Eddie Jones picking just 33 names in his first Wallabies training squad was a clear-thinking and overdue change of tack.
With one decision, he created the sort of dynamic debate around selections that the game has missed.
You actually had a sharp line between being selected and missing out instead of the every-child-wins-a-prize tedium of more than 40 names.
Those massive squads of recent years had left us zoned out with borderline disinterest at times.
“Participation” ribbons might be the go at school sports carnivals these days but give me a group of aggrieved, hungry World Cup contenders who just miss the podium any day.
In the days since Jones announced his squad, there has been a beautiful game of guessing the secret motives to multiple selections. Sometimes, Jones just picks a player like any normal coach.
Is Eddie the only one with the key to turn Suliasi Vunivalu from uninvolved winger into busy flying machine?
Has he got a new take on how the Wallabies are going to play at openside flanker this year with four options in this squad?
Does Toulouse-based Richie Arnold offer a 2.08m wildcard at lock as well as invaluable intel on how the French operate?
We are talking about all those points. What else stirs us this week entering Round Seven of Super Rugby Pacific?
TATE McDERMOTT DESERVED TO PAY THE PRICE
Hot on the heels of the re-signing of NSW Waratah Jake Gordon comes Thursday’s news of Queensland Red Tate McDermott inking a new four-year deal with Rugby Australia.
Both names were missing when Jones named two halfbacks in his first squad even though he knows he’ll be taking three to the World Cup.
Good on Jones. McDermott played below par rugby in the first five rounds and has paid a price. Isn’t that how it is supposed to work?
From his first poor kick in front of Jones in Townsville in the Reds-Hurricanes game, McDermott’s skill execution has been down on where the halfback would like it to be.
Tate McDermott of Australia at the end of the Autumn International match between Italy and Australia at Stadio Artemio Franchi in Florence, Italy. (Photo by Timothy Rogers/Getty Images)
McDermott is a super player and his form turned for the better against the Crusaders last week. His heads-up grubber kick for the Jordan Petaia try was excellent. He ran, twisted and turned and got his team on the front foot.
Jones has given him honest feedback on where he needs to improve. He will and he’ll be back. That’s how the system should work.
WALLABY SQUAD TIPS
We had a quick go at left-field lotto last week when throwing up some potential names for the Wallabies training squad.
How did we go?
Brad Wilkin (Melbourne Rebels), Josh Flook (Reds), Ryan Lonergan (Brumbies) and Max Jorgensen (Waratahs) were all ticks. There was no room for far left-field picks Issak-Fines Leleiwasa, Liam Wright or Corey Toole.
DESPERATE REDS
The Reds-Brumbies rivalry has been riveting in recent years and the stakes are high again on Friday night at Suncorp Stadium.
The ledger is 5-all in games since the start of 2020 and eight of those have been decided by six points or less.
The Reds are desperate. At 2-4 and eighth, they need their first win over a top six opponent this season to prove to themselves they still have it.
They’ve scored the same number of tries (25) as the Brumbies this season but the Reds’ play has been so ragged and penalty prone away from the good stuff that they can’t produce a winning 80 minutes.
The Reds have beaten the Brumbies on their last seven visits to Suncorp Stadium, which is some stat.
Brumbies coach Steve Larkham talked through all the variables – humidity, travel, crowd, good opponent.
This will be another cracker.
WHAT TO MAKE OF VUNIVALU-O’CONNOR DEMOTIONS
Suliasi Vunivalu has been dropped because Jordan Petaia and Filipo Daugunu have played far better as Reds wingers this season. Full stop.
Again, that’s how footy is supposed to work. Average form should warrant the chop whether you are in a Wallabies training squad or not.
Rugby fossils will remember the 1980s in Queensland when Tom Lawton was preferred as Wallaby hooker while Mark McBain was chosen ahead of him for Queensland.
We all hope Vunivalu finds his rugby legs because he’s running out of time. He is a popular figure and does some audacious things at training that just aren’t being translated to where it matters.
He was a finisher at the Melbourne Storm, someone able to dot down at the end of the backline and curl himself around corner posts to do so. Maybe, the art of getting off your wing in rugby is more foreign to him than we think.
(Photo by Mark Metcalfe/Getty Images)
O’Connor has been patchy since his comeback from injury. His good has been very good, notably his second half against the Brumbies in Canberra and smart balls like his inside pass for the Josh Flook try against the Fijian Drua.
His kicking was way off against the Crusaders last round, starting with kicking the ball dead from a penalty in the opening seconds.
An over-cooked kick ahead in the final stages was a poor option too.
There is also some method to him going to the bench. The way he lifted the tempo and ignited the Reds in Canberra may be the blueprint that coach Brad Thorn is hoping to replicate for a win this time.
Lawson Creighton is a handy starting No.10 who has a knack for slipping through the defence at least once a game.
A NEVILLE NOBODY NO LONGER
Congrats are overdue for lock Cadeyrn Neville and not just because he’s playing his 100th Super Rugby game in Brisbane on Friday.
He took a long time to earn true credibility in Super Rugby but he’s braining it right now in the supportive environment in Canberra.
He’s a true lineout winner, the maul is like a second home to him now, he makes plenty of effective tackles and he just keeps on going with his big motor. He’s a Wallaby playing his seventh straight game on Friday.
It’s great that persistence pays off at 34 and Australian rugby isn’t all about flashy 22-year-old backs.
Hooter
Roar Rookie
The Fullback Who Shall Not Be Named and Foley fall into this category. These guys are highly paid and yet they lack some of the core skills for their role and never seemed to improve them. They train all day everyday and should be putting extras in to improve on their deficiencies e.g. 100 passes on the weak side with a weighted footy until there is an improvement in accuracy and distance.
Hooter
Roar Rookie
I agree with you Ozinsa, X-Factor players have cost the Wallabies dearly over the years. Beale is the most obvious example, Cooper and O'Connor the others (albeit with some redemption stories in recent times).
Derek Murray
Roar Rookie
Fingers crossed. It’s the only science involved here
Derek Murray
Roar Rookie
Completely agree. I commented elsewhere I couldn’t see how the Reds planned to score. Brumbies with a cohesive plan and an idea about how they move the ball; Reds comparatively nothing
Jim Tucker
Expert
As Eddie said, you look for things in players that you can't coach. Suli can finish a try in the final 10m to the corner post, he is fast and he's elite in the air with his leap and height. Eddie striving to get more basics out of him
Hooter
Roar Rookie
OK, I agree, I have exaggerated and over simplified, not the first or the last time that has happened on this or any other forum :-). The fact remains that the Reds do not have the cohesion to mount threatening attacking raids. Look at the penalty for crossing last night where they chucked the ball out the back as an example, McReight was expecting the ball but did not get it, instead, he and Flook ran into each other (confusion in what play was on and running lines) and blocked the path of the defence to the ball carrier. From last night, two tries off the rolling maul (one of which lost structure and a gap appeared resulting in a try) and one off some excellent work by McDermott. The Reds did not look threatening ball in hand all night and the Brumbies defence had them under control (except Petaia but again most of his work was opportunistic and individual rather than off planned and structured play).
Hooter
Roar Rookie
Gordon has yet to display this calmness and ability to lift a team at test level. He makes poor decisions and looks rushed. I agree that we have not seen enough of Lonnergan's running game to know if he has one worth speaking of but he does lift the tempo. I reckon he has the best pass of all halves in the Australian Super Rugby teams.
KiwiHaydn
Roar Rookie
I think the Wallabies have a great opportunity of making the semis at least at the RWC. What I take exception to is the media pundits who jump on the Eddie bandwagon suggesting everything he does is good, and everything that has come before is bad. Eddie’s mind games have been shown in the past to be all part of the theatrics, with no real measurable success. Maybe they’ll work for the Wallabies, maybe they won’t. But if Eddie doesn’t AT LEAST get the Wallabies to the semis, then what? Never mind, he’s got 4 more years anyway. Eddie is not the messiah, much like Lolesio wasn’t before him, and any number of other ‘next big things’ that have been trumpeted over the years.
graymatter
Roar Rookie
Foley should not be in consideration. Donaldson has shown nothing superior to Noah. Agree that Carter Gordon deserves consideration. Quade Cooper if fit still the stand-out!
PeterK
Roar Guru
I ignored dr's o/s selections as well. The context of the article was super rugby form and players chosen or dropped based on it rather than everyone gets a participation award
Doctordbx
Roar Rookie
Clearly because he's reading newspapers.
Crusher_13
Roar Rookie
So why has a professional player with 70 super rugby games and 21 test caps not improved a core skill?
FrancisF
Roar Pro
By definition, its called an X Factor and for a reason.
Rodkafer
Roar Rookie
Agree with you on the forwards summation but I don’t think it’s so clear cut at 10. For this World Cup, I’m not convinced that Noah is clearly a better option then Donaldson, as while Donaldson hasn’t been great, Noah has had the luxury of playing behind a much more dominant pack. Plus Jack Deb probably had a case for WC selection, and even Foley is a shout given recent Japan form plus if we were to already take a young 10 in Carter
Derek Murray
Roar Rookie
I truly despise the concept of X factor. Give me a player who does their job well, consistently every time over somebody with X factor, most particularly in a position that touches the ball more than any other
Derek Murray
Roar Rookie
That all seems logical but Tate had played 70 SR games and 21 tests. If he hasn’t improved the core skill of his position by now, what will change to make it happen?
Derek Murray
Roar Rookie
I’ve never been a fan of him at test level - I just don’t think he has the power to match it with our opponents when it matters. He doesn’t stack up against likely starters for any of the 6 teams above us in the world rankings. He has been better this year than last and I admire his workrate and lineout skills but if one or preferably both of Rodda/Philip aren’t fit for the WC, we can’t win it
Derek Murray
Roar Rookie
That’s an optimistic take. I’d have thought it put more focus on tight 5s where the Reds are clearly inferior. I expect a big effort from the Reds to fall short but don’t much care either way - I like both equally because they’re Australian teams
Derek Murray
Roar Rookie
Some kicks are clearly better. Tate’s grubber allowed JP to be over it when it was there to be caught/dived on; JOC’s was terrible, simply over-cooked and never more than 50:50 even if he got the distance and timing perfect. JOC’s little pop over the top allowed JP to jump when running against a guy forced to turn - as long as the kick was accurate you’d take that sort of 70:30/80:20 option all day. JP can make any kicker look better but that’s why you kick. The kicker’s responsibility is to nail the kick. It’s not just JP making him look good; they combine
Tim J
Roar Rookie
I was trying to be diplomatic Doc. :stoked: