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.
MW7
Guest
I like some of these changes. Not a fan of Hanigan coming in or Tui's move to 8 - has he ever played there - but otherwise yes to Arnold, Pocock & Banks. Maybe Samu at 8. DHP is too slow for the wing. He is is good rugby player but we need speed and with Folau (although injured this week) and Koribete (who often gets run down) we really don't have any lethal quick finishers. Hooper is great but is comprised by Pocock on the pitch and vice versa. It would also be great to see what a Chieka coached team would look like without Hooper from the kick off. Reserve 9 can be anyone but Phipps or Powell. Gordon is next best.
FYI
Guest
The team I would like to see 1. Kepu 2. TPN 3. Tupou 4. Roddha 5. Arnold 6. Tui 7. Pocock 8. Samu 9. Genia 10. Foley 11. Maddocks 12. Toomua 13. Hodge 14. Koribete 15. Beale 16. Sio 17. Faingaa 18. AAT 19. Coleman 20. Simmons 21. Hooper 22. Phipps 23. DHP
BOGGLES THE MIND
Guest
The front row is garbage with Kepu and Robertson in it .Tupou needs to be in .
DLKN
Guest
Phil Kearns? Accurate lineout thrower? The bloke nicknamed "Scud" after the Iraqi missiles that would almost never land where they were aimed? Terrific hooker, but as a lineout thrower he was ordinary. And to suggest that we haven't had accurate throwers since then is just an outrageous misrepresentation and an insult to people like Michael Foley, Stephen Moore, Jeremy Paul and Brendan Cannon, who may have had other deficiencies, but were all very, very good at finding their jumpers in the lineout.
Jeff
Guest
Dear David, Have you read any of the comments? If you have why do you persist in advocating the selection of a team which is illegal because it does not have three specialist front row players on the bench. Just a simple explanation will do David.
Manc Mike
Guest
(1) Scott Sio (2) Tatafu Polota-Nau (3) Taniela Tupou (4) Rory Arnold (5) Adam Coleman (6) Lukhan Tui (7) David Pocock (c) (8) Caleb Timu (9) Will Genia (10) Kurtley Beale (11) Marika Koroibete (12) Matt Toomua (13) Curtis Rona (14) Jordan Petaia (15) Tom Banks (16) Brendon Paenga-Amosal (17) Sekope Kepu (18) Allan Alaalatoa (LH) (19) Michael Hooper (19) Peter Samu (20) Izack Rodda (21) Reece Hodge (22) Joe Powell
in brief
Guest
As any reasonable NZ fan would admit to beat the ABs you need to also beat the referee. It's a pretty understandable thing - they are the best team in the world so the officials give them the benefit of the doubt.
Manc Mike
Guest
Painful read. Lacks understanding of Hopper's role in our 1,3,3,1 attack. He's really become the whipping boy of Australian rugby. He's our country's captain. Why is it so difficult for people to support him. Bringing in Ned Hanigan is a move that lacks intelligence and affects us negatively. He doesn't have the grit for international rugby. If you think that the strength or weakness of a lineout is purely measured in centremetres (see eye role emoji) please YouTube some Alun Wyn Jones clips. 198cms. A giant. Our backline could barely penetrate, and I'm using the word barely generously, and is largely where the changes are required. Keeping Hodge at 13 is not the answer. Not even if the question was who is the best attacking 13 in Australia with the last name Hodge. He wasn't great there in the trial game. The team you have selected will get annilated at Eden Park. It is not an improvement. Describing the second half defensive effort as pathetic is strong, certainly it was in the ballpark. Where is the credit for the first half? Why can't we try and build what we have instead of shuffling deck chairs. Overall summary, a team that is miles in front of us ran away with a game in which I feel we could not maintain the incredible standard of concentration, application and effort we started with. 10 and 13 are not top tier standard.
terrence
Guest
can't believe people are still calling for dhp after his useless performance saturday night..
Cliff Bishkek
Roar Rookie
David - not only changes and not saying yours are right. But some one needs to be asking the players and Cheika - a BIG SERIOUS WHY?
piru
Roar Rookie
Aussie style bowling or overarm?
Kane
Roar Guru
David are you suggesting that bowling a rugby ball in to the line out would be more accurate than how they throw now?
piru
Roar Rookie
(1) Foley is one of the world’s best goal-kickers, By what possible evidence can you make this assertion? You are just stirring now, surely
David Lord
Expert
Congratulations Vince, you are the only Roarer to give your reasons for change. There are two points to comment on: (1) Foley is one of the world's best goal-kickers, as you know his boot has won vital Tests for the Wallabies. In a perfect combination, he takes the shots at goal up to 40 metres, when the big boot of Reece Hodge takes over for the longer shots, if Hooper wants it. (2) You may well be right about the ABs working out the Wallaby lineout calls, but everyone misses the real problem that the Wallabies haven't had an accurate hooker to feed the lineouts since Tommy Lawton jnr, and Phil Kearns, over 30 years ago. That's a long time between drinks, and many a vital lineout has been lost by dreadful feeding. There's no law a hooker must feed lineouts, so find someone else to do the job. It used to be wingers, and they were accurate, bowling it like a cricketer when lifting was illegal. There's nothing to stop a return to them
Larry1950
Guest
So go for taller, heavier forwards who are less mobile after getting towelled up by a side that eventually identified lack of mobility as a weakness, sounds like a plan ( for disaster). Maybe Australia just doesn't have the cattle to beat the all blacks & it doesn't matter who Chieka trots out. From what I've seen of Izzy in recent times, he's not all that dominant at international level and it's a fair bit of hype every time he plays.
Josh
Guest
Agree with everything except Ned Hanigan. He proved last year he’s not yet up to it, and nothing I’ve seen this year changes that opinion. Please change him for Samu or one of the others so I can completely agree. I’d love to see Pocock for 50 or 60, then a fresh Hooper run amok for the final 20. Or vice-versa even.
Kane
Roar Guru
You do realise 44% possession and 45% territory isn't what you'd call a small piece of the pie? In fact both increased in the 2nd half...
RahRah
Roar Rookie
I like this one Sheik, hasn't McGregor been an absolute pleasure to watch.
Val
Guest
Even commentators like David Lord seem to have undroppables - on form from Saturday and the SR season Coleman's form has been poor. Arnold's has been good - straight swap. Backrow - how can you pick Tui at No8 as to the best of my knowledge he hasn't played a minute there this year. Why can't we pick on form and then the back row could be Pocock 7, Pete Samu 8 and then use Tui at 6 where he has been OK. Pack would then be Sio, TPN, Kepu, Arnold, Rodda, Pocock, Samu and Tui - both balanced and experienced with four line out jumpers. For the backs what Lord has chosen is as good as we can choose. You can shuffle the cards but I don't think there will be much of a difference. Its then up to the forwards to muscle up to make the difference from Sydney to Auckland.
Sheikh
Roar Rookie
OK, how about this as a squad: 1. Sef Fa'agase 2. Heath Tessman 3. Sam Talaki 4. Ritchie Arnold 5. Tom Staniforth 6. Lachlan McCaffrey 7. Chris Alcock 8. Ross Haylett-Petty 9. Michael Ruru 10. Andrew Deegan 11. James Dargaville 12. Billy Meakes 13. Tom English 14. Tom Banks 15. Jack McGregor 16. Harry Scoble 17. Les Makin 18. Shambeckler Vui 19. Leon Power 20. Adam Korcyzk 21. Jake Gordon 22. Jono Lance 23. Alex Newsome I think they have a total of 0 Wallaby caps in that 23 (apologies if I've missed any!) And I think they have as great a chance of winning at Eden Park as any other 23 the Wallabies can put out!