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As June 5 approaches, the flak aimed at John O’Neill and the Australian Rugby Union gains momentum over their scheduling. Misplaced flak.
In my book, the June 5 international against Scotland and the June 9 clash with Wales will be doing the Wallabies a huge favour.
The blinkered reckon it’s a disaster to schedule two internationals just four days apart.
Quite the opposite. By scheduling such a short turnaround, the ARU is virtually telling Wallaby coach Robbie Deans to pick two teams.
Let’s see what the depth of Wallaby rugby is really like by giving the fringe contenders a run against the Scots, who didn’t win a game in the last Six-Nations. Let’s keep the top side under wraps until the three Tests against the Welsh, who won all five Six-Nation games and clinched the Grand Slam.
With much gnashing of teeth, the blinkered are gunning for O’Neill and the ARU and complaining that the concept cheapens the gold jersey. Only the very best XV should take to the field every international.
Cheapen the jersey? Bollocks.
And the blinkered also reckon it’s an insult to the Scots by not selecting the best Wallaby side. More bollocks.
In the past, both France and England have sent their fringe players on tours Down Under. Rugby fans didn’t complain when the Wallabies posted cricket scores against both nations.
And they won’t complain if the fringe contenders are named for the Scotland game. Newcastle will be a sell-out for the historic first rugby international to be played in the city.
The only question still to be answered is will Deans have the bottle to keep his entire top side under wraps, and go with a full-on fringe side against the Scots?
The answer is probably no. Deans has a 59% win record from his 53 internationals as Wallaby coach since June 2008. He’s a far better coach than those stats suggest.
But well short of Rod Macqueen’s 79% from 43 internationals, and Alan Jones’ 77% from 30. And still short of John Connolly’s 64% from 22, Bobby Dwyer’s 63% from 73, and Greg Smith’s 63% from 19.
Deans obviously sets out to win every international and would dearly want to get that win record into the 60s by the end of the year. He would see Scotland as the first positive move in that direction.
But that’s counter productive. Why risk his top Wallabies in internationals four days apart, when they have three internationals against Wales in two weeks, return to the Super Rugby tournament immediately after that, and straight into the inaugural Rugby Championship with long trips to South Africa and Argentina?
Burn out looms large.
Deans can minimise that by selecting a fringe side for Scotland.
Do it Robbie.
I reckon the fringe dwellers will spank Scotland anyway, despite limited preparation. And that means Deans will have at least 44 literally current Wallabies for the demanding Rugby Championship.
And every one of them will have proudly worn the coveted gold jersey in 2012.
More importantly, not one of them will have cheapened its value. No way.