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At some point in 1997, Wallabies’ head coach Rod Macqueen made the decision to move Stephen Larkham from fullback to fly half.
That decision was seen by many as reckless and preposterous – an experiment that surely wouldn’t last long. But it did and two years later Larkham won the World Cup in No.10 jersey.
A couple of weeks back Harry Jones’ article (Killer instinct and precision: Which young star is poised to become Australia’s long term No.10?) set the competitive bar high with Ireland’s Jonny Sexton, and then ran the rule over the incumbents (Quade Cooper, Bernard Foley, James O’Connor).
Finding nothing there, he did the same for the pretenders (Noah Lolesio, Carter Gordon, Jack Debreczeni, Tom Lynagh, Ben Donaldson, and Tane Edmed). There he settled on Edmed and Lynagh as our best bets for a ‘Sexton-like’ No.10. For numerous reasons the logic of picking those two seemed rather tortured, and that, mostly because the question he’d posed was rhetorical.
A more objective question would be similar to the one Macqueen asked himself (and his staff) in 1997, ‘Who have we got right now, who has a demonstrated skill-set, demonstrates seasoned rugby nous, is fearless and hungry, and has the physical assets (real speed, good hands, enough mass to take and give a hit in defense, etc), that might be worth looking at as a flyhalf?’
Their answer was Larkham, despite reservations about his kicking.
Stephen Larkham. (Photo by Rob Jefferies/Getty Images)
The Brumbies v Drua match over the weekend was a revelation. Ben O’Donnell is the real deal. If Eddie Jones is really asking questions, and willing to take a punt, he should bring O’Donnell into the WC training squad and run him as a fly-half. Yes, as a No.10.
He’s taller than Sexton (if that matters), has moves and is surely one of the fastest players in Australia. Would he pass the ball? Yes! Would he run the ball? Yes! Is his kicking any good? Who knows, but he’s a real athlete so it’s worth a look. Would he choke on the international stage? No, he’s a seasoned big tournament Aussie Sevens campaigner.
Someone is going to ask, ‘so why does he play on the wing and not flyhalf already?’ There are at least three answers: he’s really fast; because he’s fast and that’s where the fastest guys are almost always played; and, in 7s roles are very fluid so it’s unlikely that anyone has given much thought to anything but his pure speed.
Wouldn’t it be nice to once again, have a No.10 who would always be a strike threat when taking the ball to the line … and didn’t need someone else to step in for him on defence?
Does history repeat itself? Perhaps with some thoughtful intervention. Eddie you’ve got nothing to lose here, but then there is the WC and you haven’t got a No.10 yet.
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.