Following the announcement of the Wallabies team to face the All Blacks in the second Bledisloe Cup Test, here are our five takeaways from Les Kiss’ selections.
Fly-half revolving door
Australia’s development over this Rugby World Cup cycle has been severely hindered by the inability to get consistency in their fly-half selection, and that trend looks to be continuing. Joe Schmidt initially backed Noah Lolesio for the majority of his first year in charge, but the former Brumbies star’s injury before the first British and Irish Lions Test last year marked the start of the number 10 curse.
The win over Fiji was the last time that Lolesio donned Wallaby gold as he has since been overlooked following his move to Japan, with Tom Lynagh taking over in his absence and starting the three Tests against the tourists, sustaining a setback in the finale which limited him to just one more appearance – against Argentina – last year.
James O’Connor was recalled during that Test series and featured throughout the Rugby Championship and once last November before Schmidt omitted him for the Nations Championship this year, and Kiss has yet to send out a SOS.
That was partly due to the recall of Carter Gordon, who looked in good nick in his four Test appearances this year, but he also struggled to remain fit and available to Kiss and Schmidt, who turned to Declan Meredith and Ben Donaldson, with Harry McLaughlin-Phillips earning a maiden call-up.
There is a classic sports saying that the best ability is availability, and right now that’s the one that the Wallabies sorely need. Gordon and Lynagh certainly have the raw talents to be fantastic international 10s; Donaldson has impressed at times this year while Meredith and McLaughlin-Phillips are still very, very green for this level.
Kiss has experienced options in O’Connor, Kurtley Beale and Bernard Foley who are all well into their 30s but can certainly do a job in the short term, as the former proved last year, so one wonders why they are being omitted. Considering the revolving door, Lolesio’s absence also makes little sense. Sure, he isn’t playing at the top level of Japanese rugby, but neither is Springbok pivot Manie Libbok, and he has fared well for South Africa since joining the Liners.
The Wallabies have lost 12 straight matches against the All Blacks and, with all due respect to Meredith and McLaughlin-Phillips, the odds are overwhelming against Australia breaking that duck with two fly-halves boasting three Test caps collectively.
It may quite simply be bad luck that the injuries keep occurring in the fly-half position – this can happen – but Kiss simply has to find a number 10 that can remain fit even if they aren’t the best choice. The Wallabies are crying out for someone to clinch that jersey, make it their own and be regularly available for selection.
Set-piece stability
Australia were completely outclassed in the second half at Eden Park, but one positive that they can take away from the fixture was the performance of the set-piece, so, understandably, it’s an area where Kiss has not tinkered too much in his selection.
Brandon Paenga-Amosa does make way for Josh Nasser; the former is arguably a safer selection but is not overwhelmingly superior to the latter. Billy Pollard returns via the bench, where he is joined by Angus Bell, who drops to the pine in a move to offset the gulf in class in open play during the latter stages that was plainly evident with the capable Aidan Ross starting.
It’s tweaks instead of an overhaul, and ones aimed at providing the All Blacks with different pictures in different periods of the game rather than tearing up the playbook.
Most importantly though, Kiss has persisted with the successful lineout jumpers in Jeremy Williams, Lukhan Salakaia-Loto and Harry Wilson with the added insurance of Josh Canham on the bench, who replaces Lachlan Shaw. The lineout remains the richest source of tries in international rugby, especially after World Rugby altered the laws around the maul and this is an area of the game where the All Blacks have been exploited this year.
Where the bench is still lacking
In many ways this is a hit-and-miss team selection from Kiss and his staff but unfortunately it is more of the latter as they have been unable to truly address the biggest area of concern, the bench.
The Wallabies managed to eke out a victory over the Springboks courtesy of a fantastic start in the first half and a strong quarter in the second. However, they were put under the pump in the final quarter and just about held on for the win, aided by some truly terrible timekeeping. Last weekend against the All Blacks, the performance followed a similar theme: competitive in the first half, a decent start to the second before imploding.
Quite simply, Australia haven’t been able to get the most out of their eight replacements, which has become essential in the modern game, and it’s partly down to their lack of experience. Taniela Tupou and Tom Hooper are sorely missed in this regard, but even with Bell dropping to the bench and Carlo Tizzano being added, Kiss still hasn’t truly addressed the issue.
Those two inclusions plus Filipo Daugunu’s return bump the Wallabies’ cap tally on the bench this week to 139 compared to last weekend’s 111, but the inexperience is still obvious. The reserve half-backs are Kalani Thomas and McLaughlin-Phillips; the former has just two caps and the latter is set to debut.
Canham has had flashes of brilliance but is also a penalty machine and can be a liability with his tendency to go into contact too high, while Massimo De Lutiis is also a rookie tighthead.
Tate McDermott had some brain fades last weekend in Eden Park but surely pairing a 57-Test cap half-back with a debutant fly-half in the latter stages is far better than having two young game drivers running the show against the second-best team in the world.
Recent matches have proven that the Wallabies have the starting XV to compete with the best that the international game has to offer, but beyond that is where they are falling apart. Sure, injuries have influenced this, but selection choices have had a greater impact.
Breakdown re-focus
One bench selection that Kiss has got right is that of Tizzano, who frankly should not have been omitted last weekend. The Western Force star is fantastic at the breakdown, with his clubmate Nick Champion de Crespigny offering strengths in other areas of the game.
Last week, the Wallabies were too reliant on Fraser McReight to do what he does best in the contact areas, but when he was nullified, there was no plan B. Tizzano’s selection provides a plan B and C, with Kiss able to throw him into the mix when or if McReight begins to tire, but also allows for the Wallabies to have a dual jackal threat in the second half, which can go a long way in slowing down the All Blacks’ attack. It’s a no-brainer selection, particularly after what unfolded last week.
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Aerial game adjustment needed
The Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii wing experiment has been placed on pause this week following Len Ikitau’s concussion, with Hunter Paisami’s failure to go low into a tackle on Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu influencing selection again. Suaalii now partners Isaac Henry in the centres, with a third midfield partnership combining in as many Tests.
Whilst it worked wonders against the Springboks in Perth, it was less impactful at Eden Park, with Dave Rennie predicting that the Wallabies will deploy a shorter kicking game this weekend in Sydney.
It’s hardly a bold prediction by the All Blacks boss, as Australia were guilty of going too long last weekend, but the shorter kicking game should be accompanied by a smarter one. Suaalii can still be a threat under the high ball while starting in the centres, with half-backs simply kicking more centrally and not just on the extremities.
In Harry Potter and Max Jorgensen, the Wallabies still have threats under the high ball on the wing but can still get plenty of purchase from Suaalii’s height and ability in the air, much like they did when he first came onto the scene for Australia under Schmidt. The odds are against the Wallabies again this week, but there is a route to victory in the skies.
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