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A 'possible' Wallabies XV to topple England

By Online Editors
Nic White (left), Scott Sio (middle) and David Pocock have all been named to start against Georgia. (Photo by Dan Mullan/Getty Images)

Four weeks of cat and mouse comes to an end when Michael Cheika delivers the Wallabies team he believes can topple England at the Rugby World Cup.

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Cheika has rotated his troops through the pool phase, not endearing himself to those who believe a rock-solid XV should have been already established heading into Saturday’s quarter-final in Oita.

Instead there are question marks, something the coach has encouraged, believing he has the player depth to create a sense of competition.

Cheika’s 68th, and possibly final, Australian team announcement on Thursday will finalise who he rates as his premier outside back combination, along with his desired loose forward mix.

The identity of his first choice five-eighth has also been uncertain in Japan, having changed in every game.

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However, Cheika’s comments on Monday that he has deliberately rested Christian Lealiifano to keep him physically sharp suggests the Brumbies veteran will wear No.10.

Out wide, Reece Hodge’s return from suspension gives Cheika access to a player he’s trusted on the right wing all year.

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But there are options galore there, including the in-form Dane Haylett-Petty, rookie Jordan Petaia and veteran Adam Ashley-Cooper.

Haylett-Petty could well be the fullback, given Kurtley Beale’s patchy form and reduced training minutes this week while he recovers from a head knock.

The big stage may not prevent Cheika from taking a punt on 19-year-old Petaia, who was quiet against Georgia last week but showed enormous promise on debut against Uruguay a week earlier.

Hodge himself conceded nothing was guaranteed and that Petaia had all the weapons to be a Test star.

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“He’s a pretty special player so to see him score a try on debut and have some pretty special touches was pretty cool,” Hodge said.

“We all knew it was going to happen at some point.

“But obviously Swoop (Ashley-Cooper) put in a couple of really good performances agai nst Wales and Uruguay.

“Dane’s a consistent performer as well and KB’s had some special touches.

“We’ll need to see. No spot is ever guaranteed in the team.”

Flanker David Pocock unleashed his best display of the tournament against Georgia and is favoured to remain when captain Michael Hooper returns from a week off.

That would leave Cheika to pick between Isi Naisarani, Jack Dempsey and Lukhan Salakaia-Loto in a more muscular back row role.

“They do things a little bit differently, the three other guys,” Cheika said this week.

“They’ve all got their different skill-sets. So it’s about trying to taylor-make what we think will work for us. We believe we have a good plan about how we’re going to go about the game, a strong plan, and whichever player fits into the plan the best will get the nod.”

Naisarani had the worst game of his rookie season against Georgia, including a yellow card, but consistent runs on board through 2019 may swing selection in his favour.

POSSIBLE WALLABIES XV

Dane Haylett-Petty, Jordan Petaia, James O’Connor, Samu Kerevi, Marika Koroibete, Christian Lealiifano, Nic White, Isi Naisarani, Michael Hooper (capt), David Pocock, Rory Arnold, Izack Rodda, Allan Alaalatoa, Tolu Latu, Scott Sio.

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Trevor 1 hours ago
Will forgotten Wallabies fit the Joe Schmidt model?

Thanks Brett.. At last a positive article on the potential of Wallaby candidates, great to read. Schmidt’s record as an international rugby coach speaks for itself, I’m somewhat confident he will turn the Wallaby’s fortunes around …. on the field. It will be up to others to steady the ship off the paddock. But is there a flaw in my optimism? We have known all along that Australia has the players to be very competitive with their international rivals. We know that because everyone keeps telling us. So why the poor results? A question that requires a definitive answer before the turn around can occur. Joe Schmidt signed on for 2 years, time to encompass the Lions tour of 2025. By all accounts he puts family first and that’s fair enough, but I would wager that his 2 year contract will be extended if the next 18 months or so shows the statement “Australia has the players” proves to be correct. The new coach does not have a lot of time to meld together an outfit that will be competitive in the Rugby Championship - it will be interesting to see what happens. It will be interesting to see what happens with Giteau law, the new Wallaby coach has already verbalised that he would to prefer to select from those who play their rugby in Australia. His first test in charge is in July just over 3 months away .. not a long time. I for one wish him well .. heaven knows Australia needs some positive vibes.

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B
Bull Shark 5 hours ago
Jake White: Are modern rugby players actually better?

Of the rugby I’ve born witness to in my lifetime - 1990 to date - I recognize great players throughout those years. But I have no doubt the game and the players are on average better today. So I doubt going back further is going to prove me wrong. The technical components of the game, set pieces, scrums, kicks, kicks at goal. And in general tactics employed are far more efficient, accurate and polished. Professional athletes that have invested countless hours on being accurate. There is one nation though that may be fairly competitive in any era - and that for me is the all blacks. And New Zealand players in general. NZ produces startling athletes who have fantastic ball skills. And then the odd phenomenon like Brooke. Lomu. Mcaw. Carter. Better than comparing players and teams across eras - I’ve often had this thought - that it would be very interesting to have a version of the game that is closer to its original form. What would the game look like today if the rules were rolled back. Not rules that promote safety obviously - but rules like: - a try being worth 1 point and conversion 2 points. Hence the term “try”. Earning a try at goals. Would we see more attacking play? - no lifting in the lineouts. - rucks and break down laws in general. They looked like wrestling matches in bygone eras. I wonder what a game applying 1995 rules would look like with modern players. It may be a daft exercise, but it would make for an interesting spectacle celebrating “purer” forms of the game that roll back the rules dramatically by a few versions. Would we come to learn that some of the rules/combinations of the rules we see today have actually made the game less attractive? I’d love to see an exhibition match like that.

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