After looking at Australia’s forwards yesterday, today we assess who is permitted – if not necessarily primed – to pull on the gold jersey for Australia wearing 9, 10 or 12.
All of these names have shown some sort of ability at some point during their careers to achieve this objective at Test level.
As I mentioned in my previous article, it’s not the individuals that are called upon due to injuries that make the All Blacks the best team in the world, it’s how the team responds when these individuals are brought in.
Scrumhalf
Will Genia and Nic White: Will Genia has obviously run into a patch of form that’s well below what we’ve come to expect from him, which has opened the door for the skilful and exciting Nic White.
White’s long and tactical boot is a great asset and has even more value in a team without of anything comparable.
It’s a great benefit for the Wallabies to have two strong options at the base of the scrum pushing each other to be the best.
Luke Burgess: He’ll no doubt be looking to add to the 37 Wallaby caps he accumulated before linking up with Toulouse in 2011.
Nick Phipps: Still young with a lot of experience. He may provide the missing link between a large pack and an exciting backline for the Waratahs.
Nick Frisby and Ben Lucas: Lucas has been a valuable contributor at 9 for the Reds in the past but in more recent times his speed and kicking ability has been utilised in the back three.
This has given Nick Frisby the opportunity to take over as Genia’s back up and he’s left an impression whenever he’s been called upon.
Flyhalf
Quade Cooper and Matt Toomua: This pair look to be leading the charge at 10, with Quade being given another opportunity most recently.
I have no problem with this and believe he can definitely add value to this Australian side moving ahead, however I would have preferred it if Ewen McKenzie gave Toomua more of an opportunity than just two tough games against the current world champions.
Regardless of who starts, both will continue to be extensively used into the future.
Bernard Foley: He had an outstanding 2013 for the Waratahs and I’m sure a Wallaby debut, if due to injury, won’t be too far away.
Berrick Barnes and Matt Giteau: Both now based overseas but both are experienced Wallaby campaigners who possess the ability to play 10 and 12 at the international level.
At 27, Barnes is hopeful of returning to Australia following a stint in Japan. Giteau isn’t as sprightly but if his form for Toulon is anything to go by, he’s still capable of playing on the game’s biggest stage.
Inside centre
Christian Lealiifano: In his first seven Wallaby appearances he’s been solid without being spectacular.
It’ll take a bit of time to transfer his impressive Brumbies form onto the tight and unforgiving international platform but for the time being he provides us with a trusty sharp shooter in front of the sticks (despite some wobbles on the weekend just gone).
Ben Tapuai and Anthony Fainga’a: Queensland’s most common centres over the last few seasons have experienced some contrasting form in recent times.
Fainga’a kicked off his international career in 2010 and has since spent a considerable amount of time at both 12 and 13 for club and country.
He suffered a form slump in 2012, which gave Tapuai an opportunity to lock down the 12 shirt for the Reds and he took it with both hands. ‘Taps’ was rewarded with a number of starts on the Wallabies end of year tour and he didn’t disappoint.
This year they’ve done a switcheroo again, as Fainga’a became the Reds dominant performer in the midfield, while Taps has found himself on the outer on a few occasions.
Currently Fainga’a is injured and unavailable for the Wallabies, while Tapuai was a part of the 31-man squad to tackle the Lions but hasn’t been given a starting or bench spot this year.
Both solid 12s on their day.
Kyle Godwin: The Zimbabwean born, West Australian has put himself firmly in the sights of the selectors with an outstanding year for the Western Force.
Despite it being early days, he’s definitely been earmarked as a star for the future.
Jono Lance: He’ll find it tough going next year in a talent-packed Tahs backline but don’t be surprised to see Lance turning heads when given some opportunities in his more preferred position in 2014.
Mike Harris and Pat McCabe: Heaven help us if we have to dig deeper into the barrel past the five names mentioned above but, as this is a demonstration of depth exercise, two guys with a decent amount of Wallaby experience are worth a mention.
That said, in McCabe’s case I really hope we’ve seen the last of his Wallaby caps.
I hope the ARU are looking at ways to increase their share of Australia’s sporting pie but with money not exactly growing on trees at ARU headquarters, what’s really required is smart investments.
What’s not constructive is this kneejerk reaction that blames a lack of depth when the Wallabies lose a handful of tough games, followed by the subsequent suggestions that clearly haven’t been thought all the way through.
The depth is there to perform at the Test level and even if it wasn’t, a third tier isn’t going to have a direct impact on what’s available for the international squad.
That’s what we have a second tier for and, as this audit shows, it’s doing a reasonable job.
Ibika
Guest
I'm starting to look at Robbie deans and pat McCabe in a very different light.. Looks like this team is really ordinary and it was only deans strategies and players like McCabe who at least had some guts and work rate who made Australia competitive ..
JB
Guest
Good to see the depth in the No 9 ranks as Genia's star seems to fade (the guy needs to find his mojo back). White and Phipps have now proven that they can play at the highest level and Burgess is back. Also, the No 10 position has a few candidates. McKenzie will need to empower one of those guys and let him settle with a clear game plan adapted to the style of the player (don't put Quade in if you only want to kick and play defensive rugby). Inside centre is a problem as we are lacking some physicality. Agree that Leali'ifano has been solid but has not "rocked the world". The guy needs to get more confident. Horne has done reasonably weel at the Tahs when he was there. Forget about Anthony Fainga'a - totally useless ball in hand - can't even pass. Barnes is a smart player as long as you prevent him from kicking. His kicking is the direct cause of some of the Lions' tries. Now we are rueing the day we did let go of Giteau! The guy is still at the top of his game but needed to refresh himself away from Australian rugby. Time to get him back.
ACT
Guest
CL was kicking in the mid 90% against BIL, AB and SAF (before facing sideways rain against the Pumas) so no there isn't anyone worth 12pts a game to this team at that accuracy. Points are really precious to the Wobblies at the moment aren't they.
Adsa
Guest
And there lies the problem Tane, no.3 hmmmm.
Tane Mahuta
Guest
My Wallaby backline in 2014. 9) Genia/White 10) Lealiifano/Toomua 11) Speight 12) JOC 13) Godwin/AAC 14) Folau 15) Beale 21) White/Genia 22) Toomua/Lealiifano 23) AAC/Godwin Forwards: 1) Robinson 2) Moore 3) Hmmmm???? 4) Timani 5) Horwill 6) Mowen 7) Hooper/Pocock 8) Higginbotham
ron burgundy
Guest
First its not just about weight (using weight as examples is just a point really about power and I apologise for not being clearer... although it hepls to be 110kg) its more about power and McCabe had power particularly at contact. CL does not. In the 5 games that Mcacbe played in that tri nations 2011 he scored more players player points than most of the other backs who had played twice as many games including our supposed star that year Quade Cooper. The reason was the fact that he did all the ugly things that doesn't attract the fan fair. ie he topped our dominant tackle stats alongside Pocock from memory... he got over the advantage line more often than not etc etc as for Branes coming in and making a difference that was in the final game in the senseless play off for 3rd and yes Barnes had a good game. That was 1 game!!!! we can all pull out 1 game to make points... i think its better to think about where we've been successful these past few years. ie the trinations 2011 and the Wales series 2012. Mcabe was there making a big difference in both these series wins. RWC 2011 had its successes and failures and McCabe or his style of play was what worked for most of the successful sides of that tournament. i agree our forward pack is the bigger issue here though. But we are meant to be talking 9, 10 and 12 of course its your article. My point is with our pop gun pack we need a bigger stronger direct no 12 to atleast give us a chance of winning a collision on a rugby field. At the moment CL is our no 12 yes... but i don't think its healthy to start saying he's our only option when he isn't working for us. He has kicked like a champ but he offers us nothing as a second play maker and lets face it thats what he's there for. He's not there to run over the top of anyone... so we should be seriously asking why is he there? if its to kick goals he should be at 10 and Horne or Lance should be at 12 whcih isn't ideal.... frankly I'm back to my original point...we have no depth at 12.... i think we should be able to agree on that point. I'd be slotting Kuridrani at 12 immediately if I was Mckenzie!
Rob9
Guest
I don't think PMC was the difference in those games/series. I've seen some slight improvements in recent times eg. He's developed the ability to pass once in a while. But take a look at the RWC, the ball never made it past him. When Barnes came on things started to click and Cooper actually started to look settled as some of the playmaking and clearance duties were taken off his shoulders. And I certainly don't believe we're missing PMC now, not anywhere near as much as we're missing an energized forward pack that creates a platform for our back line to operate. I don't think a second-five is necessarily the answer either. I'd prefer a hulk with the ability to move the ball along too. But by no means does PMC represent that. He has about as much skill as Nonu has in one of his dreads and he actually weighs less than Lealiifano. We've got to make do with what we've got and until a genuine brick 12 can be found or developed, the best option at 12 is CL. It might not be ideal, but as I said, it's not the end of the world and we can still have a world class back line with a smaller ball player at inside centre. I see no sense in trying to create a centre of the Nonu mould out of a lightweight guy that tackles like a champ but hasn't got an attacking bone in his body.
ron burgundy
Guest
i agree with a lot of what you say.... i don't think Pat Mcacbe was a flop though.... we did win the tri nations with him... and in fact we 3zipped Wales with both him and Horne in the centres (statisticlaly they out played the welsh centres completely) and then last year we only started winning in the RC when mccabe came back in and he made a difference to the direct play needed in the mid field. I don't think a ball playing no 12 is what is needed in the modern game... not when you have your 2nd play maker at 15 which when Beale comes back we will. I know that goes against the aussie style but we are simply losing the battle by not having a monster at 12. It was the same with Giteau. While everyone including the AB's moved away from 2nd fives we persisted for too long and when finally Deans picked McCabe he got panned by our ill informed fans. Now we've gone bcak to a 2nd five in CL (who to be fair is a bit bigger than Giteau) but of course we are now seeing just how important a player like mcacbe is. I'm not saying Mccabe was or is the answer for the Wallabies to be no1 in the world but it is that type of player we need at 12... not CL... for him its no 10 or 15 or the bench.
Rob9
Guest
Sorry to disappoint Tane, but Digby and Drew are coming. In retrospect, it probably was a bit silly to put Smith down. But including the others it's just an acknowledgement of their talent and hoping one day they'll be back to provide their services and experience to a lucky SR team and be putting themselves forward for Wallaby selection.
Rob9
Guest
Ahh the old province based sledge where you must be a certain fan because you're pushing so many of their players. Look, I couldn't give a red rats if a player comes from Norfolk Island! I want the best for the national team and will push players regardless of where they play. Ant had a good 2013 and has a good amount of Wallaby experience. Taps had a good 2012 and played very well during the November tests. End of. And you do know Lance is a Tah in 2014 right?? Surely if I was a one eyed Reds fan I wouldn't go near him!
Chan Wee
Guest
OZ shud put Folau at 12. NZ have Nonu (105kg) and SBW (110kg) ; SA have JDV (100kg) ; Fance have Mathew B (120kg); Wales have Roberts (110kg). It is easier to teach a big man to kick(a la Nonu) than to make a kicking man big! Anyway why do u want to kick the ball away , when u can't score without it. AAC is a good defender so put him next to Folau (like Smith & Nonu or JDV & JJE or Roberts & Davies). (Insurance of a cover defender against a fast moving attacker.) Now that JOC is gone Beale is the best bet left at 15. He has the best "sense" fo a full back; problem is off the park he has no sense :) Also OZ shud look at developng Mogg into a wing. I read somewhere he is a sprin - able to run 100m in 11 seconds. Lo0k at NZ (Jane , B Smith, Piutau) SA (WLR, BB) France (Huget). Easiest wayfo someone/team to improve is to look around and see who is oing what sucessfully.
Rob9
Guest
Agree you don't get any of the gorilla-like qualities with 95kg CL that you do with a 105 + kg monster. That's why Deans' PMC experiment was more or less a flop. At least with CL you get some ball playing abilities and a boot. Point is, he's not exactly tiny and can hold his own in the midfield. Our issue at the moment is we don't have a Nonu/de Villiers/Robert's type centre whose big and somewhat skillful. In recent years Nonu's shown he's more than a big unit with an offload and a fend. He knows when to shift the ball along and can do so accurately and he's even added skillful and long range kicking to his list of talents. Eg. Sneaky grubber in behind the line for an AB try assist against the frogs. It'll be interesting to see how Kuridrani and Izzy develop (I don't know that AAC is the answer) but right now we've got no choice but to deploy a ball player at 12. And that's not the end of the world, they can still be valuable on a test rugby field.
Magic Sponge
Guest
My backline for 2014. It is not looking good for these three positions this year. 9. Genia 10. CL 11. Badger 12. Goodwin or AAC depending on form from Goodwin 13. Izzy 14. Mogg 15 .AAC
Rob G
Guest
I'm guessing rob9 is too. Lucas, frisby, faingaa, tapui and lance would never get a mention otherwise.
ron burgundy
Guest
statistically Horne was the premier no 12 in australian super rugby! let me guess 'Realist' you are from queensland?
RedsNut
Guest
IMO, Burgess should be last on the list, if there at all. Beale is not a 10 - too greedy hanging on to the ball as per AAC and Ioane.
James P
Guest
Stirzaker is really quick across the ground. 20 metres in 2.7 seconds according to the rebels page. Personally, I think he is a much better scrum half than Phipps or Burgess - although Phipps is quite effective in the breakdowns.
Tane Mahuta
Guest
Heaven help us if A.Faingaa is considered a better option than McCabe. Godwin and Lance are good prospects but maybe too young and inexperienced. Gits and Berrick are Aus talent but if you are adding them to depth I cant see the point. Both may attempt to return for the WC but neither are part of the Wallaby depth for now. If you were to name NZ depth at 10 you wouldnt add N.Evans, L.McAlistair and S.Donald. You are padding the depth with those who are not eligible. In the forwards you added Palmer, Kimlin and G.Smith too. G.Smith is not only becoming ineligible but has stated that he has retired and will never play international rugby again. Dont tell me you are going to add Ioane and Mitchell to the back 3 depth.
Realist
Guest
Horne is poor - let's never mention him again.. Lealiifano has been the only player straightening the attack, passing and making the gain line (other than folau). AAC should go from 13 to wing or 15.
colvin
Guest
Rob, I was half watching, half sleeping while a Rebels match was on towards the end of the season and two young Rebels players caught my eye which made me focus a little more closely. I imagine it's too soon to include the Rebels scrum half Stirzaker and flyhalf Hegarty in a list such as yours. But in terms of potential, if they can be developed, they both looked pretty sharp. Stirzaker made a break so fast that he was through before the opposition even knew he had the ball.