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Wallabies coach Michael Cheika has conceded “when you play 15 Tests against the top eight nations in one year, there’s no easy games”.
This sort of reasoning has been utilised as the major justification for the extra blooding of Wallabies players into the Test arena.
Fatigue, injury, and form are bound to play a massive role in the rotation and alteration of teams, so it comes as no surprise to see thirteen players don the Green and Gold for the first time in 2016.
Cheika has gone so far to say that it won’t stop there, however. When confronted about the challenge of all these games, he has stated, “… you’ve got to try four or five debutants a game”.
“We’ll take a bit of pain initially and we’ll keep doing it until we build the depth we need to stay competitive”, Cheika went on to say, which alludes to the fact that 2017 will see no shortage of fresh blood as the Wallabies continue to grow and build depth in preparation for the impending showpiece; the 2019 Rugby World Cup.
While the constant debuting of players isn’t a trend that needs or wants to be seen each week, it is a necessary task given that the current Wallabies squad in its entirety doesn’t have the legs to make it to and consequently win the Rugby World Cup.
This leads to the big question; which players should we be keeping an eye out for next year?
At loosehead prop it would be great to see the continued improvement of the well-travelled Toby Smith and new Brumbies recruit Nic Mayhew, two players who both commenced their professional rugby careers in New Zealand.
Smith will have a great platform as the incumbent prop, capable of playing either side, at the Rebels. Mayhew will have a tough time earning game-time behind Scott Sio, but that challenge could be his resolve.
Having already debuted the hard-working Tolu Latu against Wales, Andrew Ready shapes as the next player to put his hand up and earn a spot at hooker. His form for the Reds in 2016 was monumental to their patches of promise, but the return of Stephen Moore to Queensland will provide the ultimate push for the relative rookie to show he can mix with the best.
Having juggled around with Allan Alaalatoa and Tom Robertson at tighthead this year, two debutants who did a sterling job at times, but have plenty to learn, the quest for more scrummaging experience continues.
The two standouts on my radar at the moment loom as the twice-capped Tetera Faulkner and the hulking frame of the Tongan Thor, Taniela Tupou.
The former has had involvement in the Test team before, but will need to continue to improve scrummaging form with the Force. The latter in Tupou has impressed with his barnstorming runs, but his battle with Sam Talakai for the starting jersey at the Reds could shape as the determinant for whether his inclusion on the recent Wallabies’ European tour was justified.
The locks stood out to me as the most improved facet of the year as the Wallabies ended the year with two debutants from 2016 locked in as the ideal starting combination. Behind Adam Coleman and Rory Arnold, Rob Simmons and Kane Douglas boast the experience, but aren’t playing as well, meaning they must fight for a bench spot if they can’t find what it takes to usurp the incumbents.
This should appear as a massive opportunity to other young and aspiring locks to show that strong form and a solid involvement in set and open play will open the door for Test exposure. Ned Hanigan of the Waratahs and Lukhan Tui of the Reds look to have a hint of what it will take, however the form of Tom Staniforth and his ability to play as blindside as well has him firmed as a future Wallaby in my eyes.
An ability to gain and maintain a starting spot for the Brumbies looms as his immediate challenge given their stocks, so perhaps I should mention the merits of Culum Retallick as well; cousin of current All Black great Brodie Retallick and a lock for the Rebels who has his work cut out for him to bounce back from the injury that cut short most of his debut season in Melbourne. The departure of Luke Jones gives him the opening that he needs to grab with both hands if he is to push for higher honours.
Second only to Trump in terms of public outcry is the push for Dean Mumm to be stood down from his current position. The ageing Mumm and Fardy are surely facing the back end of their careers and the sabbatical of powerhouse backrower David Pocock means that an abundance of spots should be opening up in the backrow for 2017.
Scott Higginbotham presents a blast-from-the-past option that a few were pushing for when his return to the Reds was announced, however a few untried players are currently sticking out for me.
The Western Force boasts two great, young talents in Isa Naisarani and Richard Hardwick. Both capable of playing at 6 and 8, the immense size of Naisarani and the pilfering and tackling talent of Hardwick means the pressure is well and truly on the incumbents Angus Cottrell and Ben McCalman to maintain their spots in the starting team. The Force will be a much-improved side if these two can translate their NRC form into whatever Super Rugby game time they get.
The other two backrowers I had in mind both feature for the Waratahs and have a definite front foot in the race to earn a Wallabies Test cap. Jack Dempsey was a recent feature in a Wallaby XV that faced off against a French Barbarians side in Bordeaux a few weeks ago and was a rare shining light in a fairly unimpressive performance. This will hold him in good stead coming into 2017.
The last and most likely option, in my view, is Jed Holloway, who was in line for a Test debut this year off the back of fantastic Super form before succumbing to injury. If the backrow of Dempsey, Michael Hooper and Holloway fires for the Waratahs, both Dempsey and Holloway will be in line for Wallabies honours at some point or another, I can say with some confidence.
This concludes my observation of potential future Wallabies forwards, but I’ll be back in no time to throw my two cents at the backline prospects too, no doubt.
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.