Wallaby coach Michael Cheika saw fit to sack only Samu Kerevi. Curtis Rona, and Rory Arnold after the abysmal performance against the All Blacks at ANZ Stadium last Saturday night.
Kerevi was the only one of the three to miss out altogether, Cheika leaving Rona and Arnold on the bench.
Tevita Kuridrani takes over Kerevi’s outside centre sppt, Dane Haylett-Petty returns from a bicep injury to replace Rona on the wing, while Arnold gives way to a revitalised Rob Simmons as Adam Coleman’s lock partner.
The latter was a big decision as Simmons is eight centimeters shorter than Arnold, and that’s a lot of tall timber missing.
But Simmons’ 72 caps is a wealth of experience, and if he fires as well as he did for the Reds in the last few Super Rugby games, the Wallaby pack will lift.
But there are at least four other Wallabies who can count themselves damn lucky to be in the starting lineup.
Hooker Stephen Moore is the most capped in the squad, but he was lacking in both attack and defence last week.
The only plus was his ability to confer with referee Wayne Barnes, something where the current captain Michael Hooper has no idea how to communicate.
Prop Allan Alaalatoa was also fortunate as were flanker Ned Hanigan, and number eight Sean McMahon.
(AAP Image/David Moir)
Cheika will be looking to halfback Will Genia to return to his lively best – for some unknown reason he was well below par last week, which put flyhalf Bernard Foley under intense pressure, and that gave Kurtley Beale precious little room to use his attacking talent to advantage.
It doesn’t matter who has been picked, if the Wallaby defence is as frail as last week, the All Blacks will rattle up another cricket score, especially as they will play for 80 minutes and not declare at 53 minutes when they were leading 54-6.
It must be said it was dead-set unlucky that the Wallabies play the first two games of the Rugby Championship against the world champion All Backs.
We’ll never know, but the men in gold might have been more competitive against the Boks and Pumas had they been the first two games.
But fact are facts, and unless the Wallabies are competitive at Dunedin, and chalk up far less than 48 missed tackles, watching the Wallabies will be another hellish experience.
If that’s the case, Cheika has no option but to wield the big axe for the next two games against the Boks and Pumas.
Or the coach may well be facing the axe himself.
I’ll remind Roarers what The Guardian newspaper wrote four days before last weeks 54-34 debacle.
The headline told how the Wallabies can beat the All Blacks.
Tackle, tackle, and tackle again, then tackle some more.
If only.
Wallabies team for Bledisloe 2
1. Scott Sio (33 Tests)
2. Stephen Moore (121 Tests)
3. Allan Alaalatoa (13 Tests)
4. Rob Simmons (72 Tests)
5. Rory Arnold (13 Tests)
6. Ned Hanigan (4 Tests)
7. Michael Hooper (c) (69 Tests)
8. Sean McMahon (16 Tests)
9. Will Genia (79 Tests)
10. Bernard Foley (46 Tests)
11. Henry Speight (13 Tests)
12. Kurtley Beale (61 Tests)
13. Tevita Kuridrani (48 Tests)
14. Dane Haylett-Petty (17 Tests)
15. Israel Folau (56 Tests)
Reserves
16. Tatafu Polota-Nau (72 Tests)
17. Tom Robertson (10 Tests)
18. Sekope Kepu (81 Tests)
19. Izack Rodda (13 Tests)
20. Lopeti Timani (8 Tests)/Jack Dempsey (1 Test)
21. Nick Phipps (53 Tests)
22. Reece Hodge (14 Tests)
23. Curtis Rona (1 Test)
double agent
Guest
No they haven't. The Wallaby forward pack has failed to deliver at set piece,breakdown and advantage line for a very long time. No 9 or 10 looks good behind a beaten pack.
double agent
Guest
Have you ever seen Hodge play 10?
kombiutedriver
Roar Rookie
Why not switch Quade to fullback so that we can have a fullback that can have options ......... run ...... or ...... shock, horror ....... kick?
Fionn
Guest
Sio, Alaalatoa, Arnold, Coleman and Hooper have consistently performed better than Foley over the past 2 years, and performed better than Genia this year. Nice try though.
Fionn
Guest
Let's see, we know for a fact that Foley doesn't have the vision to run a backline, has a poor pass, has a really poor kick and really, really poor defence. Hodge perhaps lacks the vision to run a backline, has a poor pass, has a very good kick and has good defence. 'Nuf said.
Fionn
Guest
They'd still be horrendous. Foley and Genia have never gelled, and Foley has never performed. The team went from a rabble to simply being poor as soon as QC was brought back into the team last year/
Offside
Guest
Hang on, I thought Chekia wasn't do this for the money and that he didn't need it? Wasn't he supposedly, doing Australia a favour? That was the narrative I heard when Links ship went down. If that's true, he would humbly fall on his sword, let the ARU move on and not demand a payout......
Jibba Jabba
Roar Guru
"Desperate times = desperate measures" . The media talk over the land of the long white cloud is the wallabies may resort to last years dirty niggly cowardly chieka tactics, lets hope they rise above that...
Jibba Jabba
Roar Guru
Great satisfaction when you pull it off though ... (quiet Chook !)
double agent
Guest
Baz I think you'd have to be a low dog to have that attitude.I believe a change is needed as much as anyone else on the Roar but never would I want to see complete and total humiliation of the Wallabies. That is just sick.
double agent
Guest
I once met a former rugby league hard man renowned for his defence. He told me he never enjoyed tackling and only did it because it was part of the game!!
double agent
Guest
What's he waiting for Jack?
double agent
Guest
Poor old piggies.
double agent
Guest
Hodge is a better 10 than Foley? What evidence is there to support that statement?
double agent
Guest
The real problem in the halves is not Genia or Foley it's the 8 useless lumps in front of them.
double agent
Guest
You could always put it on the line for yourself,or your parents or daresay even your country.
Neil
Guest
Yes, Fendy. Simmons is consistent. Consistently pushed back in every carry he makes (and there are few), consistently average in tackles and consistently, like Moore, flops all over the play.
Fendy
Guest
Not Riddler. Mrs Foley.
Fendy
Guest
I like Simmons too Gepetto. Everyone says Foley is great because he's more consistent than QC, Simmons is the most consistent player on the paddock. Not a beast admittedly but gets through a lot of the work while the glamour boys are seagulling.
Fendy
Guest
and yet there is one