Bombs away. Dave Rennie knows the kicks are coming, so do his wingers and so do the fans who are snapping up tickets for this riveting Wallabies-England series.
Coach Rennie’s 35-man squad for the three Tests in July includes high-kick disposal experts and players who’ll run the ball back with interest.
Don’t fall for Rennie’s suggestion he has picked code-hopper Suliasi Vunivalu as a project so he can be used in The Rugby Championship in August-September.
He has Vunivalu in now because the winger is one of the best in the country for catching high kicks on defence and taking a quick step to go on offence.
He may see Test debut time in this England series.
His Super Rugby Pacific form in seven games for Queensland varied between invisible, uncertain, moments of brilliance and one high-class game against the Blues in Auckland.
He’s a weapon at his best and Rennie is determined to turn his “massive potential” into real X-factor by “accelerating his development within camp.”
Jordan Petaia is even more adept at getting up high to catch kicks and surging forward to put his team on attack.
Rennie is a step closer to gambling on him with some time as a Test fullback, even if not for a full 80 minutes.
Jordan Petaia of the Wallabies. (Photo by Jono Searle/Getty Images)
He has picked in-form Brumby Tom Banks as the only specialist fullback in this squad which means Petaia and Andrew Kellaway are the other options.
Utility Reece Hodge had a dire Super Rugby season overall and dropped way too many kicks early in his Melbourne Rebels season. He turned over the ball 17 times in all. Mr Fix-It has paid for it with his spot in the squad.
A Banks-Kellaway-Marika Koroibete-Petaia quartet covering the back three as starters and subs for the first Test in Perth on July 2 is solid.
If Rennie gets it right, he’ll be on the way to doing what predecessor Michael Cheika never managed…a win over Eddie Jones and England.
Cheika’s 0-7 record against the England teams coached by old mate Jones pushed him to the exit door when the 2019 Rugby World Cup quarter-final in Oita was a one-sided loss.
Coach Rennie has thought long and hard about what the English are going to bring to July’s three Tests. There will be shades to the likely scripts but every one includes an aerial bombardment.
England put contestable kicks into the sky when they win Tests and they keep kicking that way when they are losing Tests. You can bank on England kicking 30 times or more every Test. They put boot to ball 34 times when losing their most recent Test to France in March.
“They are going to put a lot of ball in the air. To diffuse that and profit from that is going to be important,” Rennie said.
“We’ve spent so much time studying them. We know what’s coming. Our challenge is to deal with that and apply pressure ourselves.”
Noah Lolesio’s impatient late snap at field goal (charged down) from 40m in the wet in the Brumbies’ semi-final classic against the Blues probably decided one thing.
The superior decision-making of James O’Connor will be preferred on the bench behind ringmaster and top No.10 Quade Cooper.
The backrow is the other area for discussion.
The starting formation is a lock already with captain Michael Hooper, Rob Valetini and Rob Leota.
Leota made some big, forceful metres, tackled effectively and won some lineouts in six games for the Rebels after many Stan Sport viewers had given up on watching the worst performed of Australia’s teams.
The intrigue is how Rennie backs this up with maximum impact from the bench.
Those who have listened to Rennie’s comments over a few months now will realise he is hot for what Jed Holloway can offer.
This close to a World Cup, he can’t believe an uncapped, experienced and high-impact forward of more than 70 Super Rugby games has fallen into his hands with the best season of his career.
Right place, definitely right time. Holloway, 29, may be on the start of one of those runs like a Rob Egerton or Kellaway, who thought their chance was over.
“Jed is a big man with an excellent skillset. He’s a good athlete, he’s got an ability to break the line to create space for others and he does a lot of donkey work,” Rennie said.
The coach sizes up the 1.96m Holloway as a perfect switch hitter between No.6, No.8 and lock. He’s an excellent lineout jumper too which is essential in every non-front-row reserve for this series.
Rennie made sense too when he said that Fraser McReight’s absence from the 35 names didn’t mean he’d suddenly lost his mantle as Hooper’s understudy.
McReight played a few minutes in Auckland as his only Test time in 2021. You just don’t run with specialist No.7s on the bench.
McReight will be picked for Australia A in the Pacific Nations Cup in Fiji and will be match fit if anything befalls Hooper.
“(The more versatile) Pete Samu can give more cover (from the bench). If ‘Hoops’ goes down, we know we can bring McReight back,” Rennie said.
Overall, a strong squad and well selected.
Wallabies squad: Allan Alaalatoa, Tom Banks, Angus Bell, Quade Cooper, Pone Fa’amausili, Folau Fainga’a, Nick Frost, Jake Gordon, Michael Hooper (c), Jed Holloway, Len Ikitau, Andrew Kellaway, Samu Kerevi, Marika Koroibete, Rob Leota, Noah Lolesio, Lachlan Lonergan, Tate McDermott, Cadeyrn Neville, James O’Connor, Hunter Paisami, Izaia Perese, Jordan Petaia, Matt Philip, David Porecki, Pete Samu, Scott Sio, James Slipper, Darcy Swain, Taniela Tupou, Rob Valetini, Suliasi Vunivalu, Nic White, Harry Wilson, Tom Wright.
Rugbytrylover
Roar Rookie
I personally think both Edmed and Donaldson better prospects long term than Lolesio. Edmed showed he is very solid apart from his off game in semi, while Donaldson earlier this season, before getting injured, was very composed and got the ball wide more, as well as taking it to the line. Probably not ideal that they are both in the same Franchise and ranked 4 and 5 as 10s, based on both Aussie teams announcements. I would suspect that they both will get a chance to start in upcoming games….and share equal game time.
djellingjaa
Roar Rookie
Yes I did see those missed tackles and for that reason i think Edmed shows a lot more promise and should be in the squad on form. Edmed looks strong enough to take it up in traffic when he has to without getting completely monstered.
Rugbytrylover
Roar Rookie
And Quade hasn’t played against the ABs recently… if he has a shot against them and holds up, under no doubt plenty of pressure, I will agree that the mature Quade is our best option for next year at 10.
Rugbytrylover
Roar Rookie
Did you see Lolesio miss 3 tackles in the one movement in a Blues try in recent semi. Not sure if he is the future …
GJ
Roar Rookie
You miss the biggest detail here. Rennie should select Skelton and Arnold starting. With Skelton behind Pone you have a very different proposition. Skelton was a huge difference maker in La Rochelle’s title win in the Heineken this year and Arnold has been exceptional all year particularly in the lineout for Toulouse. Rennie completely misplayed Skelton in England. His main strength is disrupting the ruck and maul and grinding down the opposition not as an impact player off the bench. I see depth in the centres and wing but 10 is ropey without Quade and Quade is ropey without at ball trucking 12 to settle when under pressure. Props other than Thor poor in the scrum and will be shown up by England and Hodge is the only sensible choice at 15 given the holes in Banks game so need to develop another player there. Rennie has done little to develop the players in those areas. Improvement over Cheika but I don’t follow the praise for Rennie.
GJ
Roar Rookie
The criticism of Hodge in the Rebels is over stated. The team had a horrible run and it’s much easier to look good when the forwards are winning contact, which they didn’t. That gets forgotten. His kicking game should mean he starts at 15 every time. Wallabies have long overplayed in the wrong areas of the field and lost as a result. Need to use more of a field position game in test rugby to give themselves more room for error.
GJ
Roar Rookie
More bizarre selections by Rennie. Two of the best locks in the world in Arnold and Skelton not included. With them starting the lineout is strong and Skelton adds heft to the scrum that is weak if Thor is not on. Banks has a terrible kicking game and average defence. Hodges boot is enough to make him a lock at 15. Would also coach Pone to play at 1 not 3 where being taller is mildly less of an issue and him with Thor would be the two best running props in the game. Rennie keeps on making the same mistakes that costs the Wallabies a winning record.
Malotru
Roar Rookie
Kerevi at 12 Broken Shoulder, and Cooper at 10, how's the ball going to get to the wings?
Malotru
Roar Rookie
'Cooper seem to prefer running options', yeah, straight across the pitch. Impossible to run off and easy to tackle, that's got to be a winner. Right now I suspect JOC would be a better option at 10, only problem is his fragility.
pm
Roar Rookie
He's very strong-bodied and good at finishing in tight spaces. I'd pick a better allround player for now, but keep working with him. Like the big Pone, there's a lot for Dave to work with/away at
Waxhead
Roar Rookie
@Larkham All Paisami did against Wales was not make the usual series of bad errors. His best game in WB jersey for sure, which rated a 5 out of 10 from me, and way above the usual 1-2 ratings he got. But still 2-3 points below a good performance. I see no improvement in his game in 2022. He's a decent provincial level centre and still not Test standard imo. I don't see significant potential in the guy either :thumbup:
Tez
Roar Rookie
I believe that the As is where Vunivalu might get a game ..... As is not Wallabies
Rob9
Roar Guru
Ikitau is the gold standard as far as ‘well-rounded’ goes. But holding up Perese and Paisami- I don’t see many areas where Hunter’s ahead of him at the moment. Kicking, yes. But that’s not really a strong point for either of their games. Paisami has a great highlights reel of hits, but he makes some poor reads in defence. While neither shy away from contact, they offer slightly different prospects in attack. Hunter runs to shoulders and his ability to break contact into open space has been a real strongpoint of his game. Perese on the other hand runs at bodies and his ability to stay on his feet and find support after contact has seen him become an attacking weapon for the Tahs this year. While Hunter’s year has been heavily impacted by injury, he hasn’t been at his dangerous best (understandably). Meanwhile Perese’s strengths have shone through and he’s just come off his best year for the Tahs. Either way, both are chasing Ikitau after his breakout 2021.
Ken Catchpole's Other Leg
Roar Guru
That’s the practical economy probably NickO, but I’d love a mix of Reece and Jordy.
The Ferret
Roar Rookie
Izzy will be the starter at 13 by the World Cup but has not yet surpassed either Hunter or Lenny. Izzy has them Both left for dust with his running game but he lacks the all round (pass, kick, defensive structures) game that the other have. When Izzzy nails down those he will be a weapon.
Jack
Guest
Mark N (14 for waratahs) pretty hard done by i reckon. His time will come, but he's probably been the form winger in Australia for the back half of super rugby. Lethal in the air too.
Oblosnky’s Other Pun
Guest
I think it’s more the fact that the Brumbies are the only team they could be sure they would get to play fullback consistently…
Nick Maguire
Roar Rookie
Mr Leg, one or the other I would think.
Nick Maguire
Roar Rookie
OOP, true but not the same $$$ probably.
Rob9
Roar Guru
Thanks Ferret. I agree Quade works best with a dominant, hard-carrying 12 who can be drawn in off Quade’s hip once he’s committed defenders. This is where Quade does his best work (not so much the long balls which can be scarily effective but have also had a tendency to go horrendously wrong often times too). As mentioned above, it’d be hard to take the 13 off Len given his 2021- even if we were going to do something left-field which is what sparked all this and introduce someone with a considerably different skillset than most of the other midfield options available. But Izzy has gone past Hunter in the list of recognised options for mine.