Ripping the bandaid off. Shock and raw. Call it what you like but Eddie doesn’t mess about does he?
Some may see it as grandstanding, others may think it insanity. However, there is method to this madness.
A calculated decision has been taken here.
Living in the northern hemisphere, having watched Ireland and France plan meticulously over the past 5-10 years for this tournament, two things are clear to me.
Firstly, the Wallabies even with a fully fit and firing Michael Hooper or Quade Cooper would struggle to win three straight matches against any of the top six Test nations.
Eddie knows this. He’s looked to the future by picking a side that can escape the pool stages this year and push England or Argentina all the way in a quarter final. After that, anything can happen but probably won’t.
Second. Eddie’s done exactly what French Rugby did in 2019. He’s swept into an underperforming side with a culture of losing and taken a broom to it. It may be harsh but there is no room for sentimentality right now, if ever.
People will argue that under Dave Rennie, the Wallabies were there or thereabouts. Fast improving, primed for a tilt at the Webb Ellis trophy.
Dave Rennie. (Photo by Chris Hyde/Getty Images)
The fact is that under Rennie, a full strength side scraped by at home against Argentina and South Africa after those two sides had each won the Covid Quarantine fantasy raffle.
They then lost a three-game series to a mediocre, highly fatigued England played on fast, hard Australian tracks.
All before the disastrous tour to Europe last year where Rennie’s side found ways to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory in three of five games. In the two games they won, against Scotland and Wales, they were lucky in the extreme. Yellow cards. Red cards. Losses.
Enough was enough.
Eddie gave Michael Hooper a game in Pretoria when arguably he’d been the 3rd or 4th best open side flanker in Australia for 12 months. He was battered, mercilessly targeted by the Springboks all game. It was sad.
Quade Cooper also had his opportunities. His heroic game on the Gold Coast against the Springboks came two years too early. Is he a better 10 than Donaldson now? Undoubtedly. Will he be around for the next World Cup? Undoubtedly not.
(Photo by Matt Roberts/Getty Images)
Why take players to a Rugby World Cup who may help you lose a semifinal by 10 points instead of 20 when you can take players who might win the whole thing in 2027?
Some of you will point out that Australian Rugby doesn’t have a Dupont or Ntamack hanging out in the junior sides right now.
You’d be right. Find me a commentator who says any Test nation, including New Zealand or South Africa does and I’ll show you a liar.
Dupont in particular may well become one of the greatest test scrum halves of all time, right up there with Edwards, Joost, Gregan and Smith.
What Australia does have is a group of players all well under 25 years of age who are about to become seasoned veterans.
Would you believe that Angus Bell is just 22 years old? He makes Taniela Tupou at 27 seem like an old age pensioner.
Nick Frost, Tom Hooper, Fraser McReight. All 24 years old or under, all still growing into their bodies, or looking for half of them if you listen to Eddie.
If Australian Rugby was to sign up Payne Haas for example, someone to push Rob Valetini harder, that is some sort of millennial rugby wet dream isn’t it?
But let’s not stop there.
Tate McDermott and Issak Fines-Leleiwasa will both be in their primes between the Lions Tour in 2025 and the Rugby World Cup in 2027.
They’ll be pushed all the way by Ryan Lonergan who will also need to contend with a fast rising son of a gun, Teddy Wilson.
Carter Gordon has been anointed but won’t have it all his own way. Young Tom Lynagh showed enough this season to establish he’s got what it takes to contend.
Jordan Petaia, Mark Nawaquanitawase, Max Jorgensen. All still just kids, especially Jorgensen who shows sons of guns come in threes these days.
About the only problem position I can see is at 12. Samu Kerevi probably won’t make it to 2025, let alone 2027 so why not grab Cameron Murray? Tough tackling, hard running, plenty of Union background and young.
It is doubtful that any other Test nation will be as primed to win the Rugby World Cup in 2027 as Australia.
The Wallabies by that stage will have an average age of about 28 and average test caps of well over 50. Key metrics when it comes to winning ‘Bill’.
They will have soundly lost a semifinal in 2023, won a brutal Lions series two years later and wrestled back the Bledisloe immediately after.
We can all dream can’t we! And this selection allows us to do that.
Possible Wallaby Side 2027 Rugby World Cup with age in 2027 in brackets:
1. Angus Bell (26)
2. Matt Faessler (28)
3. Taniela Tupou (31)
4. Will Skelton (35)
5. Nick Frost (27)
6. Tom Hooper (26)
7. Fraser McReight (28)
8. Payne Haas (27)
9. Tate McDermott (28)
10. Carter Gordon (26)
11. Mark Nawaqanitawase (26)
12. Cameron Murray (29)
13. Jordan Petaia (27)
14. Max Jorgensen (22)
15. Joseph Sua’ali’i (24)
Bench contenders: Blake Schoupp (27), Zane Nonggorr (26), Rob Valetini (28), Teddy Wilson (24), Ryan Lonergan (29), Tom Lynagh (24), Josh Flook (25).
jammel
Roar Rookie
Samu for sure. He'd be in my best 23!! Hodge = no. Like Michael Hooper = just no imo.
Wizz
Roar Rookie
You bring up Muldoon I'll bring up Chappell...not liked this side and as we are your biggest benefactors show respect..
Wizz
Roar Rookie
Slipper White got lucky..
Don
Roar Rookie
To me Eddie has blinked. Too right. What happened to “possession rugby is dead”? A touch up by the Boss saw a swift end to that. Playing off the 9? Nah..let’s drop that idea too. But let’s do it after we’ve made QC’s job near impossible in his starts. The nutty condensed defence structures? Good for League where Hodgo comes from, but passing, kicking and running around those is pretty simple at this level. So…against the ABs by game 2, let’s just play traditional rugby with a traditional approach, hold possession and tackle our rings out… Turns out the innovative genius preparing the Aussies for a RWC smash and grab has decided he can’t do it this year and, in his selections, has reverted to blaming a small group of his better players.
Phantom
Roar Rookie
Hodge and samu are the two obvious misses to me. Both would be better performers than those selected.
Harry Jones
Expert
"Why take players to a Rugby World Cup who may help you lose a semifinal by 10 points instead of 20 when you can take players who might win the whole thing in 2027?" Because being down by 10 and led by a 65-70 cap flyhalf when something else happens (a card, a weird call, an interception) is better for winning the semifinal than being down by 20 with 2-cap guys running the show; and winning is the main thing in elite sport. 2024-2027 provides ample game time for the next best flyhalves.
terrence
Roar Rookie
I have a prediction too, 80 percent of those 'possible' players wont don the wallaby jersey at WC 2027..rubbish like 'cleaning house' and 'looking towards 2027' are just excuses for eddie's poor coaching and WC selections..
terrence
Roar Rookie
The Roar is never short of eddie apologists..and i don't know why they need to take a dig and dave rennie for..record says eddie is winless 0-4..
Wig
Roar Rookie
yes and its so unbelievable they are right at home by doing so. :laughing:
Wig
Roar Rookie
He won't be finishing strongly in this cup i reckon he's a big waste of space been taking up valuable spots for too long,its like a production line next ones step up
Wig
Roar Rookie
Yes we do look for all the problems and accountability everywhere as steady eddie is not getting away Scott free from what he did,what he does, what he said ,what he says and what he implies. To add to that I wish eddie would of cut 2 more completely white and tt and go all out like the French did like the baby blacks did , HOW they go after that :thumbup: . And keep the trap shut. France people may want to call it a warm up game to suit but its not , its a international test and it will go down in the books. As well you have pumas Wales Fiji wallabys pretty much level pegging in world rankings they all count. The grubbyness of ra towards Dr is one thing and most on here have conveniently forgotten how well he was going in 2022 considering what he was up against and hoops blinded by the goalposts,injuries etc the troops in the eoyt were exceptional. So eddies done good with these changes just not far enough to get rid of the rot. And the vunivalu included brain fart.
Decoy
Roar Rookie
So it seems that, if you look at various opinion pieces on the Roar, Australians are backing themselves to win it in 2023 as well as 2027, with the latter especially a forgone conclusion. Got to admire the confidence.
cs
Roar Guru
Perhaps you're right but a poor showing would reflect poorly on both. I don't suggest the coach was/is driven by the board, but any coach (or employee of any board) would be prudent to manage the board's expectations (in this case, especially in the wake of DR's exit). Likewise, if I was the chair (and I have chaired boards, one for a double term of more than 10 years), and my expectations were disappointed, I'd be pulling the ceo in to find out what was going on, leading to crisis talks with that employee if necessary. Hence, a strategy to move the goalposts to 2027, selling down on experience and buying up on youth. But yes, this is no more than imaginative conjecture, mixing my experience with a reading of the apparent facts..
Train Without A Station
Roar Guru
Disagree on that. We are 8th at senior level. But probably a top 4 team at pro level. The biggest issue is the final touches and retaining players at senior level it seems.
Train Without A Station
Roar Guru
Like most who said Eddie would be better this year who are now saying we can’t judge him until his 5th season is over now?
Train Without A Station
Roar Guru
And yet only 4 of the French team that beat them are in their 42 man squad…
Train Without A Station
Roar Guru
I highly doubt he’s been driven by the board. If anything they are more beholden to him than vice versa. A poor showing reflects poorly on their decision to replace the coach a year out.
Pips
Roar Rookie
For the last few years the 2 Wallaby coaches (Rennie/Jones) have been troubled by "culture" issues. I have often wondered what these are specifically. It seems probable they are related to not knowing how to win and the individual being more important than the collective unit. If correct it could explain how the coaching unit arrived at this squad. Not sure if this justifies 2 or 3 selections. But the bulk of the squad comes from the 23 that played in Dunedin Pips
Rocky's Rules
Roar Rookie
@W Evans Yes I'm aware of all that. Your list has some good players but none are world class. You need at least 6 world class players to win a RWC. Then you've list 3 (Lonergan, Lolesio and Wilson) that Eddie did think were good enough to make the 2023 squad. Your hopeful dreaming is leading you to massively over-rate these guys :)
fiwiboy7042
Roar Rookie
When it comes to props, younger is not better. Angus Bell has been physically manhandled (lifted and carried back) because he's a tad light. Tupou is coming into his prime but he's carrying too much weight, I think. jury's out on the NRL converts until they have played a season or two of RU.