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When Ewen McKenzie took over as Wallabies coach after the Lions tour last year, he inherited Robbie Deans’ squad.
On the last four games of the spring tour, the side recorded consecutive wins. No Wallabies side has won five in a row since 2006, and on Thursday McKenzie set out to correct that failing.
He named a 32-man squad for the first of three Tests against France, kicking off on June 7 at Suncorp.
Gone are Benn Robinson, Ben Mowen the last skipper, Kane Douglas, Liam Gill and Dave Dennis, along with leading contender Hugh Pyle.
I asked the coach if Mowen, Douglas and Pyle were left out because they are heading overseas.
“We must look to the future,” was his reply, which is commendable. But I’m a firm believer in winning the next Test before you think way beyond that.
Douglas has been the form lock of Super Rugby, and it’s pretty shabby treatment of his ‘current’ captain.
Ben Alexamder, Tatafu Polota-Nau. James Horwill, Rob Simmons and Scott Higginbotham are lucky to be there on form. Polota-Nau has played 113 games for the Waratahs and 46 Tests. You would think, if he had any ball sense, that after 159 games of elite rugby he would have his lineout feed down pat.
Wrong. He’s a liability.
Higginbotham has been a loose cannon liability on the field, while Alexander, Horwill, and Simmons have been well below par.
On the plus side, hooker Nathan Charles, locks Will Skelton, Luke Jones, and Sam Carter – all uncapped – are well deserving of recognition.
To show McKenziue is his own man, he has selected three out of their current positions for their franchises.
Kurtley Beale, a centre for the Waratahs and in tremendous form, has been chosen as a fly-half, Matt Toomua, the fly-half for the Brumbies, has been named a centre, and Pat McCabe, a centre for the Brumbies, has been named in the back three.
All very interesting selections to say the least, but to be fair to the coach he did say all selections are flexible.
A captain won’t be named until the squad assembles, but please let it not be Michael Hooper, one of the best flankers in world rugby.
That’s exactly where David Pocock was playing when he was given the well deserved captaincy. But the responsibility affected his greatness on the paddock, and there’s every chance it will do the same for Hooper.
Stephen Moore, an 80-minute player of extreme tenacity, should be the new Wallabies skipper. And he deserves the responsibility.
He’s played 91 Tests, as has Adam Ashley-Cooper, the two sharing the honour of the most capped in the squad.
Ewen McKenzie could do a lot worse than making Ashley-Cooper the vice-captain.
The full Wallabies squad is:
Props
Ben Alexander
Pek Cowan
Sekope Kepu
Scott Sio
James Slipper
Hookers
Nathan Charles
Stephen Moore
Tatafu Polota-Nau
Locks
Sam Carter
James Horwill
Luke Jones
Rob Simmons
Will Skelton
Backrow
Scott Frady
Scott Higginbotham
Matt Hodgson
Michael Hooper
Ben McCalman
Wycliff Palu
Scrum-halves
Will Genia
Nick Phipps
Nic White
Fly-halves
Kurtley Beale
Bernard Foley
Centres
Christian Leali’ifano
Tevita Kuridrani
Matt Toomua
Back Three
Adam Ashley-Cooper
Nick Cummins
Israel Folau
Rob Horne
Pat McCabe