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Opinion
Whether it was by design or by sheer luck is yet to be seen, but the past three months have provided Dave Rennie with a unique position of leverage with Rugby Australia.
Regardless of the Wallabies’ result against Wales next week, RA and the broader rugby community have now seen a legitimate case study on the impact and influence provided by removing the Giteau law and allowing selection of Wallabies from outside of Australia versus selecting Australian-based players only.
As an armchair expert I was one of many who was sceptical of the ability of Quade Cooper stepping back into the Test arena.
I was hopeful he would deliver but never expected to see the supreme composure and mature style he managed the first game against South Africa.
It’s easy to comment in hindsight but the games against the Springboks and los Pumas, I had an underlying confidence that we would find a way to win.
The only comparison to make there is to that of any New Zealander watching their team come from behind to win tight games at the death. (Caveat: 13/11/2021 at Aviva Stadium!).
Quade Cooper’s greatest strength is not only his ability to see space on a rugby pitch but also his capability to play to it.
(Photo by Jono Searle/Getty Images)
His skill selection and execution during his recent Tests confirmed his place in the upper echelon of flyhalves while highlighting the daylight behind him in depth at ten in Australia.
Similar in some respects is the way Samu Kerevi returned to the Wallabies’ fold. Prior to Kerevi leaving, I was critical of his ability at Test level.
He was a product of his environment in being the captain of a Reds team whose game plan and strategy was ‘pass it to Kerevi’. He was relied on heavily for go forward but had a tendency to run his outside men out of space.
For an athlete like Kerevi, it seems the perfect preparation for Test rugby is time spent in Japan where the focus is precision to allow the fast and wide game they are known for, followed by an Olympic berth with the sevens where elite fitness and effective one-on-one defence is a prerequisite.
The condition that Kerevi was in when he returned combined with his much improved skill set made him a genuine world-class threat at 12. He was arguably the form 12 of the Rugby Championship.
(Photo by Matt Roberts/Getty Images)
One of the best examples of Kerevi’s development is the lead-up to Andrew Kellaway’s try against the Springboks in Game 1.
Firstly the defence we’ve come to expect from South Africa rushed out of the line to pressure Cooper at first receiver. Cooper’s depth off the line allowed him to get the pass away to Kerevi and take heat from his outside men.
Kerevi’s depth off Cooper allowed time to run onto what would be a rushed pass from his ten.
His next involvements were explosive speed and sharp footwork to break the line, committing the final defender and throwing a sublime left-to-right cut pass to hit Kellaway on the chest at full flight to score.
Considering the Japan-based Wallabies ‘electing’ not to travel, my prediction turned from confident to cautious.
In the Test against England the Wallabies were missing six players who I would class in our top ten. I would challenge any Test team to tour without such a big component of their best and get the results their supporters demand.
Watching both games against England and Scotland, it became frustrating that the game plan was clear but we weren’t up to executing it.
There was a Roar article last week that highlighted the number of kicks into the opposition 22 and it reflects Dave Rennie’s approach of playing rugby in the right areas.
Given the trouble with prop stocks last week I expected the scrum to be a lottery but I take my hat off to James Slipper, who acquitted himself well on the opposite side of the scrum for the first time since 2012.
The biggest concerns I saw in attack were from the ten, 12 and 11 jerseys and the irony is not lost on me that the three who recently vacated those positions are widely accepted as three of our best.
The defence in the inside channel against England was improved but I found myself nervous any time the backs touched the ball with a genuine opportunity to attack.
Ultimately, I didn’t have to wait long for the play to break down from poor skill execution.
(Photo by Dan Mullan – RFU/The RFU Collection via Getty Images)
If I am in the position of Dave Rennie post Spring tour, I would be letting the results speak as evidence for offshore selections.
The Wallabies shot to third on the world rankings on the back of consistent strong performances but without the Japan-based players, I struggle to convince myself we’re better than top seven.
The argument against is for the strength of domestic rugby and it’s clear to see the impact that has had to the strength of South African Super Rugby sides.
The question is what we value more, Super Rugby or international success. As it stands we are losing players in their prime to offshore clubs anyway.
While it is very much a chicken-and-egg scenario, you could argue that a winning Wallabies team would encourage greater participation at a junior level and grow a broader talent base as a result.
There are significant points for and against changing the selection policy and I expect there to be robust debate over the summer.
Either way it has been great to see the Wallabies show their potential at full strength against South Africa and see the swell of support from the broader public.
Hopefully the trip north has not entirely quashed the optimism for France 2023.
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.