Rugby Australia chief Raelene Castle has been making calls. Ringing around. Trying to find someone to be sole selector of the Wallabies.
It’s been bit of a hard sell.
One potential type told her he’d be interested, though only as long as coach Michael Chieka was on board with The Plan.
It seems, however, that Chieka is not.
And that’s effectively where that phone call ended.
And probably fair enough – as head coach Cheika lives and dies on the performance of the people running about in gold, you’d think he’d have the major say in who those people are.
It would be only fair.
Yet headquarters, it seems, would like the buck to stop with someone other than coachy – a sole, independent selectorial chieftain.
For now though it’s Cheika team in all respects and it’s he who’d best be getting a win this weekend against Italy. Or poo will meet fan, and no argument.
Should Chieka pick his best XXIII or new blood such as the heir, Jordan Petaia?
Is Petaia in the best XXIII? As Yoda said of Luke, the raps are strong on this one.
Bung him in?
Would it matter?
Jordan Petaia of the Reds (AAP Image/Albert Perez)
The Wallabies are travelling like such busteds that installing someone else’s XXIII – particularly one without the blessing of the coach – could be akin to repositioning the deck chairs upon the Lusitania which was sunk by German U-boats in May of 1915 and which presaged the United States declaring war on Germany in 1917. You’d think it would’ve been earlier but it was not.
Or maybe they’d go grouse, the new man’s XXIII.
Who knows? The Wallabies could lose to Italy and then beat England.
Thirteen months ago they beat the All Blacks. A month after that Scotland put 53 on them. Scotland didn’t score 53 points in all of 1953.
Fact.
They are nothing if not enigmatic, these people.
And for mine these people should be:
1. Scott Sio – Chunky man doing little wrong. He’s been anointed a long time, Scotty Sio, since a famous win by Brumbies over the British Lions. Pick and stick if fit.
2. Folau Fainga’a – the other hookers are throwing the ball in crooked, on occasion, under the pump, and this simply cannot be. Mark Loane described losing line-out ball as rugby’s slow poison. Losing line-out ball on your own throw is like taking a bath in Agent Orange. Maybe not that bad. But bad, man. Bad.
3. Taniela Tupou – Hard carries and X-factor from a chunky man in the middle, old mate ‘The Tongan Thor’ – cracking handle – is the sort of character who can. It doesn’t matter the detail. He’s a doer. Fit, pick, stick.
4. Adam Coleman – Every team needs a crazy man, a feared one, a wildling. Coleman is that wildling.
5. Izack Rodda – is the other one. Bung in. Let rip. But then the Wallabies’ tight-five, outside the odd dick-up at set-piece or in the red mist of their minds, goes okay.
They’re tough, they tackle. And their backup in 16-19 are pretty tight, too. It’s elsewhere there are issues.
Izack Rodda of the Wallabies (Photo by Scott Barbour/Getty Images)
6. Pete Samu – He’s played 26 games for the Crusaders. He’s 26 years old. He’s a big unit who doesn’t talk, the best kind of big unit. And he, Samu, will do.
7. David Pocock – The best No.7 in Australia should play No.7 for Australia. You can’t have two short-arses in the back-row, however good they are, see M.Loane’s thing about the poison bath.
Pocock wins ball, penalties and Test matches. Michael Hooper scurries about and brings plenty to the party. But it’s one or the other. And Pocock’s better.
David Pocock of the Wallabies (Photo by Mark Kolbe/Getty Images)
8. Jack Dempsey – Bit of mongrel. Bit wild. Bit good. He’ll do, too.
9. Will Genia – The country’s best No.9. And that is just it.
10. Matt Toomua – Yep. Thanks, Bernard, you’ve had your moments. But Australia needs a hard-arse in the middle channel – for 65 minutes, anyway. Foley and Kurtley Beale are brave enough but being targeted by big units, and eventually run ragged.
It’s simple physiology. They are what they are. They can’t stem the wave. Foley’s clever, and you like him off the bench changing the pace of the game. But he’s been quarterback in a lengthy and forlorn period of Not Winning.
So it’s Toomua Time. Tough, skilled, fit, good – the 10.
11. Marika Koroibete – Nuggety runner with pace and an eye for the line he’s … he’s good. He’ll do. What do you want? You’ve seen him play. He is good.
12. Samu Kerevi – bustling ball runner with low centre of gravity, I like him hitting the line and offloading for such as Israel and Beale, and whoever else would bust into space off nugget man.
13. Jordan Petaia – I’m bungin’ him in! The hell with it! He’s not on tour because he can’t play. Who else? AAC? He gets a buttock on the bench. I want to see the wunderkind. Bring it, baby Skywalker running boy man.
14. Israel Folau – Australia’s best ball-running back is best when he’s hitting holes from ball provided by clever dicks in broken play. Not at fullback unless it’s in defence and he’s waiting for high ball.
Folau is excellent under the high ball, best practice. And out wide – ie on the wing – he can wait out there and the blokes inside can kick it over to him, and he can fly through the air and score tries, as he has, job done.
15. Kurtley Beale – Australia’s other best ball-running back needs broken field to run in. He needs ragged, bedraggled space.
There’s less space wearing 10 than there is wearing 12, and he’s occupied both positions with enigmatic results. Play him at the back, running with Israel and Marika and whoever else is bopping about. And just do that, okay. Thanks.
Can Beale play fullback? Sure. (Photo by Chris Hyde/Getty Images)
16. Tatafu Polota-Nau – I like him. I just like him coming on in the second half and throwing into the line-out while his mind is relatively fresh and clear of fog. I also like him belting people. He’s good at that.
17. Allan Alaalatoa – Our sweet cousin Jaapies will tell you the first picked player is the tight-head prop and the next picked is the reserve tight-head. So Allan it is. How about how many ‘a’s in his name? Ridiculous amount of ‘a’s.
18. Sekope Kepu – hundred Tests? He’s done something right.
19. Rory Arnold – Has the Skylab Factor if not the ‘X’. A line-out go-to in the last quarter.
20. Michael Hooper – He’s a beauty, Michael Hooper, a fit and fun-running gun. But he can captain from the bench. Or not at all. Why’d they make him Captain Forever when he wouldn’t be first-picked in the 7? A silly business.
Australia’s Michael Hooper (Photo by Speed Media/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
21. Jake Gordon – Because if Nick Phipps was gonna, Nick Phipps woulda.
22. Adam Ashley-Cooper – Because the backline needs an old hound to tell Jordan Petaia about boats and goats.
23. Dale Haylett-Petty – Though Jack Maddocks.
Samlaurence26
Roar Rookie
Yeah absolutely. He's got huge potential at 6
Cadfael
Roar Guru
I would have a big 8 rather than McMahon, maybe a lock, it has worked in the past. Hooper at 7 not Pocock. I would leave Toomua at 10, Beale at 12 and Kerevi at 13, though maybe Petai at 13 and Kerevi at 12. DHP at 15.
Cadfael
Roar Guru
Used to be the winger but when they changed the lineout rules, the hooker took the throws otherwise the lineout was too long. But it can be anyone. Generally, the props lift and support the jumper. Normally the only forward who would rarely be a jumper is the 7, so he would be the only other regular to throw the ball in. Though to me that is a waste.
DaveR
Guest
Good article Matt. At least RA are now recognising that Cheika's selections are a problem. I calculate at least 2 players picked out of position in each of the last 10 internationals, and then there there are the selections of those not up to test standard, mostly from the Waratahs. RA know that Cheika is fiercely obstinate in what he does, therefor the answer is to immediately pick 2 more selectors to make a panel. How hard can it be?
BigBird
Guest
Teflon coating helps.
BigBird
Guest
He"s a Waratah and kicked the winning SR goal in Christchurch four years ago. All you need to know Rus.
Cliff Bishkek
Roar Rookie
Dempsey is not a No. 8. He has never been selected as an 8 or he should never had been. He is a No. 6 and he is international standard. He showed that against the ABs in 2017. For what we have in Australia at the moment, there are better 8's then Dempsey as he is not an 8. But he is a very good No. 6.
Short Arm
Roar Rookie
Agree with you Andrew. What a big game, definitely getting up for this one, will give the WB's a miss & watch their replay. Where are all the Roar's kiwis? I think if Sexton can stay on for most of the game & with Schmidt's smarts the Shamrocks will get home by 5. Any chance of the WB's securing his services after the RWC ? Raelene needs to ring him before this game starts, for if IRE win, Hansen might lose his job post WC.
Cliff Bishkek
Roar Rookie
General, disagree on Dempsey. Would say that maybe he has come back to early and is not showing his 2017 form. But he was not "too light" and "too fragile" during 2017 - then he got injured. But he got injured in a tough situation where I think even a tougher person would have also suffered.
Cliff Bishkek
Roar Rookie
Cam this is a far better team than Matt's team. But I would not have Tupou in the starting team. He has shown that he is not a starter but a finisher. He is not currently fit enough. Swap with AAA or Kepu (you can sort out the THP & LHP malaise). On Dempsey's performance last week, not fit and strong after his layoff. I would use Samu but either fits. I do not know what people say Samu should not be in a yellow jersey. As you have picked players who are not in the squad, why not Holloway or Valetini at No. 8. Even Valetini at No. 6. And quite frankly I will get smashed for this comment. I would not even have Folaua in the 23. His attitude is poor. People say "he does not get the ball" when on the wing. He does not og looking for it either. Folaua has no Rugby Smarts and is poor positionally on a field at FB. He is a very lazy player for a man of his soze and speed. Banks at FB as you have and I would find another winger - Hodge, DHP or get some one to teach Koriobete some Rugby Smarts - needs soem one on one coaching. For the bench - Arnold, FF (hooker), the necessary props, Beale & Hooper as finishers, but not Maddocks - he needs some toughening up. And then we look at Kurandrani when he comes back. We have the cattle. It is just that the cattle is being poorly selected and placed out of position. This wil remain the status quo until the Goose/Clown is discharged.
Rugby wizard
Guest
1.Sio 2.Faingaa 3.alaatoa 4.Hockings 5.Coleman 6.higgenbotham 7.Pocock 8.Mcmahon 9.Genia 10.Barnes 11.Petai 12.Tomua 13.Morahan 14.Folau 15.Beale Bench 16.tupou 17.slipper 18.Nau 19.Jones 20.Naisarani 21.White 22.AAC 23.O'Connor
Rugby wizard
Guest
What a big loss Morahan is,no matter what anybody says I believe he is the best,not even Folau comes close.He is just terrific with and without ball in hand,a complete rugby player.
Nate
Guest
Sio BPA/Uelese AAA Simmons Coleman Tui Pocock Higginbotham Genia Toomua Petaia Kerevi Kurindrani Folau DHP Uelese/BPA/Faiangaa/Latu/TPN..... Tupou Kepu Arnold Holloway Hooper Gordon Beale
Andrew
Roar Guru
Apologies for being so off-topic on this thread, but seeing pure click-bait like the haka article from yesterday winds me up as there is so much rugby going on in the world at the moment which I'd rather read and debate about.
Andrew
Roar Guru
Weird that there is no preview of Ireland vs New Zealand on the site - you'd think the biggest test of the year between the two clear-cut best teams in the world would warrant something? This feeds in to a point I made on Geoff Parke's article the other day that Australia just doesn't seem to engage with the rest of the rugby world they way everyone else does. We have 300 articles of navel-gazing about the woes of the Wallabies/RA/Rugby in general whereas the rest of the rugby world is excited and pumped up about the test in Dublin. Anyway sorry for that, rant over. I think the losses of Murray and O'Brien will be too much for Ireland, although it'll be damn close and hard fought as there is still lingering bad-blood from that brutal 2016 clash in Dublin.
RugbyTragic
Roar Rookie
Morahan is killing it at Bristol - what a loss to Aus rugby, like Gill etc.
Goran
Roar Rookie
Could the roar start a crowd funding platform to help RA payout the coaches!
jcmasher
Roar Rookie
Mate while I like some of your analysis I don’t support a seperate selector. All that does is provide the coach with a watertight excuse for poor performance. The real issue is the lack of accountability with the current results. How Cheika, Grey, Larkham and The forwards coach keep their jobs with the utter crap performance of the team is beyond belief
Muss
Roar Rookie
A lot to like and agree with... you can't drop haylet-petty for mine ... nothing wrong with Beale coming off the bench use him early if you need a shot of Adrenalin - games are win in the last 10-15 minutes Hooper And Beale coming on together would really shake it up ?
Redsback
Guest
The team that you have selected is fantastic and looks infinitely more threatening than any team we have put out this year (or will put out this year). I like Cheika, save for the very clear NSW bias that he clearly has. Notwithstanding that bias, he's the sort of personality that I can see players getting up for. I see that the Wallabies are trying, but when you have trained all your life to play a position, why change that position? Why, on earth, is the third youngest Wallaby to debut EVER, being asked to do it out of position? How many games has he played on the left wing in his life? Every time Cheika has tried someone else at 10, he has white-anted them. He played Foley at 12 when Cooper was at 10 and it was a joke because Foley kept getting in the way. Now he's doing the same with Toomua. All of the backline issues revolve around selecting Foley at 12, it has thrown everything else off and he has tried to shoehorn in a backline around him. I quite liked what Foley gave off the bench against Argentina and South Africa earlier this year. He added spark. I see a role for him, but his game isn't solid enough to win us 7 games in a row to get us the world cup. After outstanding performances against England and Wales, he was found wanting against Scotland and almost single-handedly caused our early elimination. The annoying thing is that the inclusion of most of these players is quite bold. He has added most of the players most of the fans have been asking for. One more change, getting rid of Foley and then moving everyone else in one space would have meant that he had picked a very good team. How hard is it for him to see that?