The Wallabies have been on a sad decline for almost two decades. They just don’t have enough talent and/or mindset to compete with the All Blacks for top billing.
The unfortunate paradox is that the Wallabies are probably the only team in the world with enough of a rugby focus and the talent pool to take the All Blacks down regularly, if the majority of the talent wasn’t in league.
All of the wash-up from Wallabies vs Argentina:
» LORD: When Genia fires, the Wallabies fire
» Pocock sidelined by broken hand
» Five talking points
» What changes should the Wallabies make?
» DIY Player ratings
» Read the full match report
» Watch all the highlights
Whether or not many of the great rugby league players would have also been great rugby union players is a discussion for another day. For today’s arguments sake let’s just say yes if they grew up playing union then they would have been every bit the world-class players they are in league, if not better.
I have chosen who would be in contention for the Wallabies side from the current Australian NRL players, by my eyes it would look to be a mighty talent pool, exceeding even New Zealand’s.
1. Matt Scott/Scott Sio
Rugby league’s residing statesman is a big game force that comes out on top, would be an imposing figure if he possessed the scrum craft. With a reduced aerobic focus and some weight added to his frame Matt Scott would have no issue claiming a gold jersey.
2. Paul Gallen/Stephen Moore (c)
Captain versus captain. One is state and one is country but I have no doubt at all Paul Gallen would claim this jumper. His competitive drive is almost without peer and his work rate would serve him well in the 15 game.
3. Josh Papalii/Sekope Kepu
The explosive, aggressive, offloading running game of Josh Papalii, along with mobile bone jarring defence should see him through. Scrum craft would be the only point of difference.
4. Rob Simmons
Very little tall timber in the current NRL representative crop to challenge this specialised union position.
5. James Tamou/Kane Douglas
Tamou stands at 1.96m which is 6cm shorter than Douglas, huge difference in the line out game. Tamou is definitely the more athletic game breaking player but perhaps the bench may be more when he would land.
6. Boyd Cordner/Scott Fardy
The lack of NRL tall timber shows again. Number 6 should be a genuine line out option and 8cm between Cordner and Fardy is too much of a drop in height. Cordner would most likely be challenging for a Number 7 jumper anyway.
7. Matt Gillett/Michael Hooper
Gillett is a classic modern rugby league second rower, brilliant line runner, and almost impossible to beat defensively. He is very close to the build of Richie McCaw but in my opinion Michael Hooper is a world class Number 7 and would not be displaced by Gillett.
He would however be displaced by Pocock because as you can see below I would go another way with Number 8.
8. Andrew Fifita/David Pocock
Andrew Fifita would be a dominant rampaging Number 8. His tackle busting power game would cause havoc among international defensive lines. This would see Pocock go to Number 7 for a much more balanced back row.
9. Cameron Smith/Will Genia
Game sense? Smith has it in abundance. Genia is a sharp runner and passer of the ball but the way Smith would run his forwards, distribute the ball, and further utilise his kicking game would swing huge momentum the Wallabies way.
10. Johnathan Thurston/Bernard Foley
This one isn’t really a fair contest and anyone who tries to argue against it is kidding themselves. Foley may shade Thurston for pace but everything else swings Thurston’s way, and not by a small margin. H
ad he grown up playing union every bit of game sense, and big game play would be applicable to union. Add to that a peerless competitive drive and you have a very full trophy cabinet a Wallabies HQ.
11. Semi Radradra/Rob Horne
Rob Horne is a competitor and wing is definitely a very different prospect in union than it is to League. That being said Aussie Semi has world class x-factor. Think a slightly bigger Joe Rokocoko in a gold jersey.
12. Greg Inglis/Matt Giteau
This was the toughest one to pick. Very different styles and I have been a massive fan of Matt Giteu for years.
Given his fathers league connection I thought there may have even been a possibility of him defecting when he fell out of favour with union. I believe Inglis shades Giteau here on pure athletic class.
They may play the game differently but if you see Inglis in the imposing mid field Sonny Bill mould that the All Blacks used then for mine it is very clear.
13. Jarryd Hayne/Tevita Kuridrani
The code-hopping athletic sensation that is Jarryd Hayne would have to find a home in the Wallabies line-up somewhere. With his jamming defensive style and stylish attack he could could play anywhere from ten though to 15. I see a balanced team with him at 13 though.
14. Israel Folau/Adam Ashley-Cooper
Adam Ashley-Cooper is the unfortunate casualty of Folau being pushed back to the wing by the classy rugby league fullbacks. As sad as I am to say it Ashley-Cooper versus Folau is not a hard one to call, Adam Ashley-Cooper has delivered on the big stage for Wallabies before but his head is on the chopping block here. Folau is an aerial target with superior athletic ability.
15. Billy Slater/Darius Boyd
Class class class. And in Billy’s case pure speed as well. If Slater is fit he is the best fullback in both games hands down. If he is not fit then Darius Boyd is no shabby back up. The Queensland connection alone of Smith Scrum-half, Thurston Fly-half, and Slater Fullback would completely change the complexion of the Wallabies.
This Wallabies team would reclaim the Bledisloe and be walk up world cup winners. As it stands though we will most likely be watching at least another ten years of All Black dominance.
Joe King
Guest
Imagine if there was no rugby league in NZ, how much better the AB's would be. Now times that by several if there was no league in Australia - let alone AFL!
kiwineil
Guest
Fascinating Running through yr team 1 and 3. Yr league props would be great if they could, in your words, learn to scrum ? Isnt that what props actually do ? So the Wallaby incumbents remain here 2 Gallen would be great cos he has a high work rate? Can he throw to a lineout? Run like a breakaway ? Gall would make a solid #6 I reckon, but not a hooker. Sorry, but the union guy wins here 4 and 5 - you cant actually find anyone. Tamou, like Gallen should play 6 - so the Wallabies here too 6 - the most league like position in the pack, I'd play Tamou, or Klemmer, there. So maybe displace a Wallaby esp given the current logs rotating trough the role 7 - Gillett - yeah maybe, if he could learn the skills of a world class fetcher. Buy you have 3 in the Wallabies anyway 8 - Fifita - doesn't have the engine or the ball skills to match a world class 8. Australia doesn't have one of those, so maybe he gets a run. That said, Id fancy Klemmer here too 9. Genia vs Smith - Im not convinced Smith is quick enuff to be a union halfback, but his kicking game is superior 10 - Thurston. Yup 11 - 14 I don't rate Horne so I'll go with you here, not sure what yr arguing with AAC vs Folau cos both play union. Folau for me 12 - I think GI would be a massive success at 12 13 - Im not sure God has told Jarryd to play union just yet. And I also don't think a GI/Jarryd combo would work 15 - Slater would be a great fullback IF (and this is the issue Folau has) he can read the defensive side well .. as an attacking FB, bring it on So, my conclusion is the Leaguies would struggle to get more than 1, maybe 2 places, in the fwds, but have more of a case in the backs... with Thurston the only shoo-in .....
double agent
Guest
Jeffrey the score in League is Australia 96 wins NZ 32 wins and 3 draws. Since 2010 it's Australia 11 wins NZ 4 wins. Difficult to imagine how you could say Australia struggles to beat NZ at League.
double agent
Guest
Agree. Definitely Australia would dominate if there was no League or AFL. It's a no brainer. But then again the USA would dominate if Rugby took the place of NFL. It's all moot anyway.
Lindsay Amner
Roar Guru
Republican, I realise I'm reading this way too late but your ignorant statement here really needs a reply. NZers certainly can take out Australian citizenship. I have done it. But it is extremely difficult and extremely expensive. For a NZer living and working in Australia it's almost impossible. A NZer living in Australia would have to return to NZ to start the process and remain in NZ until approved for Australian permanent residency. This could be up to 18 months. That's how long my application took. After approval of PR they could move back to Australia and four years later apply for citizenship. It costs about $5000 just for the application process, not to mention the time you would have to spend away from your Australian job. So while not actually impossible, it's also not really feasible. Australians in NZ can apply for residency from within NZ, but there is no reason for them to do so, as unlike NZers in Australia, they are eligible for all govt assistance and are treated as if they are NZ citizens. NZers in Australia have virtually no rights to anything from the govt, but are the most employed national group in the country, and always have been.
Martin Millard
Roar Pro
Of course they don't have the knowledge on the nuances of Union mate that is bloody obvious, they have played and coached their full careers in Rugby League, the article and discussion was surrounding what if they had played and coached Union instead. Australia's Rugby Union coaching pool is small, whereas Leagues is huge in comparison. Change that up in Australia with Union being the dominant sport then of course the coaching pool would also be much larger and the WB's would benefit from that. On a separate discussion Rugby League coaches are held in very high esteem in Union and are brought on as consultants all the time. Phil Blake and Peter Ryan to name a few. I'm not trying to denigrate the Union coaches we have now, they are very capable. It's just a simple discussion of if you add depth of competition in the Union top coaching ranks by it being the more dominant sport, would the current coaches still be the coaches or would it be someone else? In my opinion it would be someone else.
MacKenzie
Guest
Uh???? What has New Zealand got do with this, I am saying the NRL coaches do not have the knowledge to be successful rugby union coaches. It is universal, either you have the knowledge to coach creditably or you don't. What is a Mayday call, how do you manage it, how do you power a scrum up or down, what bindings do you use, how do you lock one of the second rowers into another, - shall I go on?
Winston
Guest
This always comes up when the wallabies are struggling. What if the USA played rugby instead of basket ball and the NFL. What if Nz most popular sport was table tennis. What if AFL was in the Olympics. What if.......
Dopplerman
Guest
I meant by ways of success and international standing .
Martin Millard
Roar Pro
Mackenzie you and pretty much all of the All Blacks fans who have commented here have completely lost the plot and missed the point. We are not talking about NZ at all, we are talking about Australia and asking the question would the WB's be a superior side than the mess they are now if Union was more popular than League in Aus the same way it is in NZ. I think the answer is a simple yes our player strength would be better, yes our coaching staff would be better, and more importantly double both of those yes's because our confidence, motivation and focus would be far higher due to increased importance to the success of that side in Australia.
Martin Millard
Roar Pro
Jesse Bromwich, Ben Matulino, RTS, Jordan Rapana now that he is back to his best, Solomone Kata could be in contention. The AB's could pick a seconds side and flog anyone in the world at the moment though so they definitely don't need any held. Hansen hasn't put a foot wrong as coach of the AB's. Cheika would go in my opinion though, there is a huge amount of coaching talent in the NRL that could do a better job. Craig Bellamy, Paul Green, Trent Robinson, with the strength of the international game in Union you put your best foot forward so probably Wayne Bennet
Roey
Guest
Not always about money fulla.
Roey
Guest
What would you know mate.
In Brief
Guest
That's not true. I played junior league back in the late eighties and I still remember coming up against the first polynesian player. At the time there were more playing rugby, but not many in league. He was a big boppa and our coach instructed us to smack him in the nuts!
Rod
Guest
Inglis in that race was about 10 kilos over weight, that was after his furts year at aouths . I would take the run with a grain of salt
Martin Millard
Roar Pro
Why wait when the NZ league team is doing so well? NZ are ready for another League team now
Mackenzie
Guest
Oh yes indeed... they know nothing about rucking, mauling, scrummaging, lineouts, setting, continuity of play, ripping ... and that is just in the forwards not to mention binding and picking players suitable for their skill set for safety reasons.
clipper
Guest
Yet they could match it against England (before England's decline) and Australia, even being R/U at a RLWC - those days are long gone, often they don't make the semis now.
Maxirius
Guest
Yeah, nah...the one guy I assume you're talking about made a reference/claim to declining rugby code participation in relation to, what he claims, is nz's growing ascendency in RL. In doing this he was challenging a key claim of the article which is that combining the talents of the two codes would see Australia dominate Your anti afl rant was not relevant to the article at all. It just revealed your thin skin. Also, if you take umbrage at a comment, respond to it so at least the good folk of the roar community have a direct reference to what upset you so much!
redbull
Guest
It is not the NRL players that rugby needs, it is their coaches.