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I took some time off work on Friday last week to go to the open training session for the Wallabies, held at St Mary’s Leagues Club. I want to go over a few of the impressions and thoughts that came to me during the training session.
I am aware that it was an open training session, and that means it’s not necessarily going to be the most intense and tactically enlightening session, but I think I’ve seen a few things of note all the same.
On top of that, there are some selection musings.
Benn Robinson walked past me next to the full grandstand and I realised, to my astonishment, he’s actually not much taller than me! He walked past and I had to double take.
I know from other people’s stories and watching him on telly that he was never going to be a giant of a man.
However, I am only 5’11 early in the morning and he can’t have outstripped me by far.
And just to top all that off, he can’t be much bigger across the body and arms than I was when I was playing rep rugby in year 12. I probably played around the 102 kilo mark when I was at full fitness, and even though he is listed as 113kg, it doesn’t really seem like he is up close.
That is a testament to his work ethic and technique shining through in one of the most aggressive and confrontational positions in all sports. He has been one of my favourite players for some time and is doubly so now.
At one point when the team was assembling on the field at the start of training, I saw Cameron Shepherd having a joke around with Dean Mumm. It was at that point that it dawned on me that for sheer physical presence, Shepherd is just as imposing as one of our favoured second rowers.
I don’t know what to think if Ioane and Hynes are both fit, but for this first Test against an angry and cornered South African side, I think Cam would be a good fit in the back three with Ashley-Cooper and James O’Connor.
He could easily add some menace and make bringing the ball from the back safer with a bulkier option that isn’t going to be tackled easily in isolation.
A drill the team used in warm up was a simple 3 on 2 scenario to encourage some quick movement, passing and clinical use of the overlap. (The second defender was even coming into play from a position beside and inline with the attacking 3 to simulate a line break scenario with a fullback in front and cover defence coming across)
The main point, and I understand it’s just a drill, I noticed from this part of training was that the person who first got the ball only passed 60 percent of the time, maximum.
I don’t want to read too much into this particular drill, but to me, it does speak of the mindset of Australian rugby. It brought to mind the Berrick Barnes butchered try against the All Blacks, too.
In international rugby, every opportunity to score needs to be capitalised upon, and the Wallabies quite often have been too hesitant to make the right move and suffer later in the game.
This drill just brought out that mentality to me.
One bright part about that same drill, however, was Digby Ioane being able to step two people in one motion to score. Now, it might sound like a contradiction, but it’s probably best Digby doesn’t pass based on that evidence and previous attempts.
I know there has been some speculation of the makeup of the Australian side over the last two or so weeks in the Australian mainstream media. I don’t want to harp on the point, but I did notice something while I was there.
Out in the backline (I know some scribes have written differently in major publications, but I saw what I saw), I quite often saw Adam Ashley Cooper at fullback and James O’Connor in the wing position.
That made me happy, to be honest.
I would rather Ashley-Cooper going up to retrieve kicks and running it back with interest. O’Connor’s skills are more suited to playing off someone like AAC. With that set up, we can hopefully see some attack generated the same way Mils Muliaina feeds his wingers when he returns the ball.
I want to focus on the forwards for a second, too.
By far the best person in the forward pack with ball in hand was David Pocock. I would be pleased if he was bought into the number 8 position instead of Richard Brown.
Pocock is just as effective running the ball and was more accurate with passing and was able to effectively step in when the halfback was involved in a ruck.
His high work rate and hard edge is already well known and in the absence of Wycliffe Palu I believe he would make a good stop gap in the number 8 jumper. This would presumably allow Deans to slot someone in like Higginbotham into a flanker position and play a bigger pack and (this is my favourite part) reward great Super 14 form and remind other players that he isn’t afraid to go with form over past accomplishments.
I hope that selection is made.
So there are a couple of my musings and ideas as I watched the open training session. Again, I am trying to take things with a grain of salt, but it’s possible to pick up little things from a training session, even if it is a little less than full intensity.
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.