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The forward pack is all done, so now it’s time to turn our attention to picking the backline for our greatest Wallabies team of the Super Rugby era, starting with the two halves.
Starting with halfback, and there are plenty of options to choose from, from George Gregan to Will Genia to… well, actually that’s it.
While we’ve been trying to give as many different options as possible for all the positions, scrumhalf really is the epitome of a two-horse race. Yes, there have been other no.9s for the Wallabies this era – Chris Whitaker, Luke Burgess, Nick Phipps and Nic White all come to mind – but Gregan and Genia truly stand out.
Consider this: George Gregan made his international debut on June 18, 1994. Including that match against Italy, Australia have since played 320 Tests. One of Gregan and Genia has started in 226 of them, and played from the bench a further 23 times. There have only been a handful of years since ’94 when someone else started at halfback more regularly than one of them.
So, Gregan or Genia it is.
There’s a bit more variety where flyhalves are concerned, although Stephen Larkham’s monopoly on the no.10 jersey from the late 1990s until 2007 means the other options came from after ‘Bernie’ had retired: Matt Giteau, Berrick Barnes, and yes, if you want to keep arguing about whether Quade Cooper was better than Bernard Foley, they’re both there too.
So those are the options. Let us know which of them should get the nod in the form and comments below, and come back tomorrow to pick our centre pairing.
Join The Roar rugby editor Christy Doran, former Wallaby Matt Toomua and a cast of regular and special guests as they look at the biggest issues in the game on The Roar Rugby Podcast. If you’re looking for great odds on the next game check out Aussie bookmaker PlayUp. Chances are you’re about to lose. Set a deposit limit.