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Thank god that disaster of a Barbarians game is over. Let’s start getting keen to watch some real rugby again.
The Wallabies’ 34-man Spring Tour squad was announced on Sunday and the Australian rugby-loving public now has Tests each weekend of November to look forward to, Tests that actually have meaning and purpose. Not like last weekend, which was an unnecessary and underwhelming showcase that turned into an extremely costly spectacle.
In announcing his squad, Michael Cheika assured us that he will be picking his strongest starting side available for every Test. He certainly has the talent to choose from, selecting a squad that is both experienced and youthful. Here are the winners and the losers from the European tour squad announcement:
Ben McCalman: The 49-Test veteran has had a very unlucky couple of seasons. With a number of injuries keeping him from appearing regularly on the rugby field since the end of 2015, McCalman played just two games for the Perth Spirit before being selected on the bench for the Wallabies last weekend. He made a strong cameo with several bustling runs up the field, and, with a season-ending injury to Jack Dempsey, found himself in the touring squad like that. Pity it’s not that easy for the rest of us.
Jack Maddocks: The youngster from Melbourne has had an outstanding season with the Rising in the NRC (despite his team’s record) and is fully deserving of a call-up. Cheika has picked him as one of two development players, so he is unlikely to get any proper game time, however, the nimble-footed fullback will gain valuable experience being with the national squad for the month-long tour. Side note: Maddocks is just 20 years old, apparently he received confirmation of his selection while at a mate’s 21st.
(Loryn Ettridge/Rugby Australia)
Curtis Rona: The rugby league convert was briefly in the Wallabies’ starting line up for the first Bledisloe Test and then shifted to the bench just as quickly. He received a second call-up against the Barbarians and had a solid game. Solid, not standout. Rona’s best contribution was a decent run in space and a handy offload to Duncan Paia’aua for his second try. Hopefully, he gets a longer opportunity to impress in a gold jersey during the tour.
Tom Banks: Similarly to Maddocks, Banks has had an outstanding season in the NRC. At fullback, Banks has lightning speed and has added bulk to his frame, making him a sure bet as a future Wallaby. Surely Cheika must have flipped a coin between these two young fullbacks. Unfortunately for Banks, it landed in Maddocks’ favour.
Duncan Paia’aua: A safe option to fill the stocks at flyhalf? Paia’aua did not have a standout game last weekend, however, he played with a sense of assurance and measure along with scoring two opportunistic tries. He reportedly prefers to play at inside centre, but a no.10 jersey would be a lot more appealing if it was gold.
Rory Arnold: The towering Brumbies lock suffered an injury prior to the Barbarians game and now requires surgery that has ruled him out of the Spring Tour as well. He had several strong performances for the Wallabies throughout the June and Spring Tests series, however, he was relegated back to the NRC to make way for younger talent.
Australia has a great crop of locks coming through at the moment, but unfortunately, Arnold can’t catch a break.
It’s hard to go past the lack of depth at 9 and 10, the most critical positions in the backline. If Bernard Foley does go down, what options does Cheika have that don’t completely re-arrange a backline that is only just starting to click? Granted it is a hypothetical, and it is worth appreciating that Foley is one tough bugger, but surely all bases need to be covered.
Any hope for Quade Cooper came tumbling down after his high tackle attempt on Israel Folau (and the expletive-ridden tirade from Cheika afterwards). This is why Paia’aua was so unlucky not to get picked. Fullback is really not the position we need to invest in – it’s flyhalf.
Similarly, our halfback stocks are worrying. Will Genia is having an outstanding run of form, which hopefully continues, but this has lulled us into a false sense of security.
(Photo by Matt King/Getty Images)
Nick Phipps and Joe Powell can get the Wallabies home in the last ten minutes of a game, but not so much from the starting siren. While Powell is still young, he has a lot of developing to do before securing a Wallaby jersey for the long term.
Regardless of the results this series, Cheika is ensuring the Wallabies will be set for the future. The average age of the forwards is 25.7, including the outliers of Stephen Moore and Tatafu Polota-Nau at 34 and 32 respectively. For the backs, it’s 25.6.
This shows the Wallabies have a good young core which should be set beyond the next World Cup Japan. You’ve got to commend Cheika for his vision. His inconsistent and sometimes strange selections this year may not have won him much fan favour, but he is setting the Wallabies up for a strong era.
The end of year tour schedule is perfect for the Wallabies, and for the fans, who get a rare opportunity to see Australian rugby talent go up against that of the Northern Hemisphere. On November 4th, Australia plays Japan in Yokohama, Wales in Cardiff on the 12th, England at Twickenham on the 19th and finally they play Scotland at Edinburgh on the 26th.
The game at Twickenham will provide an opportunity to snap a four-game losing streak against England which dates back to the first game of the infamous 2016 June Test series.
The Test against Scotland, the last of the tour, is the perfect finale to a tumultuous season. The loss to Scotland in June hurt, and the Wallabies’ performance in Edinburgh will be the perfect measure of just how far they’ve come in 2017.
Forwards
Allan Alaalatoa (19 Tests, Canberra Vikings, 23)
Adam Coleman (18 Tests, Perth Spirit, 26)
Blake Enever* (uncapped, Canberra Vikings, 26)
Tetera Faulkner (3 Tests, Perth Spirit, 29)
Ned Hanigan (9 Tests, NSW Country Eagles, 22)
Michael Hooper (c) (75 Tests, Sydney Rays, 26)
Sekope Kepu (87 Tests, NSW Country Eagles, 31)
Ben McCalman (49 Tests, Perth Spirit, 29)
Sean McMahon (22 Tests, Melbourne Rising, 23)
Stephen Moore (125 Tests, Queensland Country, 34)
Matt Philip* (uncapped, Perth Spirit, 23)
Tatafu Polota-Nau (78 Tests, Perth Spirit, 32)
Tom Robertson (15 Tests, NSW Country Eagles, 23)
Rob Simmons (78 Tests, Queensland Country, 28)
Scott Sio (39 Tests, Canberra Vikings, 26)
Lopeti Timani (9 Tests, Melbourne Rising, 27)
Lukhan Tui (3 Tests, Brisbane City, 21)
Jordan Uelese (2 Tests, Melbourne Rising, 20)
Backs
Kurtley Beale (67 Tests, NSW Country Eagles, 28)
Bernard Foley (vc) (52 Tests, NSW Country Eagles, 28)
Will Genia (vc) (85 Tests, Melbourne Rising, 29)
Reece Hodge (20 Tests, Melbourne Rising, 23)
Karmichael Hunt (3 Tests, Brisbane City, 30)
Samu Kerevi (14 Tests, Brisbane City, 24)
Marika Koroibete (4 Tests, Melbourne Rising, 25)
Tevita Kuridrani (54 Tests, Canberra Vikings, 26)
Billy Meakes* (uncapped, Perth Spirit, 26)
Izaia Perese* (uncapped, Queensland Country, 20)
Nick Phipps (58 Tests, Greater Sydney Rams, 28)
Joe Powell (2 Tests, Canberra Vikings, 23)
Curtis Rona (2 Tests, Perth Spirit, 25)
Henry Speight (17 Tests, Canberra Vikings, 29)
Development Players
Jack Maddocks* (uncapped, Melbourne Rising, 20)
Liam Wright* (uncapped, Queensland Country, 19)
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.