Centre options for the Wallabies

As a Brumbies tragic I have been a big fan of Matt Toomua for some time and I still believe there is a long-term place for him in the Wallabies team.

Now with Toomua injured, an assessment of the options in the centres for the Wallabies is required.

I’ve listed below what I consider the possible combinations in order of likelihood, offering my assessment on the merits of each.

Kurtley Beale and Tevita Kuridrani
Ewen McKenzie is clearly a fan of Beale as evidenced by his initial selection at flyhalf. Beale also has extensive, recent and successful experience in the position this season.

There have been strident calls from some commentators for Beale to be played at inside centre for the Wallabies since before their first Test this year, even when Toomua was fit and firing. So I also wonder what level of pressure is being felt by McKenzie to find a spot for Beale.

To butcher a tired old meme, Beale is like a box of chocolates in that you never know what you’re going to get. If Beale can run straight, play smart and pass early, he can turn in masterful performances on attack. Under pressure and with time and space cut down, as they are in Test matches, he tends to panic a little and revert to running sideways.

At Test match level teams will target Beale in defence, which means the most likely combination is also probably the worst one.

Christian Lealiifano and Tevita Kuridrani
McKenzie will see this as a more like-for-like replacement of Toomua. The fact Lealiifano was brought across with the squad tells us something about the way McKenzie is thinking.

Unlike Beale, with Lealiifano you know what you’re going to get. He’s not going to do anything flashy but he will generally be solid in both attack and defence.

Lealiifano’s form since returning from injury has been questionable, so while this probably represents the safest option, it’s not the best one.

Tevita Kuridrani and Adam Ashley-Cooper
This option represents a more radical departure in terms of playing styles. It is a combination that has been repeatedly spruiked by Bob Dwyer, who suggests odd selections from time to time but there is no doubting his credentials. This selection has leaked into my consciousness as worth trying.

Many other teams have had some success with bullocking inside centres – Ma’a Nonu, Jamie Roberts, Sonny Bill Williams, Manu Tuilagi. The most successful – Nonu and Williams – also have good ball skills of course.

The Wallabies at the moment have two very good centres in Kuridrani and Ashley-Cooper. The thought of both of them running at the line and working together is something worth contemplating.

Rob Horne and Tevita Kuridrani
I put this option last because if you approve of a Horne/Kuridrani combo then surely the previous Kuridrani/Ashley-Cooper one is better.

However there are some that prefer Ashley-Cooper on the wing on the basis that he is an out-and-out finisher. I can see some validity to that argument.

Horne has been one of the more consistent players this year, but that’s been at wing instead of centre. Still, he does have experience in the centres and playing him there would allow us to reward his good form while still finding room for Joe Tomane or another winger.

With the first two options I’ve listed above, it’s clear who would be 12 and who would be 13. Beale and Lealiifano are clearly ball-playing inside centres. It’s a stretch for me to imagine a Conrad Smith-inspired variation where you would put one of these guys outside, say, Kuridrani.

With the Horne/Kuridrani and Kuridrani/Ashley-Cooper combinations, it’s less clear who you would field where.

Some may might spruik for someone like Israel Folau or Tomane to be tried in the centres, but I’m against trying such things at Test match level. All positions in rugby are specialist but centres are very nuanced positions and the uninitiated tried there will get found out – especially in defence – no matter how good they are in other positions. For reference check out Sonny Bill Williams’ first Barbarians match against a wily old Stirling Mortlock.