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Crafting a Wallabies backline capable of scoring tries

14th September, 2016
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Israel Folau could be a more effective runner at outside centre. (Pic: Tim Anger).
Roar Guru
14th September, 2016
63
1629 Reads

The Wallabies do not have the kicking game to win based on kicking penalty goals the way that England, South Africa or Argentina can.

Therefore, we need to design a backline capable of vastly outscoring our opponents.

In the six matches since the World Cup final last year the Wallabies have scored an average of 2.0 tries per match. This has been good enough to win only one of six matches.

Obviously, our backline is not creating enough try-scoring opportunities, and I believe the reason for this comes down to baffling selections.

The team we fielded against the Springboks on Saturday night featured a centre on the wing (Reece Hodge); a fullback on the other wing (Dane Haylett-Petty); a number 10 at 12 (Bernard Foley) and; our most devastating attacking player, who is best suited to the wing and who plays at 13 at Super Rugby level playing at 15 (Israel Folau).

No wonder our attack has been dysfunctional.

Luckily, there seems an easy way to fix this, and that is by:
1. Selecting players based on form;
2. Selecting the young up and comers over the older heads, and;
3. Selecting players in the correct position.

Here’s the backline we should select going forward.

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Centres
We need a strong centre pairing capable of making tackles, breaking tackles, running hard and distributing the balls out to the wings.

Reece Hodge has been a revelation since playing his first Test against New Zealand in the Bledisloe. He has a big physical presence, good defence, a monster boot, good distribution skills and can run hard and beat defenders, as proven by his multitude of tries for the Melbourne Rebels (9, I believe).

Aside from Folau, Samu Kerevi is currently our most dynamic attacking threat. Aside from his brain snap in carrying the ball with his right arm against South Africa he had a splendid game, beat plenty of tacklers and was always physically imposing.

Additionally, they are both 22 years old, so should do nothing but improve in the coming years, and will almost certainly be strong, established forces in the Wallabies team by the next World Cup.

Because of his superior kicking, defending and distribution I suggest Hodge at 12. This leaves Kerevi at 13, where he will also be put into more space, allowing him to make more attacking runs.

Play Two Specialist Wingers
It is almost unbelievable that the Wallabies selectors do not seem to rate the importance of having two specialist wingers, given that wingers score the majority of the tries.

Sure, some tries, such as Adam Coleman’s on the weekend can be scored by anyone on the wing, but not a majority of them.

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First, wingers need the ability to beat tacklers that most other players would not be able to beat – such as when Julian Savea scored in Bledisloe two despite a tackle by Kerevi that would have forced most other players into touch.

Secondly, they need to have some form of magic that allows them to create scoring opportunities seemingly out of nowhere: such as Drew Mitchell’s memorable effort to set up Adam Ashley-Cooper in the World Cup semifinal, or Sefanaia Naivalu’s try against the Blues.

New Zealand does not try to ‘promote’ Julian Savea or Nehe Milner-Skudder off the wing onto another position, instead realising that they perform a vitally important role that a lesser player could not.

One of our two wingers should be Sefanaia Naivalu when he becomes eligible, which is sometime this September, or Drew Mitchell until then. The other should undoubtedly be our main attacking weapon: Israel Folau.

Folau’s intercept and step is something beautiful to behold, and when he is put into space he can beat tackles and create tries in a way that is rivalled only by Julian Savea. He is also unbeatable under the high ball, meaning chip kicks from Cooper or Hodge could definitely create tryscoring opportunities.

Unfortunately, he is wasted at fullback, where he is swarmed by defenders and kept out of the game. He has only scored five tries in his last 22 matches, compared to 15 tries in his first 21.

Fullback
We need a fullback solid under the high-ball, enough speed to be dangerous and with a huge clearance kick. Last weekend Haylett-Petty finally showed some of his Super Rugby form at the international level. It seems likely that his poor international showings are the result of being played out of position, rather like Folau.

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Shifting Haylett-Petty to fullback means we have strong clearance options and frees up Folau (who cannot kick) to move onto the wing.

This leaves us with a team of:

9. Genia
10. Cooper
11. Naivalu
12. Hodge
13. Kerevi
14. Folau
15. Haylett-Petty

This teams seems far more likely to create opportunities and score tries than the one currently fielded, with Foley disrupting our attack by fighting with Quade Cooper for first receiver, with non-specialist wingers and with our attacking threat hidden at fullback, especially with the more dynamic Cooper now playing at 10.

What do you Roarers think, have I got it right or wrong? Please let me know in the comments.

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