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There have been two occasions this winter when the players have officially had their say – the players choice for the Australian Super Rugby team of the year, and the John Eales Medal. However, both selections have been largely ignored by Wallabies’ coach Michael Cheika.
Tomorrow, the Wallabies take on the All Blacks at Yokohama in the third Bledisloe Cup match, having comprehensively lost the first two 38-13 at ANZ Stadium in Sydney, and 40-12 at Eden Park in Auckland.
Yet, only six Wallabies from the players choice Super Rugby lineup will be in the run-on side in Yokohama.
Let’s put the two lineups alongside each other. The first is the player picked Australian team, the second is Michael Cheika’s for the Bledisloe:
| Players team | No. | Michael Chieka’s team |
| Scott Sio | 1 | Scott Sio |
| Folau Fainga’a | 2 | Folau Fainga’a |
| Taniela Tupou | 3 | Allan Alaalatoa |
| Rory Arnold | 4 | Izack Rodda |
| Rob Simmons | 5 | Rob Simmons |
| Angus Cottrell | 6 | Ned Hanigan |
| David Pocock | 7 | Michael Hooper |
| Isi Naisarani | 8 | David Pocock |
| Will Genia | 9 | Will Genia |
| Bernard Foley | 10 | Bernard Foley |
| Tagele Naiyaravoro | 11 | Marika Koriobete |
| Kurtley Beale | 12 | Kurtley Beale |
| Tevita Kuridrani | 13 | Israel Folau |
| Jack Maddocks | 14 | Sefa Naivalu |
| Israel Folau | 15 | Dane Haylett-Petty |
(Photo by Cameron Spencer/Getty Images)
The glaring differences are the number seven, eight, eleven and fifteen jerseys, with Cottrell injured.
The players have clearly spoken twice of the Pooper experiment.
They voted Pocock the best seven, and the runaway John Eales Medal winner with 262 votes from eight games to Hooper’s 80 from 12.
Pocock has had to play eight because Hooper can’t play anywhere but seven, yet Pocock won the medal out of position.
Clearly, the only place left for Hooper is the bench at best with Pocock as captain, but Cheika just won’t budge to the detriment of the side in winning only three of nine internationals this campaign.
By next year, Cheika won’t have an option when Fijian number eight runaway train Isi Naisarani – all 195 cms and 110 kgs of him – becomes eligible for Wallabies selection – so why not recognise the obvious now?
The number 11 jumper belonged to Naiyaravoro when he set a new Waratah season try-scoring record of 15 tries in 16 games, but he lost Cheika’s support as quickly as he earned it with Koriobete taking over.
Then the vital 15 jersey with Folau the players choice, but because Haylett-Petty isn’t fast enough to play anywhere else, Cheika has Folau playing positional musical chairs – six Tests this campaign at fullback, three on the wing, and tomorrow he’ll be wearing 13 for the first time with Reece Hodge, and Kuridrani injured, and Samu Kerevi on the comeback trail after being out injured since June.
Of the Players Choice selections, prop Tupou, and lock Arnold, are on tomorrow’s bench, but Maddocks has missed out altogether.
So there’s a huge difference in what the players think of their peers as compared to Michael Cheika.
It’s little wonder Cheika differs.
Throughout his life as player and coach he’s been tough and strong-willed, even pig-headed, and it took him to seven Randwick premierships as a player, and the only coach to win major titles in both hemispheres – the 2009 Heineken with Leinster, and the 2014 Super Rugby with the Waratahs, ending a 19-year drought.
But the pig-headed bit hasn’t worked in 2018 and unless he takes more notice of what’s going on around him, the Wallabies will keep losing.
(Photo by Jason O’Brien/Getty Images)
Having said that, the Wallabies are equally to blame for constantly ignoring rugby basics of pass, catch, support, retain possession, and tackle.
A switched-on Cheika would deal with the constant basic failures by showing the culprits the exit door.
Let’s see how the Wallabies go tomorrow with All Black changes of TJ Perenara, Damian McKenzie, and Sonny Bill Williams earning his 50th cap in the starting lineup – and with Aaron Smith, Brodie Retallick, and Matt Todd on the bench.