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The completion of the Super Rugby season has left an empty feeling within me.
It’s not that I didn’t enjoy the season; I did. I think the blame for this feeling nearly entirely falls on the shoulders of the three-week Test break endured during June that disrupted the flow of the fixtures.
This break occurred so close to the finals that it seemingly halted momentum of some teams, specifically the Hurricanes and Rebels, who both endured below average runs home. Not only that, but the Crusaders had already established themselves as the premier team in the completion by that point.
Did anyone think they were in fear of not claiming another crown? Respective Hurricanes and Lions coaches Chris Boyd and Swys de Bruin summed it up well by stating that the Crusaders were “20 points better than the next best team” and “in another league”.
Lingering over all of this, however, was the anticipation for what is sure to be a stellar Rugby Championship in the eyes of this gold-tinted, starry-eyed supporter. Therein lies the real reason for this depleted disposition that drastically needs remedying.
Hours spent combing through articles, reports, match highlights and bizarre underdog comments from New Zealand coaches has me asking myself a lot of questions and generally psyching myself up for the upcoming series with these key points occupying the majority of the thoughts.
1) What does Matt Toomua coming back mean for Rugby AU?
Probably the highlight of the last few weeks and a source of promise and confidence for a lot of fans is the immediate return of former Brumbies playmaker Matt Toomua. Despite him shifting his allegiance further south to Melbourne, his comeback is the dose of inside-back the Wallabies need.
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How many games have been played and squads announced where there has been only one genuine flyhalf named? This doesn’t even need to impact the ‘what-if’ scenarios if Bernard Foley got injured, but think of the lack of pressure if you’re training with more than 30 other blokes and you’re the only specialist in your given position.
Motivation should not always and does not need to be extrinsic, but having an in-form Toomua, comfortable at No. 10 or 12, breathing down your neck can only be a good thing for the squad.
The issue lies in where to put the new-again talent. Does he slot straight back into the starting team? I would think not. Foley and Kurtley Beale already do a great job as our inside backs most of the time, plus Toomua comes over without any recent Test match rugby experience to boast.
His benefit really does seem destined for the pine as he covers two positions with aplomb and gives the option to move around others to add a bit more hard-line-running and tactical kicks to the Wallabies attacking structure.
I would be remiss to not mention his defensive prowess either. It’s his firm stance on obliterating anything that comes within grasp that should have most people’s mouths watering. How nice does it seem to be able to name a backline that defends in its listed channel? What was once a pipe dream can now become a reality, but that will be covered more in the third point.
2) How do you choose between incumbent and rising star?
Talking of replacing an incumbent with a ‘new’ face, there has been a fair bit of talk about what to do with all of this young rising talent and if anyone gets usurped because of it, or if you trust the seasoned veteran. The key areas where this is most applicable is at prop and hooker.
Up front there has been a lot of discussion surrounding whether Sekope Kepu is still the best tighthead in the country. He has been a long-serving warhorse for the Wallabies and Waratahs and has been called upon for his reliable scrummaging and damaging around-the-park antics for several years, yet threat for his spot has been conjured by Taniela Tupou, the Tongan Thor.
Imagine most of the enterprise you get with Kepu, but add in an extra 10kg, some lower centre of gravity, some harder running and a Herculean ability to drive through scrums. He may be young and still learning the ropes, but he is more than capable in his brief appearances in the green and gold so far and it seems only a matter of when, not if, he takes the starting jersey as his own.
Tucked inside the tighthead looms arguably the hardest selection, as evidenced by the four hookers named in the 36-man squad. At the moment there is the never-say-die Tatafu Polota-Nau trying to keep three hungry, young and inexperienced rakes at bay in the form of Brandon Paenga-Amosa, Folau Fainga’a and Tolu Latu.
It seems likely to retain Polota-Nau despite his age and prior injury woes and this makes sense. His 82 Test caps provide experience and expertise that simply can’t yet be matched by the combined ten caps that the other three share. Who starts though? Who gets left behind?
The only uncapped player in Fainga’a seems destined for the stands if he’s to be at the grounds for the first Bledisloe Cup match. Paenga-Amosa was given a go against Ireland and, although held his own for most of the key areas, wasn’t remarkable or dominant.
Latu showed patches of greatness and his rucking ability is immense, however he started just one game for the Waratahs all year and it was his worst performance as he got outdone by a Marx-led Lions pack.
I’d look to be starting Tatafu Polota-Nau with Latu comes off the bench, but the part of me that says that also desperately wants to find room for Paenga-Amosa who seems to have the most capacity to claim that jersey as his own one day.
How long can Tatafu Polota-Nau hold his spot? (Photo by Cameron Spencer/Getty Images)
3) Do our centres really get that much worse without Kerevi and Kuridrani?
The short answer is yes. If Kerevi hasn’t been the starting 13 then Kuridrani has been and visa versa. This has been the way of the Wallabies since 2015 or thereabouts. It’s a lot of experience in such a vital position to be without for this series, yet I don’t think it’s going to play as big a part as other pundits may have you believe.
The replacement for the vacant slot should be filled by Reece Hodge. Curtis Rona, Sefa Naivalu, Billy Meakes, youngster Jordan Petaia and established, superstar fullback Israel Folau could fill the void, but I don’t want them to and nor should anyone else.
The idea of Rona looked promising at the start of the season, but his form quickly declined and he became the most pedestrian part of the Waratahs backline very quickly. Sefa Naivalu and Billy Meakes suffered the fate of a star-studded backline causing too many positional changes to ever get much of a look.
Meakes got a few attempts to impress, but the shuffling of Tom English and Hodge meant it was too hard to really express what he could offer from the outside channel. Naivalu had that issue on top of not being able to outdo Marika Koroibete or Jack Maddocks for a coveted wing spot and so it’d be out of left field to say the least if he were selected to start.
Petaia offers x-factor and youth over the others, but is still so green and untested that a baptism of fire against the All Blacks to start his Test career would seem destined to discourage rather than set the foundations for someone who could be a genuinely fantastic long-term option further down the track.
Lastly, the idea that has also been largely speculated is the positional shift from fullback to centre for Israel Folau. He’s played in the position before and is a tried and tested freak no matter where he slots in, but to move someone who is already one of the best in his positions seems a backward step to fill a short-term problem. You don’t need to renovate the whole house for one crack in the plastering.
Hodge adds an ability to sniff out a hole as well as Kuridrani, can defend better than Kerevi and his kicking ability isn’t even close to rivaled by either, so the qualities he offers the team make him a standout for mine. Yes, we lose experience, but we gain access to trialing someone who actually looks like a genuine 13 and this may be just the situation Hodge needs to show the rugby-world on the biggest stage what he can offer.
All of these points have occupied a decent portion of the brain for the time being, but theory is never as good as practice. With that being said, bring on the first round of the Rugby Championship as these burning points get realised and speculation becomes confirmed or denied.
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.