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Change isn’t part of Michael Cheika’s DNA, but with Israel Folau out injured, and in light of Saturday’s pathetic second-half Bledisloe Cup performance, it’s time the current Wallabies need, and deserve, a reality check.
Eden Park, where this Saturday’s game will be played, is a Wallaby graveyard, having continually lost there against New Zealand since 1986 when the Andrew Slack-captained, Alan Jones-coached Wallabies regained the Bledisloe Cup with a 22-9 victory.
In those 17 successive losses, the All Blacks have scored 496 points to 232, averaging a 15.5 points-per-game domination.
As nobody expects the Wallabies to win, especially after last Saturday’s capitulation, biting the bullet can’t make it any worse.
But there’s every chance a new-look and new-feel side can bury the Eden Park hoodoo.
Drop Michael Hooper to the bench, and play the country’s best openside flanker where he should be – wearing No 7 as captain.
Barring fitness, bring in Scott Sio, Rory Arnold and Ned Hanigan up front, and Tom Banks to replace Folau.
And on the bench the huge unit hooker Brendon Paenga-Amosa, the even bigger prop Taniela Tupou, and halfback Joe Powell.
So the Eden Park squad should be:
(1) Scott Sio
(2) Tatafu Polota-Nau
(3) Sekope Kepu
(4) Rory Arnold
(5) Adam Coleman
(6) Ned Hanigan
(7) David Pocock (c)
(8) Lukhan Tui
(9) Will Genia
(10) Bernard Foley
(11) Marika Koroibete
(12) Kurtley Beale
(13) Reece Hodge
(14) Jack Maddocks
(15) Tom Banks
(16) Brendon Paenga-Amosa
(17) Taniela Tupou
(18) Izack Rodda
(19) Rob Simmons
(19) Michael Hooper
(20) Joe Powell
(21) Matt Toomua
(22) Dane Haylett-Petty
For starters, the Wallaby lineout would boast plenty of tall timbers – 208, 204, 202, 200, and 198 centimetres – where even poor feeding has a damn good chance of being overcome.
Plus, five players over 120 kgs gives the maligned scrum some much-needed clout.
Then address the shortcomings of last Saturday.
Such as why the Wallabies were so courageous in the first half in tackling their hearts out with just 44 per cent possession, and 45 per cent territory, to hold a 6-0 lead for 39 minutes, before falling into the same trap, as many times before, to let in a try in the final five minutes before the break, and another in the five after.
That gave the men in black an unanswered 12-point bonus that opened the floodgates as the Wallabies posted the vast majority of their 40 missed tackles in the second half.
That was aided and abetted by halfback Will Genia who, for the first time in his 91 Tests, was pedestrian serving his backs, coupled with referee Jaco Peyper not policing the often offside All Blacks backline.
No wonder the Wallabies were cut down well inside the advantage line.
Peyper not binning All Black winger Waisake Naholo for spear-tackling Folau was a howler, impacted by the Citing Commissioner not acting as well post-game.
So Naholo got off scot-free twice.
Even more baffling was why Foley didn’t kick-pass to Folau once when he was on the field, but Foley did just that to his wingers once Folau left injured.
So there are plenty of easily fixed mistakes made last week that can be rectified for Eden Park to remain competitive.
All the Wallaby faithful expect of their team is to get the basics – pass, catch, support, tackle, and retain hard-won possession – right.
Last week, in the second half, those basics went AWOL. Bring them back at Eden Park, and the Wallabies will be competitive.
That’s all we ask.