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The Wallabies are anew after registering their first win in 2023 and a crucial cog in Eddie Jones’ new “F1” supercar are his halfbacks.
Tate McDermott, Nic White and Issak Fines-Leleiwasa all bring a unique set of skills and attributes to the role, but all are charged with maintaining the tempo of the attack.
Unfortunately, McDermott has been sidelined due to a mandatory 12-day stand-down period after sustaining a concussion against Georgia.
While losing McDermott is a blow, the Wallabies have the stocks to fill the position.
But to find the next man up we must understand why McDermott has risen to the top of the pecking order and who is the best player to start against Fiji on Sunday (Monday, 1:45am AEST).
Tate McDermott will miss the Wallabies’ second Rugby World Cup fixture against Fiji because of a concussion. (Photo by Adam Davy/PA Images via Getty Images)
McDermott gives the Wallabies speed at the ruck, a sniping threat around the breakdown and a youthful energy which tests the limits.
White is an older and more experienced player that prefers structure, poise and box kicking.
Fines-Leleiwasa is the perfect mix of both, his passing accuracy was higher than both White and McDermott during Super Rugby Pacific, and his all-round game is somewhere in between the two in style.
Against Georgia, the pace of the game considerably dropped when White replaced McDermott in the 34th minute.
This observation in of itself says little, but in the context of how the Wallabies want to play and when they look their best, this says a great deal.
The Wallabies have the team to power their way through and around teams, that’s why McDermott’s pace around the ruck when either passing or sniping is crucial.
The scarcity at which he puts boot to ball means the Wallabies attack the opposition, probing and ask questions of them. This is vital for a team that has a huge bag of tricks they can call-upon.
It also means the Wallabies play off Carter Gordon, the five-eighth, putting width on the attack, forcing defensive lines to work harder, to make more decisions and at times fracture.
Nic White and Issak Fines-Leleiwasa are battling it out to start against Fiji following Tate McDermott’s (L) concussion. (Photo by Warren Little/Getty Images)
Despite McDermott’s pass still being below standard, he still gets to the breakdown early and attracts attention, relieving some pressure off his five-eighth and forwards.
Not allowing the defence to settle also means the Wallabies’ fitness comes into play earlier in the game.
This is not to say White doesn’t bring his own specialties to the game.
His kicking is elite compared to the other two and he was unlucky not to bag a 50/22 against Georgia early in the second half. His pass is also miles ahead of the other two, Fines-Leleiwasa or McDermott cannot rocket the pill off both hands as fast as White.
White’s issue isn’t his speed at the breakdown or pass. It’s that White is playing a different gameplan to the rest of his Wallaby teammates. What he is doing is not wrong, it’s just not right.
Simply put; he kicks way too often and sometimes slows down the play on purpose as though slow monotonous rugby is his idea of a well-run team.
His kicks against Georgia were for the most part great, but they are not achieving the same thing as the rest of the patterns are.
White is kicking off instinct, it feels like he gets to certain breakdowns, and he thinks ‘this is when I should kick.’
While at times Gordon miskicks because of his inexperience, White kicks the ball because of his plethora of experience. This is a learned behaviour and as anyone coach will tell you un-learning is harder than new learning.
Wallabies coach Eddie Jones talks with Nic White during a Wallabies training camp at Sanctuary Cove on April 17, 2023. (Photo by Chris Hyde/Getty Images)
His kicking also voids the great tools the Wallabies have at their disposal; a cross-field kick to the aerially threatening wingers, through the hands to the tackle-busting centres or a simple pod play to the damaging ball carriers in the pack.
Whether it is White or Fines-Leleiwasa who should start against Fiji, the debate is not binary.
Fines-Leleiwasa is not only the wild-child who can play Helter Skelter and White is an old dog who can learn new tricks.
He is more than capable of playing a composed game and his decision making about when to run is on par if not better than McDermott’s.
He also has pace to burn and is a more physical than White and McDermott.
You can flip the script one of two ways; first, start with a player to get you a lead and bring on the finisher to close it out.
This would see Fines-Leleiwasa start to assist with the Wallabies’ fast-paced starts and have White off the bench to close the game out with his boot. He can also kick a penalty from 50m out, which against a flying Fijian team may be required.
Australia’s Issak Fines-Leleiwasa had a strong debut against France in late August. (Photo by David Rogers/Getty Images)
The second option is having the calm, experienced player to start to try structure a win and have a livewire on the bench to pick-up the pace and chase a lead if needed.
The former is most in-line with Eddie Jones’ mantra, and it would suit the Wallabies’ game-plan better.
Starting Fines-Leleiwasa is much more like-for-like for McDermott and it would give the team an edge to continue their track record of fast starts.
It wouldn’t be fighting Fiji fire-with-fire, it is rather staying true to the new version of the Wallabies and will give them the best opportunity for continuity in their new gameplan.
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.