Wallabies play the long game at selection table

The Wallabies have selected their team to play the American Eagles as if they mean to be around at finals time. The 22 has balanced the needs to both share the playing load around the squad and maintain their spine.

I believe that it is the team that they would have selected had the Wallabies beaten Ireland last weekend.

I applaud Deans’ eye remaining on the prize. As a former All Black, he knows that there is only one aim.

However, several unfavourable factors have collided with the Wallabies campaign, and earlier in the tournament than expected.

While every team with finals pretentions is now managing their best 22, the Wallabies looked flat against Ireland, in just the second of potentially seven games.

Mid tournament injuries to Pocock, O’Connor and Ioane have exposed the lack of similarly effective players in these positions.

The selection of just one specialist open side flanker in the 30 man squad is an issue, as is the selection of six players short of game time and match fitness (20 percent of the squad).

The Wallabies’ flaws and inconsistency have been re-exposed.

Countries such as Romania, Canada, Wales, Ireland, Argentina and particularly the USA, are no longer easybeats, and their combative, physical style must be taken very seriously.

Assuming that last week was an aberration, the ideal starting team has lost form players Horwill, Ioane, Moore, goalkicker O’Connor and Pocock.

They are replaced by Sharpe, Mitchell, Tatafu Polota-Nau and McCalman.

Genia’s critical contribution is potentially compromised by the captaincy as he is untried as a Test captain. It has also lost engine room members Vickerman, Samo and the consistency and continuity of McCabe. They have been replaced by Simmons, Palu and Horne.

The eight dirt trackers were always going to be called and relied upon. However, there is more pressure on the fully fit Sharpe, Simmons, McCalman and Alexander to abandon any notion of personal safety to support and encourage Slipper, Tatafu Polota-Nau and Palu and provide the necessary possession for the Wallabies potent backs.

Palu will be playing his first game for months. He rarely discovers his destructive best for several games. Personally, I would have selected Robinson in the 30. His international inexperience is less an issue than Palu’s lack of match readiness.

Horne, Mitchell, Burgess, Tatafu Polota-Nau and Slipper are all still coming back from serious injuries.

It is a double whammy. The team loses eight form players and replaces them with five underdone players. That Horne is starting at 12, his preferred position, for the first time in a Wallabies jersey, indicates that there was some shuffling at the selection table.

Barnes is being held back as a reserve for Quade Cooper.

The beauty of the Rugby World Cup is that every team has some problems to deal with. The team that best deals with these circumstances, will win.

Just ask the 1991 Wallabies, who rose above having to play the inspired Irish at the intimidating Landsdowne Road, Dublin without Skipper Nick Farr-Jones.

New Zealand has Carter, Read and McCaw under injury clouds, Dagg and Toeava returning from injury.

New Zealand will be underdone for match toughness, as they will not have had a remotely serious contest in the tournament now that France has refused play ball by selecting their C team for the upcoming game against the All Blacks.

South Africa’s Du Preez is yet to find form and inspirational Matfield is still on the sidelines, apparently injured.

England have not shown anything remotely close to a tournament-winning structure or form and lost Sheridan to injury.

What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger. We are about to find out just whether this vintage of Wallabies are dead men walking or stronger for the experience. If they are good enough, they are old enough.