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Wallabies and Cheika are focused on the rugby

Michael Cheika has to go back to the drawing board. (Source: AAP Image/Theron Kirkman)
Roar Guru
5th November, 2014
20

The Wallabies are on their end-of-year-tour for 2014, and so far they’ve played one match, against the Barbarians at Twickenham last Saturday.

This was a welcome change from previous tours, where Barbarians matches were usually played at the end of the tour.

It was a good chance for the team and the new coach Michael Cheika to blow away any cobwebs and get some combinations going before playing Wales, Ireland, France and England.

The Wallabies were playing a very strong Barbarians team that looked almost like an All Blacks A side, and coached by the former All Black and Blues coach John Kirwan.

The Wallabies won 40-36 in a fast open match that turned into a thriller at the end after a spirited fightback by the Barbarians from 40-22 down with 10 minutes to go.

The fall-off in intensity by the Wallabies in the last 10 minutes seemed to mirror a trend from the Rugby Championship and Bledisloe 3, and did cloud an otherwise good performance.

Cheika selected a number of players for run-on starts who hadn’t had much time on the field for the Wallabies, or were coming back from injuries. So the side was markedly different to the team pipped by the All Blacks in Bledisloe 3 a few weeks ago.

Notably getting starts were James Horwill at lock, Matt Hodgson at open side, Ben Alexander and Benn Robinson as props, Will Genia and Quade Cooper as the halves combination and Rob Horne and Henry Speight on the wings. New boy Sean McMahon and Will Skelton were on the bench.

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Cheika’s motives for making those selections can be interpreted in a number of different ways, from attempting to promote team harmony by giving all players a chance to shine, to the coach’s desire to see these players in action. Perhaps is was also showing a fair and open team selection process to blot out any hints of Waratah preferences.

It was probably all three reasons, in reality, and looked like a very good start for the new coach.

From the players given their chances, some performed well enough to be real run-on possibilities in the Tests, while others were rusty or failed to seize the moment. Horwill looked to have more mongrel and work rate and looked good as a lineout receiver. He may get his opportunity to start this week, but would he replace Sam Carter or Rob Simmons?

Ben McCalman was returning from injury and played strongly at eight, earning his place to start against Wales, particularly with Scott Higginbotham suffering a hamstring strain. McMahon was just about the best player on the field after he came on to replace the injured Higginbotham, and looks a strong possibility to start at six this week.

Hodgson also played well, and he or Luke Jones are also in the mix for six. However, McCalman is not as strong a lineout option as Higginbotham, so a six lacking height may put pressure on the choice of locks, where Simmons reigns supreme in Australian rugby. The pack selections for this week will be very interesting for the back five, but the front row used in Bledisloe 3 – James Slipper, Saia Fainga’a, and Sekope Kepu – are certainties.

In the backs, Rob Horne was outstanding, while Speight looked vulnerable positionally in defence, and didn’t really stand out in attack with few opportunities. To pick Speight in the 15 this week might be too soon. So with Adam Ashley-Cooper on one wing, either Joe Tomane or Horne should be on the other.

The one who misses out could be on the bench, and I think Horne has earned his run-on. Matt Toomua played well, but Christian Lealiifano was smooth and silky in attack and should retain the 12 spot in which he excelled against the All Blacks in Bledisloe 3.

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Genia and Cooper didn’t really show out, with Genia’s pass being notably slower and less accurate than Nic White’s, and Cooper’s passing also suffering. Genia looks to be behind Nick Phipps and White at the moment. With a likely 6-2 split of forwards and backs against Wales, it is unlikely there would be a spot for Cooper in the 23 either, as a wing-utility player and a halfback would probably be the two backs on the bench.

Judging by the way the Wallaby attack functioned against the All Blacks in Bledisloe 3, and how it looked when Bernard Foley, Nic White and Christian Lealiifano came on against the Barbarians, Michael Cheika will almost certainly select the same backline used in Bledisloe 3. There may be the possible switch of Horne to start and Tomane on the bench, while Nick Phipps will start at halfback with White on the bench.

Forwards win matches, or so the piggies tell us, and that is where the physicality that Cheika wants is going to mostly play out. Aggression in defence and at the breakdown will be telling for the Wallabies. We saw some of this in the Barbarians match, but there’s a way to go yet.

As a start for Cheika’s team, however, it looks promising. I think Horwill could really lift under Cheika, and become the top quality lock that he was and had the potential to become. Michael Hooper and McMahon are strong running forwards, who are good in defence, but it is at the breakdown where they will need to stand out. Confidence in the retaining of possession is essential to enable patience to prevail and the attack to unleash its full power.

Nathan Grey is working on the defensive structures, and we should know more about how that’s going after the Wales Test. The Barbarians match showed snippets of promise tempered by new combination frailties, so expect a big improvement this week.

Cheika places great emphasis on communicating with his players and getting them into the right state of mind to perform at their best. He also has high standards of physicality and requires constant movement at training to get the players into the attitude of continually getting up off the deck and getting in motion to contribute.

He would want his side to show resolve and attitude and not a fade away in the last 10 minutes of matches, so it will be interesting to see what happens. Expect this facet to improve each match. Players not putting in the required effort won’t be in the mix, and they would have been made aware of that.

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Overall, the Wallabies appear to be going well, with defence, physicality and mental preparedness being the major wheels in motion where major improvements are needed, and expected. If this happens, the Wallabies will start to look like a powerful and consistent team that plays out the full 80 minutes, and will be a major threat to any team.

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