The bid to wear the Wallabies No.15 jersey at next year’s Rugby World Cup is shaping as a hotly contested battle between at least six contenders, with incumbent Tom Banks laying down a marker with a bright start to Super Rugby Pacific.
On Wednesday, The Roar expert Nicholas Bishop, discussed relative merits of two of those Banks challengers who made their first fullback starts for the season last week – Queensland’s Jordie Petaia and Waratahs’ Will Harrison.
The fascinating topic was also tackled by The Roar Rugby Podcast where hosts Brett McKay and Harry Jones were joined by special guest and Sydney Morning Herald rugby writer Iain Payten. You can stream their discussion about that contentious position and plenty more from the world of rugby in the player below – or follow on your favourite podcast app.
While Banks has had a hot start in the Brumbies’ unbeaten surge this season, he will face challenges from the two named by Bishop, along with returning Kurtley Beale, Reds’ Jock Campbell, Reece Hodge of the Rebels, and Harry Jones’ tip, James O’Connor.
Payten kicked off the discussion by making the case for Banks to reclaim the he jersey he lost midway through last season when he suffered a broken arm.
“It’s still Banks, really. Everyone loves the fact Jordie Petaia had a great game in his move back to fullback but there are two elements there – it was about getting him with the ball in his hands. A great disappointment of Jordie Petaia is we don’t see enough of him,” said Payten.
“He’s an incredible athlete and that was fantastic as far as it goes getting the ball in his hands. The second element was the fact it was against Fijian Drua who were never going to play a kicking game so we didn’t really get a sense of whether he can position himself well.
Tom Banks of the Brumbies runs with the ball during the round four Super Rugby Pacific match between the Melbourne Rebels and the ACT Brumbies at AAMI Park on March 11, 2022 in Melbourne, Australia. (Photo by Asanka Ratnayake/Getty Images)
“He’s very good under the high ball but does he have that kind of tactical smarts required?
“I don’t see Jordie Petaia being a contender for the Wallabies fullback jersey. Banks has got it, we just need Banks to be more consistent.
“He’s been brilliant for the Brumbies for a number of years now. I don’t know that he’s necessarily taken that form to the Wallabies yet and I don’t quite know why. Whether that’s a function of the Wallabies’ systems don’t suit him or he is a little more reticent to do what he does for the Brumbies with the Wallabies, but solving that problem is the thing we need to do rather than look for a different fullback.”
Payten said Wallabies coach Dave Rennie would likely want Beale around the squad, with the veteran having impressed him on the northern tour in November.
But for a starter, Banks was the man.
“The answer has to be taking Banks’ brilliance to the next level,” Payten said. “I’d really love to see him do that in a Wallabies jersey.”
Harry Jones compared the Australian fullbacks to those in the Six Nations.
“Fullbacks are like No.8s,” Jones said. “It’s one of the few positions on the field where you can really have a point of difference . Teams play very differently and can ask their 15s to be different things – am I safe as houses, am I a counter, am I a left and right kicker, a playmaker coming in to the line, am I defensive organiser?
“For me Banks shapes as a poor man’s Stuart Hogg, he has those moments at Test level that look excruciating, at times they look brilliant. A little bit like Hogg, it depends on what he ate that day if he’s fast or not – he sometimes can be reeled in very easily.”
Jones said Harrison looked “a little frail. I think he could get munched at Test level,” while Petaia “scares me more as a Boks fan than any of the other guys.”
He added he would pick O’Connor for a big match like a World Cup quarter or semifinal.
“It’s ridiculous, I realise, and Banks is the incumbent but I always think he’s going to make a mistake.”
Brett McKay wistfully cast his gaze back to a retired former Rebels No.15. “I’d love if Dane Haylett Petty was 27, 28 now and a yard or two quicker. I think he was such an underrated player and would be so handy.”
Payten concluded: “It’s a problem position. I don’t think any of those names you put up you sign it off and go great choice. This is where you get to least worst option territory.”
Who wears the No.15 if you’re the Wallabies selector?
Phil
Roar Rookie
Just saw Italy v Wales highlights. Italian 15 Ange Capuozzo, all 71kg of him, amazing and match winning performance! It’s not all about size.
pm
Roar Rookie
Yeah, it was probably Cheika that got them over the line in the other win against France though wasn't it? You have got to admit that. It all comes down to Cheika
Phil
Roar Rookie
I was looking for Wills stats and I’m sure they are outdated. He looks like he’s much bigger this year but agree shorter. I think they’re both super talented.
LuckyPhil
Roar Rookie
Fair call re Melvyn Jaminet, but I think Jock Campbell has a few kgs (and height) on Will.
numpty
Roar Rookie
Its just different styles of player. Sometimes you don't have the option of beating a player with speed/footwork because you are in traffic. JP is better in this particular aspect as he is still big enough to bump guys off or go over the top of them. I've never really seen Banks do that apart from getting on the outside of someone and brushing off a low, legs only type tackle. Its not a criticism, just something to take into account when picking what player you want. Banks is better than petaia at a raft of other things. Watch the run at 3:50. Banks can't do that, but he can burn guys on the outside like that crusaders try late last year. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e0MestEU1L8&t=246s
Crusher_13
Roar Rookie
Why does how they beat a defender matter? Surely beating someone without contact is preferable. Makes passing and promoting a support player much easier.
Zulu
Guest
McDermott and Tupou in the 81st minute stopped that series being lost, not the team. You must be a Cheika fan as the Wallabies have been diabolical without QC.
numpty
Roar Rookie
Where did I say Tom Banks can't beat defenders? I said he isn't good at busting tackles... JP has played wing most of the season so far, fullbacks almost always lead in meters carried because of kick returns. And I'm not even siding with one player or the other, I'm just comparing their strengths/weaknesses. I would much rather Banks at 15 if the WBs were to play tomorrow.
pm
Roar Rookie
They did win the series against a French team without QC and playing only 14 guys in one match after Marika's undeserved red card. Granted, France only had maybe 4 of their best in that touring side
pm
Roar Rookie
A bit like Loelisio too (also, perhaps notably, a Brumby) he seems like a much more conservative, steady unimpactful player at international level. I don't understand enough about the game to know if that cause of how DR sets up his attack vs how the Brumbies play. Maybe you do (?)
pm
Roar Rookie
I thought for the Wallabies he was often quiet in the sense of playing fairly safe, just trying to secure the line of play, not run where he had no support, and that's more what DR wanted than his lack of confidence you'd think. And he made few errors. But his ability to actually break tackles, mentioned by Numpty above, is a question. You could do worse than the steadiness but non-impact I'd say he had at Test level
Jimbo81
Roar Rookie
Banks + all the Brumbies + the Tahs are ok at club level but go missing at test level. Banks was extremely poor in 2021 test season. Why would this change?
Mo
Guest
Nah hodge as a rookie first grader super player for the Tahs thrown in at 12 for the wallabies against the best team in the world did ok. He was thrown in at 10 against arguably the best team in the world (not Japan) and did his job for the win. He’s not a winger but has faked it ok. He’s not played a good game at 12 except in a test. Hodge has something you can’t teach.
Mo
Guest
Mate I’m not much of an analyst but seemed to me in super rugby banks tried to hit a hole at full pace but at test rugby he was very shy at hitting the line hard. He didn’t use the physical tools that he used in super. His last test was his best though. Not gonna give up on him but hodge looked good when took over
ThugbyFan
Roar Guru
Order of choice: T.Banks, R.Hodge, J.Campbell, J.Petaia, JOC and K.Beale last. Tom Banks is the incumbent WB fullback (prior to his injury) so deserves to be 1st cab off the rank against England. Add that he is in very good form in SR22. R.Hodge has experience and ability and played fb for the WB after Banks was injured and did an excellent job. I in fact I thought he played better than Banks. However this year, Hodge seems to be struggling. Even so, for the 1st match against England I would have Hodge wearing the #23 shirt if Banks starts. Both have international experience at fb and both have a good boot. Of the other contenders, for mine, Jock Campbell is streets ahead of anyone else. I cannot think offhand of 1 horror game of Campbell at fb. Good positioning, catches under pressure in traffic, tackles well and has that innate sense of great fullbacks of when and where to hit the line. His main downside is he does not have a big boot and is not a 6'5" 104 kg monster. It was almost the crime of the century that Campbell didn't get a run in the WB squad last year, especially when you look at some of the logs who did get into the extended squad. In 4th place, at this moment, is J.Petaia. Looked good in an open game, is a big body and very strong, a good defender and has a quality aerial presence. However he does lose the ball a mite too often or throws dodgy passes. In the Drua game also, JP was all over the shop at times and seemed to depend on his wingers J.Flook and JC to help him. Its up to JP now to improve and learn positioning against clever 5/8ths, who will eat him for breakfast if he is out of position too often. With more games he will also learn (hopefully) when and where to hit the line. A.Kellaway could be a smokey as I think he played some junior rep games at fb. I was at the SFS when Kellaway made his debut for the Tahs and was chatting to a group of his schoolmates. They all said he was a better fb than a winger. I've always thought of R.Hodge as a centre, so is it possible that K.Foote might move Kellaway to fb and Hodge to centre? Unlikely, which is a shame for Kellaway's fb prospects. JOC, hmmm an interesting thought from the Hairy Harry. Again from my beer-soaked neurones, I recall him playing fb in his early days and wow! he was fast in feet, swerve and brain. But does JOC have the legs or speed to play at fb any longer? Can he catch in traffic and run at the line in kick returns and punch through the brutes? All I ever see him doing for Qld when he is backfield and catches a kick is run 5-10 metres until a speedster is next to him then punt the ball up into heavens, and stops while the speedster does his work. I want to see more than that before JOC gets that #15 shirt. K.Beale? Forget it, too old, too flakey, cannot tackle, too many dumb-ar$e mistakes and cramps his wingers with horizontal runs. Was a great player until 2015-6, whose talents exceeded his weaknesses. But as he slowed down others had to cover for his mistakes. A test player should NOT have to depend on others to cover for him.
Crusher_13
Roar Rookie
From memory he put on a few wallaby tries by running great lines. I believe Hooper scored one and they got dragged down short on another. The Wallaby wingers and fullback are not really used, or at least not used in a traditional sense. MK got his hands on the ball a lot, but at rucks. With Kerevi and Paisami playing as crash ball merchants at 12, 11, 14, and 15 live from scraps. I don’t see Dave Rennie playing JP at 15 and suddenly playing the Cheika plan of throw it to 15 (Folau) and see what happens. So people watch the game and say Banks and the wingers were quiet, but they are quiet because of the structures put in place. And just as some food for thought. Why can’t we have a play making winger? Tom Wright has been in first receiver for the Brumbies creating space. A backline of White, QC, Wright, Kerevi, Ikitau, JP, Banks would be handy.
pm
Roar Rookie
The question is the transition to test level though
Crusher_13
Roar Rookie
14 defenders beaten. Ranked 5th.
Crusher_13
Roar Rookie
Tom Banks has beaten 14 opposition defenders. Ranked 5th. JP not top 10. Leading the meters carried stat. JP 160m behind. But no points of difference there.
Poco Loco
Roar Rookie
Hi Zulu, I think you are being unkind to DR. Firstly, did Jock play well enough or sufficent games to be included in the extended squad? The use of Skelton and Beale was because of injury replacements, time and financial constraints. It was also aa one time opportunity to access these players to see how good they were and if they were the right fit. I've no doubt Jock will be included if he continues to play well. Cheers,