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My Wallabies squad for the June internationals

21st May, 2014
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Stephen Moore, as captain, is definitely starting for the Wallabies. (Photo: Supplied)
Roar Guru
21st May, 2014
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Ewen McKenzie is soon to announce his Wallabies squad to take on the French in the June internationals. With one eye on the future and another on the present, I self-indulgently present to you my match-day squad.

Rob’s team for the first Test against France
1. James Slipper
2. Stephen Moore
3. Sekope Kepu
4. Rob Simmons
5. James Horwill
6. Scott Fardy
7. Michael Hooper (c)
8. Ben McCalman
9. Nic White
10. Matt Toomua (vc)
11. Nic Cummins
12. Christian Lealiifano
13. Adam Ashley-Cooper
14. Pat McCabe
15. Israel Folau

16. Nathan Charles
17. Scott Sio
18. Kieran Longbottom
19. Luke Jones
20. Scott Higginbotham
21. Will Genia
22. Bernard Foley
23. Robbie Coleman

>> Full Wallabies squad, positions and news

Hooker
By most metrics, Nathan Charles has been in better form than Polota-Nau and he deserves the opportunity. From the bench, of course .

Tighthead Prop
Ben Alexander’s form has been awful. He has been in and out of the Wallabies squad over the years, but who would pick him this year?

Kieran Longbottom has performed decently for the Force without playing the house down. He gets a shot from my bench because hell, it couldn’t hurt.

Number 8
Perhaps this might be seen as a contentious choice, but it shouldn’t be.

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If form matters for anything, then McCalman has to start. His workrate this season is absolutely phenomenal, with 138 attempted tackles for 10 missed, 120-odd runs for six line breaks, only four errors and five long-arm penalties in 786 minutes of rugby.

It’s an outstanding record, and unparalleled among Aussie back-rowers.

Needless to say the numbers aren’t anywhere near as good for Palu, even factoring in for the time that he spent on the sidelines.

I don’t doubt that Cliffy has been a better Number 8 over the course of his career, but if you’re being fair dinkum you have to put McCalman ahead of Palu at least for the first Test.

Scrum-half
Will Genia has inspired deep devotion from Aussie fans, but White is outperforming him in practically every respect.

With Cooper injured, there is little justification to be starting Genia ahead of White. None that I can see, anyway.

Fly-half
It’s another no-brainer for me, although I have no doubt that there are proponents of a Foley-Toomua axis out there.

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For me, that concept is too early and too untested. Foley can make an impression from the bench instead.

Outside backs
I doubt if anyone would question Cummins’ or Folau’s places in the squad, and I feel that McCabe would be the best choice for the other spot.

His form is too good to ignore, even if Brumbies Coach Stephen Larkham has been squandering it on the bench). If McCabe is not starting on the wing, then he should be starting at 12. He has to be in there somewhere.

Some might wonder how Robbie Coleman made it into my squad, but I’d turn the question around and ask you why he shouldn’t be there. Tries, linebreaks, plenty of runs – several of his key stats for the season thus far have virtually mirrored those of a certain Adam Ashley-Cooper.

He has some talent as a playmaker as well, so he’s not a bad fit for the James O’Connor mold of winger.

Captaincy
I have picked two younger guys who I feel not only have a very strong grip on their spots, but also the respect of their peers. Both players lead by example and have great temperaments under pressure.

With older heads in the squad to bounce ideas off, I am confident that my captain and vice-captain would achieve some successes.

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Nearly made the cut
Matt Hodgson is very unlucky. He could well take Higginbotham’s spot on the bench and I wouldn’t bat an eyelid. If Hooper wasn’t to be asked to play 80 minutes then Hodgson would definitely be in.

Will Skelton has made an impact, but Luke Jones has been more consistent and knocking on the door for longer. I like consistency.

Tevita Kuridrani is not really a bench player, and is not outperforming Ashley-Cooper. Kuridrani also needs to find consistency.

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