Even McKenzie should have been dancing jigs as Michael Cheika developed his team through the winter. What an inheritance!
Not only were they winning, they were winning with style.
Most points for, least against, most tries and the turnstiles were twirling.
That Waratahs took me back 50 years to when the NSW sky blues challenged each touring team. It may be that memory plays tricks but it did seem sometimes those teams were nearly as strong as the Test sides.
So to some rumination. What would happen if McKenzie was to take the Waratahs team as his baseline and then insert improvements?
To make up the 22, you need to add a couple of props and a hooker. I can’t see why you would drop any of the Tahs’ starting three; I agree with Spiro that Benn Robinson is a pretty good asset at scrum time. Is there a personality clash issue behind his non selection? Surely his scrummaging offsets his ball carrying shortcomings. He doesn’t seem to miss tackles either.
With respect to the additions, I have no idea who is best. That is one for an ex-prop to ponder.
The rest of the scrum is a bit skeletal coming from the Tahs, who provide two eligible backrowers and a lock from the bench, assuming that’s where Will Skelton fits in.
To make up the contingent of eight starters and bench players three second rowers and a couple of backrowers are required. You need at least one lineout calling lock and another two big, beefy, aggressive types. Similarly for the back row. Big and aggressivee; you have more luck with big players.
As for the names, others can judge better than me. I’m not sure Matt Hodgson is big enough but I sure like his aggression.
So, to the nine backs. Here we need to add a halfback to the squad and two others. I guess Nic White, Matt Toomua and Tevita Kuridrani speak for themselves.
As to the starting line up, why tamper with the sublimely successful Waratahs combination of half, five-eighth, centres and fullback? That team covered the problem of Kurtley Beale’s defensive issues brilliantly by playing him as a second fullback in defence who took dozens of offloads from Israel Folau.
Maybe this is a parochial way of looking at the formation of the Wallabies and is likely to end up with nine or ten Waratahs in the starting line-up.
But heck, they are coming from a winning team which seems to have great culture and played the vast majority of the Super season with confidence and determination.
somer
Guest
You haven't really supplied good data for your rational. McCaw is bigger than any Aussie No 7 Louw is the best SA No 7 and he's even bigger - 1.88m, 112 kg. Brussow was unwanted by the Boks because of his small size. Cane is the choice behind McCaw - 1.89m, 104 kg. Bit on the light side but he's taller than any other No 7 and at 22 years old probably has the potential to add a few more kilos. No 7s if anything are getting bigger, pilfering and support to the breakdown is becoming a team responsibility rather than an individuals, and physicality over the ball is becoming more critical than speed to the ball.
Ball'n'all
Guest
I recall fos complaining on a number of occasions that a nsw super title win would lead to calls for the wallabies to be the warratahs in yellow. But you struggle to recall the contents of you own previous posts mike, so I am not surprised at at your b.itchy little response.
Tom G
Guest
Sorry but where were the turnstiles whirring again? Of all the things the Tahs got right this year it sure as hell wasn't in getting people to the games. Allianz crowds were a complete joke and ANZ poor. , Given the excellent quality of the product it was an embarrassment to those responsible to get bums on seats. The only time a real crowd arrived was for the qualifying semi and grand finals
Ball'n'all
Guest
The warratahs were the best team across the full super xv season, but the penalty which gifted them the finals win has since been identified as a bad call by the ref who gave it. Not to say they didn't deserve the win, but a close win stemming from a bad ref call is hardly a strong basis to claim certain domination of world rugby from. Particularly as the ab's are exponentially better than the crusaders.
Mike
Guest
No, you didn't predict it. You posted a lot of general rants about New South Wales and Queensland, and now you want to pull a few things from different posts and say "I predicted exactly this". Your last four words should be in the present tense.
Mike
Guest
Oh come on Jerry. Next you'll be saying our recent 7 wins on the trot were all against second or third tier teams... :)
Mike
Guest
The new rules haven't made any real difference at all. The only thing that became "less effective" was the Australian scrum (mainly without Robinson) in 2013. That was most likely due to poor coaching.
formeropenside
Guest
...and articles like this are exactly why I was hoping the Tahs would never win a super title - even though it took an incorrect penalty and an ARU gift to make it happen in the end. I predicted exactly this - and got laughed at.
formeropenside
Guest
Well, Benn was pretty good back in 2009. But the new rules have made him far less effective.
Harry Jones
Expert
Good post.
pick & go..!!
Guest
Harry, We all know test rugby is different to super rugby. That basically depends if the players can make the step up, But the rules don't change. What I mean is that maybe some Waratahs players may not be cut out for test rugby, But the Waratahs system may work in test rugby. I have read are few articles, & everyone on here has come up with there own opinions on which players should of been picked & so on. But I believe the changes should be made to the Wallabies system. IMHO the Wallabies have always played at there best with ball in hand running rugby. A possession based game. But we have tried in recent years to play the ABs game of applying pressure through tactical-kicking & swift counter attacking. The ABs have world class players who play under a world class system. The Wallabies have some world class players who play under a good system. That is the difference. Imo
PiratesRugby
Guest
Foley is not much of a tackler either. QC didn't terrify attackers. Berrick Barnes was a good tackler. So too JOC. Toomua the best of them all.
Jerry
Guest
That 7 out of 10 sounds impressive until you actually look at the teams they beat.
Mike
Guest
Of course. John Eales suffered from an under-developed brain in his first year as Australian captain (age 24) when he led Australia to 7 out of 10 victories. ;)
Mike
Guest
"Beale at 10 instead of Foley was the exact type of selection that Deans was consistently criticised for." Given that Deans chose Cooper at 10 in every series for which he was fit, bar one, you appear to have a very low opinion of Cooper.
Harry Jones
Expert
We need someone to write a well-sourced authoritative article on how--exactly how--different test rugby is from club rugby.
Clark
Guest
International rugby is a whole different ball game. NZ show this through their squad, not very many Crusaders players in it.
B-Rock
Roar Guru
It sounds crazy, and I dimissed it initially, but In some ways they would have an advantage over last weeks team - of course they aren't going to be competitive with the top 4 test sides but if you run down the SR final team and last weeks team... Kane Douglas and JackPot would walk into the wallabies pack if eligible, Benn Robbo and TPN are massive front row upgrades, Phipps and Foley are better halves combination KB and AAC in their right positions in the centres Back 3 pretty similar I think last weeks wallabies team would lose to the tahs GF team.
Steve Winter
Roar Rookie
Hi all This was my first post and I read all the comments with interest. Thank you for your ideas. Taking the feedback into account, this might be the Wallaby team. Slipper, Polota-Nau, Kepu ... Robinson on the bench in case of scrum problems Skelton, the other is your pick, but someone big and aggressive and who can call line outs please ... Scrums don't tend to go backwards when Skelton is in them Hooper, Palu, Hodgson ... Palu is bigger than the other contenders Phipps, Foley Beale, Ashley-Cooper ... or Toomua for Beale in the first half if you prefer Horne, Folau, Kerindrani ... or Tomane for Horne if you like So, there's a team, quite a good one
AndrewWA
Guest
Forgot Shane Christie - 1.84m & 107kg