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Cam Avery wrote a nice article yesterday in which he wrote on how critical it is to nurture players in the wake of World Cups.
“The year following a World Cup has become increasingly important as the professional age develops, with the need to bring in and blood players throughout the next four-year cycle deemed essential in a team’s development.
“One only needs to look back at the names included in the class of 2012, Brodie Retallick, Sam Cane, Aaron Smith, Julian Savea and Beauden Barrett, all now world class performers, to realise the importance of bringing in the new breed of talent early on in the cycle.”
Cam looked particularly at Malakai Fekitoa, and how he’s been learning from the best behind Ma’a Nonu and Conrad Smith in the midfield. This has, undoubtedly, made Fekitoa a far better player.
But how good are other nations at blooding new talent? And how important is it? Let’s take a look.
simon
Australia’s debutants in the year or so following the 2007 World Cup look like this:
Source: Wikipedia
And after 2011:
Source: Wikipedia
Of these, realistically, I can only see 11 or so who then went on to play regularly, or have a place in the team now. Of the 2011 cohort, only Joe Tomane, Michael Hooper, Kane Douglas and Nick Cummins have established themselves as genuine Wallabies. That is not to discredit the others; Dave Dennis is among the most reliable performers I’ve witnessed play rugby, and Liam Gill would, perhaps five years earlier or later, be Australia’s premier openside flanker.
However, a quick look at New Zealand’s class of 2008 makes for far more familiar reading:
Source: Wikipedia
And 2012:
Source: Wikipedia
It’s also interesting that just one player made their debut in 2011, a World Cup year. What does that say about New Zealand’s supremacy in establishing young players at the start of World Cup cycles?
It’s also interesting to see how not one of New Zealand’s 2012 debutants has less than 20 international caps at the time of writing. If anything, that statistic emphasises Steve Hansen’s amazing ability to not only pick great players but make great players.
In examining a case study between New Zealand and Australia, we can start to see why the All Blacks have such a stunning lead over the rest of the rugby world. Any discussion that they would be weaker following the departure of Dan Carter and Richie McCaw is countered by the fact that their replacements both already have an excess of 30 caps each. The Kiwis are simply so good at blooding new talent that it seems the small nation is an endless stream of talent. And that showed, more than ever, in last year’s World Cup.
In my second article for The Roar, I argued the Wallabies had almost been lucky with their poor form, shocking run of injuries and off-field dramas because through these they had almost no choice but to introduce new talent. This better prepared the Australians for the World Cup, but the chasm that exists over the Tasman is still blatant. And the Wallabies won’t get away with relying on injuries to introduce young talent this time.
Admittedly, Michael Cheika seems to be far keener on introducing young players to the international set up. Samu Kerevi and Rory Arnold, among others, were in the initial Rugby Championship and World Cup camps last year. Now both are very real chances of making Test debuts on Saturday night. Joe Powell and Reece Hodge are also young-gun success stories from this year’s Camp Wallaby in Queensland.
If international teams are to keep up with the All Blacks, it all starts now, with the June Tests. For us, the spectators, it is an exciting time as ever, as we get our first glimpse of 2019’s superstars.
When I fly up to Brisbane on Saturday afternoon for the game, I really do hope I’ll be witnessing the blooding of new talent from both England and Australia. For me, Ben Te’o facing up against Samu Kerevi would embody everything that needs to happen for any nation hoping to topple New Zealand in Japan.
Enjoy the Tests!
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.