- Video
-
Club Roar
Captured a great grassroots sporting moment? We want to see it!Content Collections
The Roar Community
- Join
- Login
The negativity over the past few seasons surrounding the Australian team has puzzled me.
Different reasons have been attributed to their lack of success. A lack of depth, interstate rivalries, poor coaching, injuries, having to compete with rival codes for talent and a poorly run administration have all been put forward at one point or another.
In fairness, all of these factors have probably played their part in several mediocre seasons for the Green and Gold but in my view the stock has always been there to work with.
So, what’s the difference now? Plenty has been said already about the influence of Michael Cheika but is it too simplistic to attribute it all to one man? Probably, but there is no doubt that success seems to follow this man and it has started to rub off on his Wallaby squad.
While there are fewer injuries this season than in previous years, most notably David Pocock, he is actually working with pretty much the same player base that has been available for some time now and getting maximum benefit for his efforts.
A few tweaks here and there to the Wallaby eligibility criteria to involve some experienced heads were no doubt instigated by Cheika himself and have turned out to be inspired selections and have left a few of us armchair observers with egg on our face.
Still, despite the positive results thus far, debate still rages over preferred combinations and who should be involved. What a wonderful position for Wallaby fans to be in after the negativity of previous seasons. Combine this with the introduction of the NRC and there is an awful lot to like about Australian rugby at the moment, at least from this outsiders point of view.
Cheika seemed on a hiding to nothing to begin with once appointed to the Wallaby coaching position. Having to take someone else’s team to Europe and then returning to Waratah duties as well as being tasked with World Cup preparations, many deemed this was foolhardy. It would seem he has managed this well, albeit with the benefit of hindsight.
With the bulk of his squad emanating from the Reds, Brumbies and Waratahs he has managed to extricate the best values from the individual sides. He has adopted the Reds’ set piece, the Brumbies’ ruck work and the Waratahs’ defence and moulded that into a Wallabies outfit along with a massive dose of self-belief.
I would go as far to suggest that he had the franchises working on key areas throughout the Super tournament, involving Stephen Larkham in his coaching team is perhaps an example of this.
Now, yes all the teams are tinkering away and using the Rugby Championship to firm up spots in squads for the World Cup. Yes, the Wallabies had home ground advantage, the Boks bench was woeful and the All Blacks played dreadfully and so on.
There are plenty of reasons to keep the feet on the ground for now, but then again, that seems to be exactly what the Wallabies are doing.
There is no doubt that this weekend’s match will provide a true litmus test of where this current Wallabies side is at and we will wait and see, but I very much doubt we will see another thirty-point thumping as was dished up last season. While I think they won’t, I wouldn’t be surprised if they managed to pull off an ‘upset’, as much as I would hate to witness that.
A strong Wallabies is a positive for all of us and adds more value to the international scene. As much as I hate losing to them, it is good to see them starting to realise their potential and suddenly, in a relatively short space of time, a decent crack at the World Cup title is no longer a pipe dream. It now seems a very realistic prospect and from the outside looking in, Michael Cheika is the major reason why.
It appears the ingredients were always there in the kitchen for the Wallabies – they just lacked the right recipe to make it work. Cheika is the man with the recipe, and so far the entrée has proved pretty damn tasty.
Let’s see what he can dish up for the main course.
Join The Roar rugby editor Christy Doran, former Wallaby Matt Toomua and a cast of regular and special guests as they look at the biggest issues in the game on The Roar Rugby Podcast. If you’re looking for great odds on the next game check out Aussie bookmaker PlayUp. Chances are you’re about to lose. Set a deposit limit.