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When Michael Cheika took over the Wallaby coaching job from Ewen McKenzie at the end of last year, he was thrown in the deep end.
He had five minutes to get his end of the year tour squad he didn’t select into some semblance of unity playing rugby the Cheika way – running the ball.
The Wallbies beat Wales first up 33-20, but lost 29-26 to France, 26-23 to Ireland, and 26-17 to England.
They may have lost some games, but the Wallabies were competitive.
Eight months later, Cheika surfaced again as a far more at ease and in control Wallaby coach with wins over the Boks (24-20), the Pumas (34-9) and the All Blacks (27-19) to win the Rugby Championship undefeated.
Beating the All Blacks for the first time in four years and 10 Tests was the obvious highlight.
And the Wallabies won because Cheika was fearless.
He made the big, but obvious, call to play David Pocock and Michael Hooper together from the kick-off, and it worked a treat.
He promoted props Scott Sio and Sekope Kepu from the bench against the Pumas to replace James Slipper and Greg Holmes in the starting line-up,and that worked a treat as well.
Cheika dropped behemoth lock Will Skleton to the bench, where he was so much more effective late in the game.
And he had Kurtley Beale with Matt Toomua on the bench where both can play 10 or 12, with Beale able to play 15 as well.
Having won the Rugby Championship, the next Cheika target was the coveted Bledisloe that has been entrenched on Kiwi soil since 2003, and breaking the Eden Park drought where the Wallabies last won in 1986.
There are two accepted theories in any sport – the most important game is the next one, and if the team ‘ain’t broke, don’t fix it’.
But Michael Cheika went from fearless at ANZ, to reckless at Eden Park.
He split the just proven combination of Pocock and Hooper to start with so much at stake, relegating Pocock to the bench.
Gob-smacking.
He promoted Skelton back into the starting line-up and sacked Nick Phipps and Bernard Foley as the halves, installing Nic White and Quade Cooper, and promoted Henry Speight onto the wing.
If the side ain’t broke, why so many changes?
So did Cheika treat the Bledisloe and Eden Park as the next game, or was he using it as a litmus test to provide some answers to what will be his number one side for the World Cup?
Whatever the reasons, the Wallabies were thumped 41-13, so the Bledisloe-Eden Park double drought continues for another year.
But the Cheika shocks didn’t end there.
Despite being a tower of strength during the Rugby Championship, James Horwill didn’t make the 31-man World Cup squad.
He lost out to two returnees from overseas – Dean Mumm and Kane Douglas – with Rob Smmons and Skelton winning the other two lock spots.
Horwill has had a chequered World Cup career.
He made his Walaby debut in 2007 against Fiji at Subiaco, but was a surprise omission for the World Cup, losing out to Dan Vickerman, Mark Chisholm, Nathan Sharpe and Hugh McMeniman.
In 2011, Horwill was the shock selection as World Cup captain over incumbent Rocky Elsom, and yesterday Horwill was left out again.
So too were Scott Higginbotham, Nic White, Christian Lealiifano, and the blockbusting centre from the Reds – Samu Kerevi.
More reckless selections were just two hookers – skipper Stephen Moore and Tatafu Polota-Nau – with seemingly no room for James Hanson.
Only two halfbacks – Will Genia and Phipps – with White missing out.
And that’s where the biggest World Cup problem for Cheika will be – the 9-10 slots.
With Genia-Phipps and Cooper-Foley the nominated alternatives on the selection sheet, there are other possibities if push turns to shove, with Matt Giteau the pinch-hitting halfback or pivot, Matt Toomua as a 10, and Kurtley Beale as a 10 as well.
Giteau, Toomua and Beale are nominated as inside backs, which suggests Cheika still has Beale in his sights as the 12.
That would be a huge Wallaby plus, as Beale is the only one in the squad who can send Israel Folau on his dynamic way.
Folau can win the World Cup for the Wallabies, if given the time and space to create his own brand of havoc.
Kurtey Beale will be the provider.
And if Michael Cheika can see it that way it will be a fearless decision, not recklessness at all.