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Opinion
In rugby terms Dave Rennie’s preseason is over.
It would be fair to suggest that Australians have been somewhat underwhelmed with the side’s progress since the quarter-final embarrassment at the hands of England at the 2019 World Cup. Twelve months at the helm, six Test matches, two Super Rugby competitions – Australia and Trans-Tasman – and several camps, and we have little development to show for it.
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Rennie was recently asked, “If your first day in the job last year represented the foot of a mountain, and the 2023 Rugby World Cup final the summit, where do the Wallabies currently stand in that ascent?”.
Rennie, in his distinctive realist manner, replied, “We’re still at the foot of the mountain”.
Though initially this seemed a justified response, it also raised the prospect of a Wallabies side having made little to no progress over a 12-month period.
For success-starved rugby fans in Australia, this simply does not cut it.
(Photo by Cameron Spencer/Getty Images)
The upcoming three-Test series against a mercurial French side will in a way be the first true test of Rennie’s Wallabies tenure. The six Wallabies Tests of 2020 were far from meaningless, though the expectations of the Australian public were not nearly as great as they currently are.
Should Rennie lose this series, his opening Test, he will no doubt find himself planted firmly on the back foot.
In his selections for the first Test of the year, Rennie didn’t spring many surprises. It seems as though Tate McDermott will be coming off the bench for some time still, with his best chance yet to start eluding him once more.
With first-choice halfback Nic White ruled out of the series due to injury and with Waratahs skipper Jake Gordon recently returning from a seemingly serious knee injury, the stars looked to align for the 22-year-old Queenslander. However, it was Gordon who was given the starting role, pairing in the halves with Brumbies young gun Noah Lolesio. The two form a brand new halves combination, one which Rennie will be hoping can provide the attacking edge required to overcome an exciting though depleted French side.
Matt To’omua appears likely to act as the experienced glue in a youthful backline, having overcome a neck injury that threatened to rule him out of the first Test at the least.
The French are missing an abundance of players due to the timing of the Top 14 final combined with Australia’s quarantine requirements. Notable absentees include the first-choice halves pairing of Antoine Dupont and Romain Ntamack. They’ll be replaced by Baptiste Couilloud at halfback and Louis Carbonel in the No. 10 jersey, making for a mouth-watering clash of the next-generation flyhalves.
The absence of La Rochelle’s Brice Dulin has paved the way for excitement machine Melvyn Jaminet to make his debut at fullback, albeit under strange circumstances. The 22-year-old has no top-flight experience, having played an instrumental role in earning his side, Perpignan, promotion.
The seven debutants named in the French squad display the true extent of the French omissions, with only three members of the starting side remaining from their final Six Nations match against Ireland.
Regardless, the first Test of the calendar year invariably serves as a period of excitement. The knowns, the known unknown and the unknown unknowns. What is known, however, is that Dave Rennie must begin to deliver results. Beating a depleted French side is a non-negotiable. Anything less – particularly a repeat of last year’s mediocrity – could spell the beginning of the end for the New Zealander.
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.