Genia and Cooper MUST be selected for the World Cup

Having watched Quade Cooper’s return to the playing field in Round 16 after an extended absence through injury, I have little doubt that Australian coach Michael Cheika was grinning from ear to ear.

I certainly was, for three reasons.

Finally, the Reds look like a rugby team. After a disastrous 2015 rugby season the fans, players and Reds hierarchy finally had something to smile about, with the Reds win against the Force.

Their previous performances have been so bad that even the most faithful of supporters must have been dreading the week-end and having to subject themselves to yet another disaster. If nothing else, you had to admire anyone brave enough to be seen in public in Reds attire – they have been few but fearless.

Secondly, while the game against the Force was a dead rubber, Quade Cooper’s performance was brilliant and his decision not to speak to the media was to be applauded. He wanted his actions to speak for themselves, and so they did. If that’s what he can do after a two-month absence, just think how lethal he can be at the time of the Rugby World Cup, when he has serious game time under his belt.

Thirdly, Will Genia’s game improved immeasurably as a consequence of Cooper’s presence. In fact, it was one of his best performances of the year.

I had the pleasure of coaching Genia some years ago at Brisbane Club Norths and it was apparent that he is a player that thrives on leadership. I suspect that the Reds erred in not including him in their leadership group for 2015, although I understand they wanted to blood others in light of his departure to France in 2016.

However, one must always remember to win the battle right in front of you rather than worry too much about the war, or you might not have an army worth spit to fight with.

Genia and Cooper is the best combination for Australian rugby at this point in time. We have lead-up Test matches to win and the ultimate prize of the Rugby World Cup later this year, and in order to win that cup we need a number of things.

We need a forward pack that can mix it with any other team in the world. Without that we are screwed. There is evidence mounting that we may have the players in certain positions at least, to be able to do this. Whether we have them across the whole forward pack remains to be seen, but there are certainly positive signs.

I have my doubts about one or two of the Australian forwards running around in the Super Rugby competition, who – to use the words of the late, great Queensland coach Bob Templeton – could best be described as ‘a puff of smoke in an empty saddle’, but that is a story for another day.

Assuming we can muster a forward pack capable of taking on and overcoming all-comers, it is essential that we have an experienced halves combination.

Genia and Cooper play marvellously together. Genia without Cooper is a bit like Abbott without Costello. Individually they are very good, but together they are fabulous. They are both 27 years old and have played together for the Reds in the Super Rugby for the last eight years. Genia played his first Super Rugby game in 2007 against the Hurricanes as a 19 year old, while Cooper got his first start against the Crusaders in Round 2 of the same year.

Cooper first played for the Wallabies in 2008 coming off the bench against Italy. Genia’s Test debut was against the All Blacks in 2009. Both men were in the Wallabies squad at the Rugby World Cup in 2011 and their experience of the disappointment of that semi-final defeat is a tremendous weapon to have in the arsenal.

Combinations born and forged over the years like Cooper and Genia are invaluable in pressure-cooker situations, and it doesn’t come any hotter than the Rugby World Cup. Australia has the opportunity to put out a tremendous backline and the more individuals with x-factor the better. Both Genia and Cooper possess this.

But not only do they have individual brilliance, they have the experience and combination so critical in ensuring that decisions made and plays created under the most intense circumstances are pulled off successfully. This is no mean feat.

Add the likes of Matt Toomua, Tevita Kuridrani, Israel Falou, Henry Speight and Kurtley Beale and you have game breakers all over the park. The attack can come from anywhere at any time, so there is plenty to be quietly confident about.

But at the end of the day, it is the quality of the ball that is delivered to the halves that is critical.

Provided the Wallaby forwards can deliver, Genia, Cooper and co. can certainly do the rest.