Just as Robbie Deans wields the axe at the selection table based on the player’s last performance and training intensity, so I will review the critical position of the halfbacks – both 9 and 21.
The ensuing debate can then decide whether Emperor Genia has no clothes!
Will Genia and Luke Burgess provide the Wallabies with the ideal mix at 9. Both are international standard half backs, both very competitive and yet of differing styles, strengths and weaknesses.
Deans is utilising both effectively, with Genia starting and Burgess off the bench, particularly as Genia and Cooper have an extensive playing record together. This may change if injuries result in Barnes being selected at 10. Genia and Burgess are the best combination of halves playing for any rugby nation at present, All Blacks included.
There is little actual difference between them, but they do have different but complementary strengths and weaknesses. Most importantly, they are both weak in a critical area that this 2011 Wallabies squad desperately needs, the top two inches.
The perceived gap has moved around over time and is currently small but decisive, due to Genia’s success in Super Rugby with the Reds and him being the incumbent. Burgess has been out of the limelight with his injury during the Super finals.
Deans has always recognised Burgess’ contribution on the field, the training paddock and to the team dynamic. You only have to remember back to Burgess jumping up and down while on the Wallabies bench when they scored.
Genia’s long pass is superior to Burgess’. This is very useful and important when the tactics are to go wide, particularly with Cooper also throwing very long passes.
Although Burgess’ long passing has been poor at different times in his career, he has largely corrected this and he has been much better in 2011.
This quick movement of the ball away from contact to close supports is the game that the Waratahs like to play compared to the Reds, who predominantly like to play deep and wide to Cooper and others to isolate opposition defenders, particularly forwards for one-on ones. Genia’s better long pass suits this type of game better.
If Barnes goes to 12, Cooper and Barnes long passes can cover the width of the field themselves but the faster rather than longer service is critical to avoiding the intercept. This favours Burgess.
Burgess clears the ball better than Genia and quicker to close in supports. Additionally, he has a good sympathetic pass to supports while Genia tends to bang the ball out to supports and expects them to deal with it. Sometimes Burgess’ sympathetic pass is wrongly interpreted as a weak or poor pass. If the intended receiver is to be at full pace, a sympathetic pass is much more effective.
This quick clearance will be even more important as the better teams target this area as the best way to nullify the brilliant Wallabies backline.
Burgess, as a bigger man, and more physical, is better at foraging for ball in a messy ruck situation than Genia. When Genia has had problems and was criticised for taking “the Gregan two step”, his forwards were giving him messy ball. Burgess deals with this poor ball better, if only because he has had more experience at it.
Both halves are very good at determining when ball is likely to be lost and joining the contact to protect the ball.
Genia’s kicking game is definitely superior to Burgess’, who has kicked too much and too poorly in the past.
However, he kicked much less this season.
In relation to defence, Burgess is definitely the better hitter in defence. Genia does a lot of good work in cover defence but as a smaller man is not as effective in deep defence on one’s try-line. This is a higher order skill that is very necessary at Test level and an addition to the modern game.
The other high order skill required at Test level, in particular, and in which Genia has an advantage over Burgess, is in assessment of the changes in momentum in a game.
Both players are very good team members and will accept the decision of Robbie Deans as to how they are to be utilised. They both support the new halves coming through and have great respect for one another. This respect has led to a significant improvement in the rugby played by both. This respect for one another while maintaining high competition for places has a positive ripple effect in the squad.
Emperor Genia is fully dressed but Prince Burgess is also fully attired should there be a wardrobe malfunction or the need for a replacement. Both need to read the game and respond much better than they currently do.
Bakkies
Guest
I watched Whitaker play for Leinster after he finished in Australia. God he was awful. He is now coaching with Chieka at Stade Francais. Justin Turner has promise but missed a lot of games through injury.
Jerry
Guest
"Just as Robbie Deans wields the axe at the selection table based on the player’s last performance and training intensity" Am I the only one who struggled to get past the first sentence of this article? I mean, based on some of Deans selections, I don't really think it's safe to assume that sentence is accurate. He might be basing it entirely on a reading of tea leaves in his morning English Breakfast after all....
jameswm
Guest
HOugaard gets so few chances at 9, though.
Stripes
Guest
Don't buy it. The team struggled against Ireland, not just Genia, and he far from disgraced himself, the forwards did. Does one game prove he's inept? Im pretty sure i could find an ordinary game from Dan Carter somewhere, this year even. Genia has proven over the last three years he has a superb rugby brain with games against the Crusaders, stormers, Bulls, England, New Zealand in brissy, South Africa (all the toughest teams in the world) and showing perfect times for snipes and great kicks (which ill admit haven't been too successful lately). You don't be as small as he is and make it to this level and dominate the opposition and earn player of the year accolades without being switched on. I'd say its his best asset. And just who is this compared to? If he's so weak in that department, show me a player who is strong then?
Sprigs
Guest
Tim's passing is fantastic...actually lots about his play makes me agree with you, MattyP....He is a mate of Moore, Horwill, Mitchell and so on too and has played rugby with them.. Can we lure him back?
MattyP
Guest
Sprigs, I reckon (based on the one game) that Tim Usasz is the second best Australian halfback running around right now...
Sprigs
Guest
Amazing how many great halfbacks Australia has produced over the generations. What is it with us and short, tough, skilful guys? As for this RWC, two favourites of mine have been Alexander Yanyushkin of Russia, and Tim Usasz, who has a great surname for a USA player-- and he is from Brisbane, which is a big plus too.
dc
Guest
I like that guy Pretorius, and Fotuali.... How does Genia play under pressure? I am overseas so missed the Ireland game....how did he go? The All Blacks don't need a rock star half-back...his job is to get the ball to Carter and Nonu, or Richie and Read...
Chuck
Guest
Great article LAS. Big fan of both boys (although would like to see Genia use the box kick a whole lot less - a nothing tactic against competent back 3s). Genia was very close to giving up the S15 final with a charged down box kick. Would love to see Burgess have a crack at #9 in league - sympathetic passer, terrific runner, good size and great defense
Lorry
Guest
all the half backs except for genia and to a lesser extent Burgo, are so average right now.... Makes you realise how great Chris Whitaker was. Personally, I reckon he's a more rounded half-back and, thus, overall a better half back than either Genia or Burgess. Whoever recently claimed that Genia is better than Farr-Jones and other great wallaby half backs is having themselves on... He may become so but he is nowhere near yet, least of all in terms of consistency... I always thought the chinese-aussie Tahs then Western Force halfback Chris O'Young was very, very good. It's a shame he never got to cement down a Super spot.. he may have been pushing for wallabies selection?
Bakkies
Guest
or passes over their head
Bakkies
Guest
Valentine is a big disappointment. Has a serious attitude problem. Don't think he has a contract for next year. Is Ian Prior any good?
Tonto
Guest
Kiwi here, if you don't want Will, we'll have him!
warrenexpatinnz
Roar Guru
Hmmm think they have been involved with the Wallabies and won a few good tests internationaly against some pretty good sides so I would hazard a guess they would be considered world class players then?
Wylie
Guest
I reckon Nic White will be ranked 2nd after next year. He's impressive for a young fella.
warrenexpatinnz
Roar Guru
I think you are spot on LAS. I have always liked Burgess, yes he wasn't the crisp passer or born conjoined to Coopers hip but he has shown a super toughness. I could almost lat a comparison between Burgess and Cowan with Burgess having a better temperant. Genia is very good and going to get a lot better but if the flair misfires of Genia and Cooper I wouldn't be too concerned if to settle down and play solid rugby we bring on Burgess linking with Barnes. What has hindered Burgess is not that dissimilar to Daniel Holangou who was shifted around more the Osama Bin Laden and could never seem to gain consistency which affected his ability to grow. I guess it does mean that we do have two different styles but that would mean breaking up Genia and Cooper unless Barnes starts and Genia has a choice from the start.
Shocks
Guest
Lucas isn't a 9 he was put there after dominating at 10 as a kid in the Brisbane Premier grade GF a few years back at the time QLD had no 9 Genia was on the books but hadn’t shone yet so the coaches tried to convert him into a 9 until he got injured half way through the season and some bloke called Will came on. While Lucas does an alright job at scrumhalf his best footy has always been played out wider.
B-Rock
Roar Guru
I agree - tackling is important in every position - Phipps is not much better than Burgess in this respect however. Genias attack puts him in another class.
Ralph
Guest
There is a place for big defence in a half back, that mold of halfback that acts like an extra loose forward. Justin Marshal was in that mold and I remember a match against the Springboks where prop Richard Bands made a dash down the blind side from a ruck close to the line and you'd say he was in for all money - but Justin Marshal got right under him and almost lifted him off his feet (no small thing if you remember the size of Richard Bands) and drove him into touch.
B-Rock
Roar Guru
LoLo - this is exactly the kind of analysis we need more of on the roar - challenging pre-conceived ideas, thoughtful analysis across a range of important areas of the game, etc etc. Do you really want another Genia - Cooper puff piece? They seem to appear once a week on this and most other Aust sports websites. Feel free to disagree with LAS (I do as well to some extent - I think the gap is a bit wider than it appears - see my comments below) but the reasoning itself is sound.