'Absolutely mystifying': Selection mistakes that almost cost Australia

Err ... we won.

I am a little tired of this palaver about the French team being thrir 2nd, 3rd , 4th or even the 5th string the WBs are playing. This is the team they sent out so it is their current 1st team. If they get beaten because of it that’s their fault. It allows the young WBs a good contest in which to gain confidence and come together to trial their combinations. Infact a heaven sent opportunity. Let’s stop this degrading of this contest with the who ha of who is missing from the teams and enjoy the competition. There are a few tests to go before we go north in Nov and we will see where we stand against the competition there. Lets take each test as it comes and enjoy them. Cheers.

Not sure what you watched. . Not much between Gordon and McDermott. . Lolisio was nervous but is our best option at 10. . JOC at 12. . Valentine plays rugby , and was good enough. . It doesn’t matter who we use in the front row. . Arnold would be handy but we will get by .

I fail to understand the logic behind that post. Are you suggesting because the Reds beat the Brumbies 3 times that then makes McDermott a better Test starting half than White. In that case why limit the logic to the 9 only. I just think the skills of the 2 players indicate that White is more suited to starting and McDermott finishing.

The outside back should have been aware if the "step" was to make the french hesitate. What were they hesitating from doing?

With White being so superior Im presuming it was the other 14 Qld players that were better than the Brumbies 3 times this year.

Yeah haha I play for GPS and Kaitu’u was at the club grounds a week or so ago watching on his day off I guess and said he had a hammy niggle

The premise behind this article is 100% correct. Rennie can offer up commentary around why he believes his selections are correct but those selections needs to be backed up with results. Some viable options that were not taken into the match have been raised in this article but to that list I would include not selecting Toomua as a starter (returning from injury, not a great SR season), Wright or Kellaway should not be in the match day 23 (there are a lot better wingers out there), Slipper should have returned from the bench, AAA is not a great option (start the QLD front row and we would have won half a dozen more scrum penalties and disrupted the French feed). The team is Rennie's, but if the results are poor then it wont be for long.

All this talk about a 'second string' French side ? Would someone out there , by the numbers, be able to explain that versus what they consider to be their first team. Eg how many are missing from the team that last played in 6 Nations ?

Agree, brother. Thanks for your support ????????

In response to your final par: for the life of me, I fail to see any effectiveness at all from that bloody box kick. 99 times out of 100, possession is lost because of it. It just doesn’t make sense why it is so ubiquitous now in our game. You strive for possession of the ball, the whole game plan is centred on retaining possession, so why on earth would you kick it to the opposition? Yet we do it so often, game after game after game. Surely there’s a coach out there who feels the same way as I do? Dave Rennie should institute a rule; any half who box kicks the pill away after his forwards have won possession will be hooked from the game and dropped for the next one. I get the thinking behind this blight - I’m just saying it Never. Bloody. Works!

Well said. Finally, our national team showed some real heart which, for me, is the most pleasing aspect of this win. Sure, they’re young, made many mistakes and were initially overwhelmed by a French side that, although missing some starters, played with real aggression and purpose. However, our young Wallabies found a way to win and we haven’t seen that sort of hustle and never-say-die attitude for many, many years. Dave Rennie must now be thinking, “Jesus - how bad would the judgments be if we’d LOST?!?”. We Aussie rugby tragics are a pretty cynical bunch; if the Wobbs don’t beat the best in the world by 20+ every time we play, out come the knives and comments calling for selection changes and the coach’s head. I don’t actually disagree with most of the comments: McDermott better than Gordon, Tupou played a blinder, Valetini could have imposed himself a lot more (can we give the kid a break? It was his Test debut, for god’s sake), and Lolesio was not great, but if we don’t blood these youngsters now (who are the future of Wallaby rugby, let’s be honest), we won’t have a settled team going into the next RWC. I thought Rennie’s selections were bold and needed. This was a Test in which he could pick a team for the next few years; it wouldn’t be a pushover, it would be a tough, scrappy affair which would provide way more in terms of experience and lessons learned for our young tyros than it would in “attractive” rugby. And as for the comment above which states that, “The only two players who were still trying at the end were McDermott and Tupou”, I’ll just say I disagree. The way Angus Bell smashed into the breakdown after the final lineout to support McDermott and secure possession for his team was nothing short of inspiring. I’ll admit it - I’m an optimist, a glass half full guy, and I am so pleased with what I saw last Saturday night. It was nothing short of the future of Wallaby rugby and the commitment and passion shown by our youngsters filled me with hope.

As a Brit I've always enjoyed watching Australian rugby of both codes and want to see you guys win. I really hope you get get Arnold and Skelton back. You really need their bulk. And Kerevi. And as for Vunivalu he needs to be in the match day squad if not starting. He's not a complete union player yet but the amount of ground he can cover and athleticism is way above any of your other wingers and then you can use a more effective kicking game. There's definitely talent in your players but watching the Aussie teams play their Kiwi counterparts recently it was so annoying to see how many handling errors you guys made and got the basics wrong. The decision making was terrible at times too. All basics that the Kiwi teams and All Blacks consistently get right. And with all that said there were a decent number of points scored by your teams in some matches against supposedly superior opponents. If your coaches improved their coaching of players and you cut out the errors and changed tactics surely that would have a great improvement. You might not have the depth of some nations but if your top 25 players were fit and available irrespective of rules and issues of which country they currently play in now then that would be a really competitive team Go Australia !!

he is a sensational talent, agreed. but he had an awful year. sure, there were flashes of that talent but a lot more of his inexperience. i'm very hopeful he'll be one of the first picked by the time of the next WC but at the moment, i do not see anyway he can justify a spot in the side or on the bench other than the coaching staff want him to get more experience (and the scary thing about that is that it is not as though he is trying to force his way into one of our great backlines).

Agreed. We need to give our fringe players time to develop at the international level. Lolesio kicked well but lacked what the team needed from a 10. Give him time and exposure and he will improve because he has age on his side and the basic skills. Valetini is in the same situation. Most of the contributors to this article are frustrated because he, like Banks, are not playing as they do at Super Rugby level.

Yeah exactly, the midfield just lacked punch playing with two smaller guys. Paisami plays above his weight, but at the end of the day he is still suited to being the smaller centre of the pair, not the big bruiser. I think we ideally want Kerevi or Petaia in that role.

Wrio1 I think your being a bit harsh on the team. I’d like to see Rennie start this side again next week to grow combinations and confidence. I’m a Tate fan but he shares the same flaw as Gordon, both guys don’t pass from the deck. They take that split second longer to pick up and pass. Jake was a little unlucky with his timing with that pass in the first half to Pasarmi being ruled forward otherwise it was great vision. And that’s why Gordon will start again ahead of Tate, his vision his speed and kicking game….which will only get better with more time on the pitch after a 4 to 5 week layoff. The key to Gordon’s game he plays on the line and demands runners off either shoulder before he will let go to the backs. Gordon did not get enough support however with more time and better combo which time to develop he will develop that understanding with his forwards, wingers and fullback. Timing is key and with a number of guys returning from injury, we just a little off. LL is another who needs more time in the 10 saddle. Would rather see him learn develop and make the odd mistake against a pretty good French side than being picked apart by darkness over the ditch. LL will take a lot of homework out of that nights game and will only get better. Like Tate, like LL & 6 give them a little more time. Win lose or draw the winner for me the other night was the passion shown in the jumper and yes composure.

I’m amazed to say I disagree with every point you make and the way you make it