunt’s run started just on the Fijian side of halfway. Later plays in this same passage had Foley kicking to the corner from first receiver inside the Fijian 22, while when Folau scored his second try five or so minutes later, the play began with a lineout back in the Wallabies’ half, and with Hunt going out the back to Foley, who had Folau running the out-in line with Hooper and Haylett-Petty following behind on the loop.

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Israel Folau Wallabies Australian Rugby Union 2017 tall

(AAP Image/Joe Castro)

Of course, none of this suggests that Hunt is the finished product at inside centre; it would be ridiculous to judge or label any of the debutants after just one game.

But I think we’ve seen enough in one game from Karmichael Hunt at 12 to know he’s absolutely worth persevering with. There was plenty to like in Hunt’s ability to straighten and shape the attack, and if he can make game-on-game improvements from here as a Wallaby, then he’s got a healthy international future to look forward to.

And if the flow-on effect is that he pushes Kyle Godwin and Reece Hodge to new levels, or that Kurtley Beale doesn’t just walk straight back into the side on his inevitable return to the squad, then Cheika has played a smart hand at the first selection table of the year.

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