Only three starting positions remain up for grabs in our search for the greatest Wallabies team of the Super Rugby era.
Yesterday’s call for the centre pairing has – so far – resulted in some fairly emphatic voting. We think picking the wingers and fullback today may be a little more evenly contested.
Starting with the wingers, and there are no shortage of options. We have World Cup-winners Joe Roff and Ben Tune, along with the Wallabies’ leading World Cup try-scorer and his partner in the 2015 final, Drew Mitchell and Adam Ashley-Cooper.
There are three league converts who became Wallabies regulars – Lote Tuqiri, Wendell Sailor and Marika Koroibete – as well as Digby Ioane, Clyde Rathbone and Stirling Mortlock, who didn’t become a midfield mainstay until after his 20th Test.
At fullback there are some of the finest attacking players to have laced up the boots for Australia. Matt Burke was crucial to the 1999 World Cup success, while Chris Latham’s iconic, socks-down running game was one of the side’s major strengths in the 2000s, with the Queenslander scoring more Test tries (40) than any other Australian in the era.
Mat Rogers was preferred over both of them in the 15 jersey during the 2003 World Cup, Kurtley Beale played his best rugby at the back, and Israel Folau, for all his off-field controversy, was brilliant on it, winning three John Eales medals last decade.
Make your picks for both positions in the form below, let us know who you selected in the comments, and if you haven’t already, get your votes in for the other positions (front row, locks, back row, halves and centres) before the polls close at midday tomorrow.
We’ll be back on Thursday to pick the bench, before revealing the full side next week.
WallabyJ
Roar Rookie
Mat Burke is the best I've ever seen - from Eastwood to the Tahs to the Wallabies, he was sublime. Roff and Tune were world class specialist wingers which is what we desperately need to get back to developing in 2020 and beyond - specialist players for specialist positions.
WallabyJ
Roar Rookie
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stillmissit
Roar Guru
ROaf: Bit of finger issue mate? I wish Cullen had torn up the AB's at times!
JB
Guest
You ask kiwis who was better Burke all day! the better the opposition the better he got, Latho was a freak but If your going into a world cup semi / final or bledisloe decider Burke all day.
Ruckin Oaf
Guest
I'd put him ahead on for the simple reason that I've never seen Cullen tear up the AB's
Just Nuisance
Roar Rookie
Mitch, apologies for late reply.. Time zones etc. But I guess we can run this discussion all day and all come to the conclusion that guys like Burke, Rathbone, Latham etc all World class. But I still have Folau at 15. Tune and Roff Handling the fringes. That’s some strike power.
Derek Murray
Roar Rookie
Just re-watched the 2001 Lions tour and Walker contributed hugely. Showed his toughness too
mzilikazi
Roar Pro
"Unfairly lambasted for being run around by Jason Robinson in the opening 2001 Lions test. There is not a player in the game who would not struggle 1 on 1 in the open with prime Robinson. Including today’s professionals." Great comment, Harty. So many don't see that it was the brilliance of Robinson that won that contest, rather than a failing by Latham. Robinson balance and short burst speed was just phenomenal.
Oblonsky‘s Other Pun
Roar Guru
It was over 30 from memory!
Timmypig
Roar Rookie
Wingers quite hard to pick: Tune & Roff are obvious candidates, but Ioane, Koroibete, Mitchell and Rathbone are all standouts. Fullback? Burke by a country mile. I appreciate Latham, particularly his grit, he's a bloke who always gave everything and never stopped. But Burke's 15 game was complete. As an aside, my wife has always had a bit of a crush. Matt turned up to a 7s tournament my older boy was playing in last year (my boy's an Eastwood rep), and my wife was near beside herself ... ! Nice to see a bloke turning up to a country tournament and seeking out his old club's rep boys to give them a pep talk.
Timmypig
Roar Rookie
Not many players made The Paekakariki Express look like a fool, but Burke's 75m try in Wellington he scored sure did just that. Wow.
Don
Roar Rookie
I’m going for Latham and letting Eales kick goals
Oblonsky‘s Other Pun
Roar Guru
Nah, the risk was around re-signing a thirty year old outside back who had recently been ‘demoted’ to winger, on a multi-year contract worth over $1m per year, less than 12 months out from a World Cup. One year to two max is what makes sense for an outside back of that age. Even without his behavioural history.
Red Rob
Roar Rookie
Not really comparable situations. I’m not defending 5 years for Folau, but Tuqiri was in an era when we had many other options. How many of the list above and the preceding inside backs and centres played in Folau’s era and didn’t come from the NRL? We’re otherwise paying journeymen like Hodge and DHP, repatriating AAC or propping up flakes like Beale.
Jez
Roar Rookie
Burke vs Latham? Both awesome but I think you need to ask yourself who the all blacks would prefer to play I think they would prefer Latham which means the only answer is Burke for filling the 15 jersey.
Ken Catchpole's Other Leg
Roar Guru
I split that hair towards Latham perhaps because his retirement through injury was an anticlimax after his brilliance in attack. There is hardly a whisker between he and Burke. Oh those were the days - choosing between competing world class players.
Hanibal
Roar Rookie
No Andrew Walker?
Tony Hodges
Roar Rookie
He was certainly very good for a while, but not in the same class for as long as some of the others here.
BennO
Roar Rookie
True. Although I did go back and watch the highlights of that test and thought he really should have made that tackle. He had the sideline to work with and two defenders on his inside (who no doubt needed to communicate with him better to let him know they were there). But yeah he should have made the tackle. The thing that spun me out though was that I always thought O'Driscoll made him look stupid in the second half with a massive missed tacke but that was Burke, who must have already come on as a replacement. It's at the 3:50 mark of this clip https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KJfj1rILtHo But yeah, still beyond that my memory was Burke at his best was a better pick than Latham at his best. But I always preferred it when Latham was picked because he was more dynamic and so more entertaining.
Harty
Roar Rookie
I think Burke was always a complete player whereas Latham continued to develop his game and ended up a very complete player while still maintaining his attacking brilliance.