Four starting changes and the longest Wallabies bench ever

Wallabies coach Michael Cheika hasn’t quite gone as far as I thought – or as far as I hoped, on Tuesday – but I do like that he’s gone some way to shaking the side up ahead of their Test against Ireland in Dublin, in the early hours of Sunday morning, AEDT.

Cheika has made just the four changes to the XV that ran out against France in Paris.

Lock Sam Carter – who I’m told missed the France Test due to a concussion injury – has come back into the starting side in place of James Horwill.

Young flanker/lock Luke Jones will play his second Test at blindside, in place of Melbourne Rebels teammate Sean McMahon. Jones made his debut in June, in the second Test against France in Melbourne.

Brumbies flyer Henry Speight will make his long-awaited Wallabies debut on the left wing, also in place of a teammate, in this case ‘fro-bro’ Joe Tomane. And the teammate replacement theme continues, with Matt Toomua coming back in at inside centre for his tenth Test of the year, in place of Brumbies midfield partner Christian Lealiifano.

Of the replacements, well, it really is ‘everyone gets a game’ time, with eleven players named on an oversized bench suddenly in need of reinforcement. I genuinely can’t recall 11 players ever being named on a bench for any Australian team; someone please correct me if it’s happened before.

Regardless, and obviously, three players will be trimmed from the extended bench.

Or will they?

Perhaps this is a cunning plan to negate the second-half scrummaging issues? Finishing the game with a four-man front row and three locks would certainly eradicate most of the issues that have plagued the Wallabies late-game scrum in recent weeks.

It may just be crazy enough to work.

Among the changes, I’m really happy to see Western Force prop Tetera Faulkner recalled to the bench, and I do hope he survives the cull. As I mentioned on Tuesday, I think it’s important that as much time can be given to fringe props as possible.

It is the only way to test where they’re at in terms of international competition is to try them out and this Test would be an appropriate time to try Faulkner again.

Horwill can probably count himself a touch unlucky to lose his starting spot to Carter, though since learning this week of Carter’s concussion injury, perhaps we actually read too much into Horwill’s promotion to the starting side last weekend in Paris in the first place.

I hope that missing the starting team will keep Horwill’s fires burning within, because I think he has played reasonably well on this tour.

The extended bench has probably given Will Skelton a reprieve for now, but I’m not sure how can make the final matchday 23. Even his impact around the ground – what is supposed to make up for his evident scrummaging and lineout deficiencies – was lacking last weekend in Paris, and Horwill just doesn’t deserve to dropped from the team completely, in my humble opinion.

It’s bittersweet news around McMahon. Not that he’s been replaced in the starting side after two Tests, but that room couldn’t be found for him on such a big bench.

And while I’m happy to see how Luke Jones goes in the Test side again, I have to admit to being a little surprised that he’s starting. I’m also a little surprised – disappointed, actually – that Matt Hodgson has been left out completely.

However, as I’ve written this week, Australian rugby does have to maintain an element of trust in Cheika’s chosen direction for the side – even though the issues in attack and defence are there to see. After suggesting he just try stuff in my earlier article, I can’t readily complain when he does just that.

In time, Jones could potentially become that hard-nosed aggressive ball carrier that Cheika wants in his forwards. He certainly has a bit of mongrel in him already, and hopefully he’s learned how to channel that from his brief taste of international rugby thus far. Jake Schatz, too, probably should have played more Test rugby than he has, but injuries rarely pick a good time to strike.

Out wide, I’m happy to see Toomua back at inside centre. Lealiifano had as good a game in the Wallabies no.12 in the third Bledisloe as I think I’ve ever seen him play in the position, but sadly he’s offered little by comparison in the two Tests on tour. Toomua back in midfield brings both more organisation defensively, as well as some familiarity for Bernard Foley one spot in.

On Foley, I suggested on Tuesday that both Foley and Nick Phipps were playing like they were fatigued after a long season, and I absolutely stand by that. However, Toomua back at 12 can be that literal missing piece from all the attacking familiarity that has been developed in 2014.

The only question might be one of how Toomua will go under the new flatter attacking method, but along the theme of trying stuff, there is only one to find out.

Henry Speight was always going to debut on this tour, and I’m really happy for him after a stop-start season. Does it matter that he’s been named on the left wing when I can’t recall him wearing anything other than no.14? Again, there’s only one way to find out.

And that just leaves the bench backs. I thought Will Genia and Quade Cooper should’ve started this game, but they won’t and that no longer matters. They did both have an impact last weekend in Paris, and should again in Dublin this weekend. Genia obviously will hold his spot, and so should Cooper. But will he?

And I ask that because I just wonder if you can have Cooper and Kurtley Beale on the same bench.

That’s not rhetorical, by the way, I’m genuinely wondering about it. If Cooper is the designated midfield cover, does Beale or Rob Horne offer more in terms of back three coverage?

So who misses out? Skelton for sure, for me, and I can flip a coin between Robinson and Alexander, given Faulkner can play either side.

Beale or Horne? Now that I’m committing words to print, Beale wouldn’t have been put on a plane just to train in the UK, would he. Rob Horne, then, loses the contentious call.