It has not been easy to be a Wallabies supporter recently but the 47-26 victory over the All Blacks on Saturday night goes a long way to easing that pain.
Not only was it Australia’s first Bledisloe Cup victory since 21 October 2017, it also provides hope for the coming World Cup.
There were numerous heroes that contributed to Australia’s victory – the players, the coaching staff, Scott Barrett and Jérome Garcès – but the selectors also deserve recognition for some bold selection choices that played a large role in the eventual win.
In the past, Australia’s selection policies have trended towards conservatism, but the revamped panel of Michael Cheika, Michael O’Connor and Scott Johnson were bold in the lead-up to Saturday’s Test match and were richly rewarded.
The selection of Nic White over Will Genia at scrum half could not have been an easy one. Genia has been a fixture at No.9 and a reliable performer over the years. However, the encouraging performances by White against South Africa meant that he was given the start.
And boy oh boy did he justify that decision. White’s performance against New Zealand has set his name in stone for the World Cup. His passing was incisive, and he mixed up his game with a number of probing runs.
However, White’s offensive skills with the ball were not a surprise, it was the additional skills in his arsenal that provide the most encouraging sign of things to come. He delivered a well-placed box kick in the 35th minute that was well claimed by Reece Hodge.
He also showed tenacity in defence and finished with a team-high nine tackles. Outside of an early poor decision to wait for the whistle and ignore the scoring Rieko Ioane, White was consistently excellent.
(Photo by Paul Kane/Getty Images)
Bringing James O’Connor back into the fold has been another daring decision that paid dividends.
While O’Connor’s talent was never been in doubt, his career looked finished after a series of alcohol and drug indiscretions. Saturday night served as a reminder of what he could have been – and still can be – in the Wallabies jersey.
O’Connor doesn’t have top-end speed and is not an elite line-breaker, which is why it is clever to match him with someone who has those abilities in spades, Samu Kerevi.
Pairing Kerevi and O’Connor in the centres helps emphasise each of their strengths. For O’Connor, his decision-making and distribution contributed immensely to Australia’s strong offensive showing. His offload for Hodge’s try gives a mouth-watering sense of what O’Connor can still achieve.
The selection of Tolu Latu was also a shock but he rewarded the selectors’ faith with his best performance for the Wallabies. Latu excelled in the core skills for a hooker, as his line-out throws were accurate, and he was part of a strong performance by the Australian front row that beat their Kiwi counterparts.
What was especially impressive was his running. He averaged the equal most metres-per-carry out of the starting Australian forwards with Michael Hooper and was consistently able to advance across the gain line.
The bravery shown by the selectors in choosing White, O’Connor and Latu represents a refreshed attitude in the Wallabies set-up. The boldness of those picks was supported by an aggressive tactical display by the coaches that was enacted with skill and vigour by the players on the field.
The performance on Saturday goes a long way to shattering the All Blacks’ aura of invincibility. If Australia continue to operate in this daring manner, there is nothing to say they cannot triumph in Eden Park and claim Australia’s first Bledisloe Cup since 2002.
Istanbul Wingman
Roar Guru
David Campese has made an interesting post on his official fb site expressing disappointment he has not made the short list for NSW coach.
Waxhead
Roar Rookie
@Graymatter I agree mostly but consider that imo....... a) White was man of the match and his 2 games this yr have been much better than anything seen from Genia the past 3 yrs. b) Latu - ha - people seem to be hugely impressed when all he did was not give away the usual penalties, throw ok to lineouts and not get sent off again. Not being a liability again is nothing to be proud of imo. c) It was the combo of all the new players that made the biggest difference. Here I include Arnold, CCL, Slipper, Naisarani, White, JOC, Kerevi at 12. d) Gone are the Waratah duds and the existing players are now being selected in their correct positions, except for LSL. e) Further improvements can be made by selecting Pocock, McCaffrey, Speight, Banks, Wright and ditching a few more Waratahs :)
Waxhead
Roar Rookie
Ah no Numpty. There's no indication Cheika attracted White or JOC back to Aust. It was Cheika who was mostly responsible for us losing White 4 yrs ago - same as Fardy and several others. As for Latu - well I don't care if he had 1 good game against ABs - he still would not be in my squad. He was not even 1st pick hooker for the lowly Waratah this season and his discipline and poor lineout throwing will return to haunt us no doubt.
Richie
Roar Rookie
And so is Foley, Hannigan, Simmons, Phipps,TPN,AAC, etc etc etc. wallabies are now true gold not blue! And as for chasing down players it may well have been Johnson’s doing.
graymatter
Roar Rookie
I have a slightly different take on this. I'm more inclined to think that the impact of introducing these players sent a message to all the players! Give it your best because we're genuinely prepared to drop you for someone else. Personally I don't think Latu, O'Connor or White's performances were significantly better than what we have seen from those they replaced. What I did see was every player stepping up and improving their effort, concentration and discipline. That's what you get when players realize that if you're not putting in your best someone will gladly take your spot. Its great to see player's playing to keep their jersey and other who come on realising what they have to do to win it back!
numpty
Roar Rookie
Wasn't it Cheika who chased down White and JOC from Europe? And Latu is one of his 'waratah boys'....
Marlin
Roar Rookie
Thanks Cameron. All good. What a shocker that was with White throwing up his arms for a forward pass? While he had an otherwise good game that was a hookable offence imo. I have read that others doubt if he would heve got him but if he was putting 100% into the effort (in which case he wouldn't have time to throw said arms in the air) he may well have. I hope they read him the riot act after the game.
Stu B.
Guest
Think how far this team can go with a real coach, any thing possible?
Waxhead
Roar Rookie
@Cameron Yes I agree the much improved team selections were the biggest factor. And I'm ready to give that credit specifically to M O'Conner and S Johnson. I strongly suspect that Cheika was over-ruled and that spared us another thrashing of his Waratah boys. Genia has not been a good performer for the WBs for 2 yrs imo so was great see White get his chance after being rejected by Cheika 4 yrs ago. But team selection can still be improved by bringing in Pocock, McCaffrey, Wright, Speight imo so there's still some way to go in ridding WBs of the Waratah losing culture. Why is ACC in for Speight? Why is LSL being played out of position? And I think JOC has got some surprises in for you with his line breaking ability - he has not lost much pace imo
taylorman
Roar Guru
The new guys have clearly made a difference. May have taken some convincing but the SA match probably meant some heads knocked together. This performance was so un Cheika like, even normally fairly average players stepping up.
Bobby
Roar Rookie
It would be interesting to know what the team would be if Chek was the sole selector. Suppose we'll never know until someone writes a bòk.