Michael Cheika faces a selection dilemma as he weighs up the pros and cons of thrusting rookie locks Rory Arnold and Adam Coleman into the Eden Park cauldron for Saturday’s Bledisloe Cup battle.
Anything but a “dead rubber”, Australia must stop the All Blacks juggernaut to avoid becoming the first Wallabies outfit in 117 years of international rugby to be whitewashed 3-0 by two nations in the same season.
Cheika has shuffled his second row all year, mixing and matching Coleman and Arnold with Rob Simmons, Sam Carter, Will Skelton and Kane Douglas, and will reveal on Thursday afternoon whether or not to pair up his first-year Wallabies for the first time against the All Blacks.
Coleman and Arnold started in Australia’s last-up win over Argentina at Twickenham but staring down the world champions on their home turf and at a venue where they are unbeaten against all comers since 1994 is a whole new proposition.
With star loose forward David Pocock set for a return, Cheika also must decide on the best back-row formation to deal with a mighty All Blacks side bidding for a world-record 18th straight Test triumph.
Despite the Bledisloe Cup already being lost for another year, the Wallabies coach may well revert to the tried-and-tested combination of Pocock, Michael Hooper and Scott Fardy for the high-stakes encounter.
The backline shapes as more straightforward, with Nick Phipps certain to replace Will Genia after the in-form halfback’s return to his French club commitments.
Cheika has seemingly shown his hand in his plan to persist with Bernard Foley and five-eighth Quade Cooper as twin midfield playmakers, while Samu Kerevi’s two-try haul against the Pumas should have been enough to retain the No.13 jumper.
Now that he’s available for Wallabies selection, Cheika may also be tempted to include the Melbourne Rebels’ Fiji-born winger Sefa Naivulu somewhere in his match-day 23.
ScottD
Guest
Pick me Cheeks. You've tried everyone else......
Mark
Guest
Absolutely. If that's true then any doubts that Cheika is just hamfistedly picking his pet Wallatahs will be washed away.
Xiedazhou
Guest
If that happens, it will be a farce, and a complete indictment of Cheika and his obvious favoritism.
Train Without A Station
Roar Guru
Word is Fole will be moved out of 12 so solves that problem.
Train Without A Station
Roar Guru
Fox Sports reporting tonight that Cooper Ma be dropped and a Foley moved to 10. It's important to reward good form.
Hoy
Roar Guru
I just find it frustrating to see. I just can't see the justification for many of his selection decisions.
Shane D
Roar Rookie
Cheika will name everyone on a 16 man bench.
Joe
Roar Rookie
This is the problem with Cheika...willing to chop and change some and others get preferential treatment and a spot is found for them in the team regardless of performance. Foley should have been dropped long ago...maybe Cheika is still thinking of his Super rugby winning goal kick and keeps picking him. I don't know why else he hasn't been benched after so many average performances. Keep picking Foley and keep getting thrashed because his defence is abysmal and his attack at the moment in non existent...basically a wasted spot in the backline.
Russell Neville
Roar Rookie
On the issue of Moore. A few years ago when Aussie cricket captain Mark Taylor was going through his trough of ducks. The saying was "Apart from the Aussie Davis Cup team which other Aussie team has a non-playing captain"? - answer "The Australian Cricket Team". Now that could apply to the Wallabies!!!!!!
Dontcallmeshirley
Guest
Wallabies selection panel (one to be omitted) - Michael Chieka.
Russell Neville
Roar Rookie
Completely agree with this side, it gives good line out options which is where NZ have pinched so much of our ball, and a strong 8 in Timani. Surely the penny must drop for Cheika that Folau is better suited to the wing and moving Foley out of 12 will make the defensive pattern so much less complicated.
PeterK
Roar Guru
my issue is there is no evidence based assessment. No matter how poorly Foley plays, as he did against England, there is no consideration for actually dropping him. None. I would not mind keeping Folay at 12 if the combination with QC was working, if Foley was playing well. If Foley was playing well then I can forgive not playing 2 better 12's especially since they are at least in the team and it would only be conjecture that the others would go better. It clearly is not working with Foley at 12 but he will persist and then next year pick him again at 10 despite how much evidence this year that QC is better. The justification will be how well Foley combines with Beale.
Hoy
Roar Guru
What is upsetting is that Foley is not even the best 12 in the team right now... There are 3 better 12s that I can see, with one that has kicked him out of 10 already, one is outside him, and one is on the wing. IF he must have Foley, play him at 10, and put Cooper at 12... Foley at 12 is killing our backline. At least at 10, he could just shuffle it to Cooper to do something with. All coaches have their favourites, but boy, Cheika is really pushing his favourites right up there. If it was a line call, or he wanted to play a certain game plan, then you could kind of understand... say Toomua over Cooper, because he wanted the physicality, or something... but I can't see a game plan, I can't see any benefit at all from his picks over better candidates... If Pocock comes in and Timani is benched, then that will just about kill me. He cannot continue to pick his favourites and expect Australia to do well, and the fans to follow the team blindly.
Xiedazhou
Guest
Yes, unfortunately that seems to be the way Cheika is going. As soon as Beale is available, it will be a Foley-Beale 10-12 combination.
Doubles
Guest
I think Keith means Foley at 12, Pocock at 8, Mumm at 6 and Hodge at 11 and why is he playing the out of form Moore at 2..
Markus
Guest
If Foley is reassessed as being solely a flyhalf then great, place him on the bench as the second best available flyhalf. Unfortunately it really is tough to read it any other way than he is guaranteed a place in the starting XV.
Marto
Guest
This should be, has to be Chiekas last test as coach. He has a horrendous coaching record and he still cant decide what his best 23 is!!!!.. No wonder players have no confidence in themselves and team performances have been terrible.. The bloke is a deadest dope...
jameswm
Roar Guru
If you mean Folau at wing, the back 3 switch up so much these days it doesn't make much difference.
jameswm
Roar Guru
"The issue with the Fardy-Pocock-Timani trio is a lack of ball running ability" You beat me to it. I don't think Holloway would be the answer, and if you want a left field selection I think Dempsey would be a better bet - better recent form, higher work rate, does more at rucks, and quicker.
PeterK
Roar Guru
Cheika has already stated Foley will be the 12 until the end of the year when he will reassess where Foley will be played. I read that as Beale at 12 next year and Foley at 10 regardless of performances.