DUBLIN – Dave Rennie is hoping a second half blitz from Taniela Tupou and Will Skelton can lead to the Wallabies running over the top of Ireland on Sunday (7am AEDT).
The giant duo were named on the bench as Rennie made wholesale changes to the side that suffered an embarrassing defeat in Florence last weekend.
In total there are 10 changes to the starting side, with seven changes to the pack, the return of experienced halves duo Nic White and Bernard Foley and a back three switch which has seen Andrew Kellaway return at fullback.
While Mark Nawaqanitawase has earned selection after a promising showing on debut last weekend and will likely line-up against Canberra-born Irish winger Mack Hansen in an exciting match up.
“We picked a shadow team a couple of weeks ago that would play against Ireland and we were hoping that the performance against Italy would potentially promote some individuals,” Rennie said.
“Mark Nawaqanitawase obviously had a pretty solid debut. We’re keen to give him another crack.
“And then obviously a number of guys that were rested or injured are back in.”
Changes were always going to come thick and fast.
Rennie had taken one eye off the match against Italy by resting a number of his first-choice players as he prepared for the challenge a week later against Ireland.
It bit him on the backside, with the Wallabies losing to a nation outside the top 10 on the World Rugby rankings for the first time since Robbie Deans’ side lost to Samoa ahead of the 2011 World Cup.
Rennie said the Wallabies were hurting but needed to move on quickly. “The only way to do that is a response against the Irish,” he said.
“They’re an excellent side. They’re very well coached and very well drilled, they’ve got a lot of experience. A lot of players who (have) 30-Test caps and probably played 150 plus club games.
“But that’s exciting. We get to test ourselves against the top ranked side in the world.”
Reds fullback Jock Campbell, who made his debut off the bench against Scotland before being promoted to the No.15 jersey for the defeats against France and Italy, is the biggest casualty from the defeat.
(Photo by Getty Images)
While Kellaway’s selection at fullback is curious given Rennie recently said the Wallabies saw the outside back “more as a winger”, his selection also hints at the way the Wallabies want to play moving forward.
Nawaqanitawase’s aerial prowess offers the Wallabies a real point of difference and Foley spent much of the week kicking across the field at training for the gifted jumper.
“We think Mark’s pushed his way into the reckoning and we want to explore that further,” said Rennie after being probed about Campbell’s axing.
“Jock was nowhere near his best on the weekend, and he was crook late in the week and he was probably a bit flat on game day. We still rate him, he’s certainly still in the reckoning for Wales.”
The Wallabies’ forward pack is better balanced with the availability of all their big men.
James Slipper returns from a well-earned week off and captains the side and he joins an experienced front-row trio alongside hooker Dave Porecki and Allan Alaalatoa.
Nick Frost has recovered from illness and a minor injury to partner his Brumbies teammate Cadeyrn Neville while it is the same back-row from the trio that took the field in Paris, with Jed Holloway, Michael Hooper and Rob Valetini recalled after missing the Florence disaster.
But it is the finish that Rennie is targeting.
As the Irish press wrote about on Thursday, Skelton has been Leinster’s kryptonite during his time in Europe.
He smashed Ireland’s provincial juggernaut, first at Saracens and more recently with La Rochelle.
If the Wallabies are in the contest, Tupou and Skelton can burst the dam wall with their explosive and destructive running games. Pete Samu’s pace can complement the mammoth tight-five forwards.
“Obviously with Nev and Frosty starting, it gives us a lot of lineout options,” Rennie said on the decision to bring Skelton off the bench.
“Will off the bench, hopefully giving us plenty of impact. It’s a strong bench with him and Taniela and Pete Samu and the like to come on. It gives us a really good finish.”
Unsurprisingly Rennie’s men are long odds against the world No.1 nation, with the Wallabies $6 outsiders earlier in the week.
They are ridiculous odds for a nation that has made a habit of surprising the rugby world for better or for worse.
For now though Rennie doesn’t care about favourites. Instead, he just wants his side to deliver a performance Australia can be proud of.
“We won’t talk about being underdogs,” he said. “There’s no doubt we’re playing the top side in the world.
“We’ve talked a lot about us and what we need to put on the pack to get a result and we know that’s important. We let ourselves down last week, we let our country down and we’re keen for a response.”
Wallabies team
1. James Slipper (c) (125 Tests)
2. David Porecki (9 Tests)
3. Allan Alaalatoa (62 Tests)
4. Nick Frost (7 Tests)
5. Cadeyrn Neville (6 Tests)
6. Jed Holloway (8 Tests)
7. Michael Hooper (123 Tests)
8. Rob Valetini (29 Tests)
9. Nic White (58 Tests)
10. Bernard Foley (75 Tests)
11. Tom Wright (21 Tests)
12. Hunter Paisami (23 Tests)
13. Len Ikitau (24 Tests)
14. Mark Nawaqanitawase (1 Test)
15. Andrew Kellaway (20 Tests)
Replacements
16. Folau Fainga’a (36 Tests)
17. Tom Robertson (29 Tests)
18. Taniela Tupou (46 Tests)
19. Will Skelton (23 Tests)
20. Pete Samu (31 Tests)
21. Jake Gordon (18 Tests)
22. Noah Lolesio (16 Tests)
23. Jordan Petaia (23 Tests)
Go you good thing
Roar Rookie
So so close. I’m gonna say it … we were the better team for half of the match. Yes Ireland we’re good and mostly composed ( huge props to their constant sliding defence) but we had more ball than usual, ran more lines, looked hungry, clearly talked and “ generally” kept our heads. I hear the irony in that as we tried to rip the Irish heads off. Besides this 1x bloody annoying constant ( some can be said for the men in green loitering) that’s the best we’ve looked in some time. So for me the ifs were pretty well answered, a great effort and unlucky to lose. It was 1kick ( but as we know that’s the difference in these games) Happy around the park where we looked dominant for long periods. Dare I say yes , we do look to be Building ? Please selectors - Stick with the 23 !!!!!
Zero_Cool
Roar Rookie
I mean when you are as slow as Jake Gordon does the accuracy of your pass really matter? I've mentioned this before, but I'll say it again, Tate is the type of 9 who NEEDS to know his 10. If you watch him with JOC at the Reds, his passes are MUCH better, because he knows his 10, and knows where he wants the ball. Tate more than our other 9's needs to have that feel for his 10, Rennie constantly swapping him out, playing him with different 10's and giving him limited game time REALLY doesn't help.
Zero_Cool
Roar Rookie
I think a lot of that also will correlate with our 10's (& 12's) too. I think for example we under estimate the impact not having say Hunter on due to his ball-playing/play-making; or Kerevi, but he does it by being an unstoppable force and never not making gainline! I don't disagree with you, but I think Tate hasn't had the same opportunities as Gordon or White to play with a quality back-line (JOC could have probably been put in this boat too). Also I'd say at this point, given our depth and the pretty stark difference between the caliber of White & Tate vs Gordon etc, I think we need to play to our strengths not dogmatically play one way forsaking our strengths because 'that's not how we play' I get big 'we play this way' vies from Rennie. If we had the players of England, France, South Africa or New Zealand, then no problem, 'we play this way' means we can cast aside a quality player like McDermott, but when the alternative is Jake 'Phipps 2.0' Gordon, yeah, nah, we gotta figure out how to get the most out of what we got. I do think since 2015 nobody has understood/accepted that the Wallabies aren't a World Class talent team anymore, we are scrappy underdogs who need to figure out ways to play smarter and get 120% out of our teams, unlike England/France/New Zealand/South Africa who getting 90% out of them is likely to win you a World Cup. Our best team should have Tate starting & White finishing, Jake Gordon is the third banana who probably swaps in for White. 100% not saying Nic White is worse than Tate, but he's pure clutch and we need that type of player to win us the big games, while Tate can light up teams putting them on the back foot and get us off to a quick start.
Tim J
Roar Rookie
:thumbup:
Go you good thing
Roar Rookie
Let’s hope so. We like anyone new…. For about a minute till this site burns them Ferrari , harsh critics here
Go you good thing
Roar Rookie
Are not 1 point losses 50/50 ?
Go you good thing
Roar Rookie
Your on fire nupty
Go you good thing
Roar Rookie
The proofs in the pudding. Rennie not going anywhere till post world cup. Then criticise all you like. They have a year to find his replacement.
Go you good thing
Roar Rookie
List em hunters keen to hear.
Go you good thing
Roar Rookie
Spot on
Go you good thing
Roar Rookie
There are missed tackles by both but Wright gets the focus for some reason. Wright has been 100% under the high ball of late. Like I said I don’t mind kellaway.
GC Red
Roar Rookie
Yes, Valentini is great I would play him at 6 though. And try Gleeson at 8 on this tour. Harry Wilson played well at 8 when Rob was at 6 against the French when they toured last year. I think that Rob and Langi with Hooper is worth trying.
Go you good thing
Roar Rookie
I like the brumbies ( McKellar) but surely dc is getting close also ? Look what he’s done with tahs in next to no time ! Exceptional coach.
Go you good thing
Roar Rookie
Just can’t see it into Rwc mate.
Clippers
Roar Rookie
I agree, Noah can play 12 or 13, but is he a test center really? IMO at test level from what I’ve seen so far he’s a 10 that can play a few possessions at 12 when there is a 12 that can play a few possessions at 10. For the record, I’m not bashing Noah. My number 10 stance for this whole tour is that there is no future and is treading water with Foley. For me, quade is the injured incumbent, and this whole European tour should have had every game Noah and Donaldson building healthy in squad rivalry, sharing game time, and aiming to replace quade as first choice.
PeterK
Roar Guru
very well explained
Clippers
Roar Rookie
Cooper, Foketi, Kurevi, Koroibete, Banks, Philip, Bell, Pone, Rodda, Arnold, Sio, Wilson, leota, the freshman that will come along further with some more tests Donaldson, Jock, some of the guys on this tour that didn’t get picked for tomorrow…… it’s a long list sitting out of this test. IMO, no, this is not the best Wallabies side we can produce. But it’s the one we have for tomorrow and like every week i’m going to be cheering for them. It’s frustrating at the moment. But we are building a broader squad. Look at the names left out that could bolster this squad. Sure there’s areas we know we need focus and it would be good if we had a clearer pecking order so combinations could develop, but I think we are building. Breakdown, penalties, number 10, selections/substitutions, building combinations need to continue with work - I think they know this. But on game day, I’m shouting at the tv backing the team on the paddock. I hope they put in a performance that improves penalties given away, improves the breakdown, and shows some heart. Then i’ll be ok with the result.
Harty
Roar Rookie
No way Kellaway has a higher error rate than Wright. That is completely made up. The simple truth is we cannot keep test players who cannot catch. Let alone a back. If you cannot maintain attention for the full game then you are not test standard.
Harty
Roar Rookie
Rennie’s rambling is increasingly incoherent.
Ed
Guest
I'd back Sexton to make his tackles in the defensive line more than ours who will be hidden on the wing or in the backfield. Sexton is 2kg heavier than the speed bump wearing 10 for us on the weekend.