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Contemplate this for a moment: would Robbie Deans’s mindset for tomorrow’s second Test have been any different had James O’Connor and Kurtley Beale landed just one of their four missed penalties and the Wallabies had beaten the Lions 24-23 in the first Test?
I reckon so.
It’s purely hypothetical, but Deans could have tinkered with the Wallaby’s second Test side to strengthen it, leading 1-nil in the three Test series, rather than take the safety first route to play catch ups and keep the series alive.
And it’s simply around the 8, 10, and 15 positions, with the first two the most contentious.
My suggestion yesterday that Wycliff Palu is past his 8 used-by date was met with plenty of vigorous support for him from Roarers, and a fair smattering agreeing he’s past it.
The facts are crystal clear.
Palu isn’t the ball-carrying hitman of yesteryear. He’s become purely a hitman, and that’s cost the Wallabies many barnstorming attacking metres gained with ball in hand.
Had Scott Higginbotham not been injured, he was the all-round attacking-defender 8 needed.
But that was out of the question, leaving Peter Kimlin as the next best option. He had a blinder at 8 in the Brumbies upset win over the Lions, the tourist’s only loss.
Kimlin can also play 4, 5, and 6 with just as much devastation. But he hasn’t even been on the bench for the two Tests.
And that left Palu with no-one on the second Test bench to replace him.
The only alternative tomorrow night if Palu under-performs again would be to switch Ben Mowen (6) to 8, and bring in Liam Gill at 6.
So leaving Kimlin out altogether is unfathomable when he can cover so many positions.
Fly-half?
Deans has had three chances to select two qualified full-time 10s, Quade Cooper and Matt Toomua, in the squad, and has ignored the lot.
That left the coach with two part-time 10s – O’Connor and Beale – having publicly nominated O’Connor as his first choice well before any squads were named.
Deans made an immediate rod for his own back.
That’s why he’s given O’Connor another chance at 10, despite having a shocker in the first Test.
That’s the safety first route when Beale was the better option, pushing O’Connor onto the wing where he’s far more effective and dangerous and in his comfort zone.
That leaves fullback, with Berrick Barnes injured, and the transition easy with Israel Folau dropping back from the wing where he had a blinder on debut.
Folau made the squad in his debut rugby season from fullback, and should never have been moved from there.
Those suggestions would have seen tomorrow night’s backline as Will Genia, Kurtley Beale, Christian Lealiifano, and Adam Ashley-Cooper, the wingers Joe Tomane and O’Connor, with Folau at 15.
That makes a whole lot more sense than Genia, O’Connor, Lealiifano, and Ashley-Cooper, the wingers Tomane and Folau, with Beale at 15.
And to complete the revamped picture, Nick Cummins on the bench for Rob Horne, to add more thrust in the centres and wing if required.
Let’s face it, there wouldn’t be as much confusion or discussion had O’Connor and Beale kicked one more penalty between them last week.