Reece Hodge happy to fill gaps for Wallabies

There is more than one way to skin a cat, it just takes a bit of imagination to see it differently.

the problem with "mavericks" is that they screw up as much as they create. that is why guys like Carlos , Ihaia West, Cipriani, et al have not been liked/ chosen by coaches. madness is fine as long as u have a method to it. problem with Cooper is his madness leads to catastrophe for the team !! and that is not just playmaking.... HOWEVER, it is also madness from the coach to expect someone to play 10 , when he does not play 10 every weekend. such can be done at club level for a few minutes but not at test level against good test teams. but then , this is no surprise from OZ coach who has a history of doing it.

but Beale is the 12 not the 10 who chooses and controls the initial attack. Beale when he is instinctual is when he runs the ball or kicking a grubber for himself which is within the attacking pod structures of play QC is instinctual, instead of going to the expected player he passes or kicks to someone else since something is on there. Cooper rarely runs it himself or grubbers for himself since he has lost that pace.

Hodge is a fullback his main assets are his boot , his ability under the high ball and his keenness to be involved . Apart from that his understanding of defence on the wing or at 12 in limited . At best on the bench Kerevi and Speight are far better wingers and Cooper far better at 10 or 12 . Chekko runs a protection organisation for his beloved Tut Tahs he will not give Cooper any serious game time at 10 , Pocock any at 7 , Carter in the second row , or Higgenbotham and Stirzacher on the bench . Rotation revolves around the others while we seem stuck with Hanigan , Dempsey and Robertson . Like his drivel about running Rugby his lightweight pretend backrow is an international joke . The Chekko game plan and selection policy relies on everything clicking and it rarely does because the opposition know what to expect and will nullify it as England , SA and Scotland did or profit from it as the ABs .

Beale is just as instinctive as Cooper in the way he naturally plays. So I'm not sold on the regimented structure theory. Besides, isn't the attack structure Larkham's wheelhouse?

I am almost sure there is. Cheika has a very structured pattern of play in attack with his pods. IMO Cooper since he has genuine vision sees opportunities outside that sometimes strays from the patterns Cheika is trying to instill. Even worse the attack then looks better. So this means the other player themselves may start questioning or losing belief in the attacking pattern being used. To Cheika that would be seen as undermining, the wrong attitude and not on board. If you are not on board you are out.

Peter, there has to be more to the Cooper story than Cheika is letting on. I don't buy the sook face story. It looks like Cheika is protecting Foley from being outshone. The tragedy is the Wallabies are finally starting to find hard running backs that would thrive on Coopers distribution.

a 10 should be maximising the backline outside him, scoring 2 tries himself really indicates he should be outside the 10 and not the 10 himself. He doesn't have time at 10 to his his boot as often as he would being further out. If you want a hard charging player taking it up the 10 channel then pass it to a forward on the burst to push them back, and retaining all your playmakers in play rather than 1 under a ruck.

update Cootzee has done an about face and dropped Rhule, good for boks bad for wallabies.

Hodge played 10 for at least one game with the Rebels last year against the Force. He did well and scored two tries. I reckon he would complement Hunt or Beale at 12 by running hard in the ten channel to get across the gain line and draw in defenders, opening things up for the second playmaker on the second phase. His big boot would be invaluable in a territory game too. His hands were a bit of a problem at 12 for the Wallabies last year, he stuffed up quite a few offloads, but I'm sure that will improve under Byrnes. We just haven't seen what he can do this international season yet, because he has largely been playing wing.

Rhule plays at 14 for the boks. He is a dreadful defender. If Cheika ever studied the opposition and took into account strengths and weaknesses there is an obvious easy change to make. Target Rhule. Play Koirebete at 11 and not 14 (and drop speight) so he runs at Rhule. Hodge did well against him 7 runs for 75 metres the difference is Koirebete is a better attack and faster than Hodge, he would turn those breaks into tries. Play Hodge at 14.

Hodge's hands are poor and quite slow. The delivery after he gets it from the halfback would kill the outside backs. Foley has a better pass both ways than Hodge and passes faster as well. It is crazy a genuine 10 like Cooper or Lance is not on tour as backup. Beale would be a better option at 10 than Hodge.

But can he really slot in at 10? Beale would be the replacement 10? I've read Hodge played there in club rugby but I haven't seen him pass the ball much, that's not to suggest he can't. His ball distribution couldn't be worse than Foley so bring it on. He runs onto the ball hard and his support lines and defence are excellent, looks like a natural 13 but his utility value is fantastic.

Most valuable back in the squad, a player who can slot in at short notice anywhere from 10 to 15 is a rare beast indeed.

Hodge is fantastic should cement the 12 or wing spot. 9. Powell 10. Foley 11. Beale 12 hodge 13. Kuridrani 14. Koriobete 15. Folau.