Selections that Dave Rennie must consider for the Wallabies' final test of the year
Throughout his first five matches in charge of the Wallabies, coach Dave Rennie has refrained from making any rash decisions following unwelcomed results.
The Wallabies have only won 20% of their matches so far in 2020, yet since Bledisloe II especially, the team has remained relatively consistent aside from some changes due to injuries.
That being said, after a shock draw to the Pumas in Newcastle, and with the Wallabies’ hopes of winning the Tri Nations on home soil all but done and dusted, now might be the time to try something new.
Australia played with 63% of possession and were well on top in the territory battle, but they still couldn’t make it count on the scoreboard as they went on to give up a nine-point lead. Not any one player is to blame for the draw, but there a definitely some selections to consider for their final test of the year on December 5th.
Here are three changes that Dave Rennie should make, and another three players that deserve to retain their spots for the rematch with the Pumas in Sydney.
Changes
Trevor Hosea
It’s been somewhat of a surprise to not have seen Hosea feature at all this year.
While he’s young and is still far from the finished product, the 20-year-old (21 tomorrow) was a standout in Super Rugby AU with the Rebels.
Standing at 203cm, Hosea was a leader at the Rebels set-piece alongside Wallaby Matt Philip, and was brutal in attack, defence and around the breakdown as well.
Burn Boy Trevor Hosea repping the people of Melbourne ?
Catch him in action against the Brumbies tonight!
?https://t.co/KVnscZVlb8
? 7:05pm
? Leichhardt Oval, Sydney
? Fox Sports or Kayo pic.twitter.com/kZlT6ITXxX— Melbourne Rebels (@MelbourneRebels) August 6, 2020
Last Saturday, The Wallabies lineout struggled at times, but his inclusion in the final matchday side of the year, be that on the bench or starting, would benefit the men in gold. Rob Simmons was impressive against the Pumas, but especially considering that the Argentines are playing such a physical game, having someone like Hosea could bring some stability to the Wallabies, as they combat the Pumas threat.
My view is that Hosea comes off the bench with 20 minutes to play, bringing plenty of energy and size to the contest, while he lines up alongside Philip. Hosea should replace Rob Valentini on the bench.
Pete Samu
It was a bit of a shock to see Super Rugby champion Pete Samu dropped from the Wallabies following Bledisloe I.
Samu didn’t miss a tackle in Wellington, and two-thirds of his hits were also dominant. Add to that three turnovers won, and it becomes clear that he really was a force to be reckoned with.
But instead, from Bledisloe II onwards, Rennie has elected to go with young gun Harry Wilson at number eight, while picking Ned Hanigan at six. Part of this decision no doubt comes down to the lineout, and that’s certainly something to consider.
But Samu has jumped at the lineout before so if he can fill that spot, then this is a selection that needs to be made.
Seeing Samu back in the side for the final match of the year though, would definitely bring a smile to faces of a lot of Australian rugby fans. He needs to start at blindside while Hanigan is dropped completely.
Tate McDermott
This guy is something special.
TRY OF THE WEEK | Super Rugby AU Rd 8
Champagne rugby from @Reds_Rugby Tate McDermott, with this brilliant solo try off the quick tap.#TryOfTheWeek #SuperRugby25Years #SuperRugbyAU pic.twitter.com/WwIC0wNI1Y
— Super Rugby/Tri Nations (@SuperRugby) August 24, 2020
Throughout Super Rugby AU, McDermott was earning rightful praise for his form and was touted as the next Wallabies number nine.
While he hasn’t had a chance to start, the Sunshine Coast Grammar product turned heads in his two games off the bench against the All Blacks in Sydney and then Brisbane. His pace off the mark is elite already, which makes him a threat to any opposition when he decides to snipe around the ruck.
His kicking is definitely improving as well, and that’s probably one of the bigger question marks hanging over his head.
Jake Gordon is a great player, don’t get me wrong, but McDermott simply has the potential to be a generational talent.
Nic White has also performed really well in the nine jersey, so he deserves to retain his spot. So McDermott as a straight swap for Gordon seems like a positive move for the Wallabies. It’s not like the 22-year-old hasn’t shown supporters that he’s up to the task.
Retain their spot
Brandon Paenga-Amosa
The player throwing into a struggling Wallabies lineout has to take some of the blame. This is a cornerstone of his position in the modern game, and his performance has to be significantly judged on this.
Throws were often not straight or were far too contestable, and the hosts were made to pay for that.
That being said though, dropping Paenga-Amosa isn’t a move that the Wallabies should be making.
He’s had some impressive performances in a Wallabies jersey this year, definitely showing that he’s better than what he was against the Pumas.
But he faces some tough competition.
Folau Fainga’a was by far the best hooker in Super Rugby AU – without a doubt. It was a surprise to see him dropped after Bledisloe I but like I said, for the most part, Paenga-Amosa has made the most of his opportunity.
In two weeks’ time, Rennie should go with the same one-two punch that he did in Newcastle, with Paenga-Amosa starting while Fainga’a comes off the bench.
Reece Hodge
Three players have worn the Wallabies number 10 jersey this year, but Hodge has been the best performer by far.
In Bledisloe IV in Brisbane, he made the second-most tackles of any player with 17, while against the Pumas he ran for 59 metres, had 191 kick metres, and scored 15 points – that’s 29 points in two games.
Even after a poor second-half from the Wallabies in Newcastle on Saturday, Reece Hodge might just be the Wallabies best option at flyhalf. #wallabies https://t.co/FKmtmbW7wZ
— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) November 23, 2020
Even if James O’Connor is back, the Wallabies should stay loyal to Hodge, who came within a penalty kick of guiding the team to back-to-back wins. If he’d made that kick, this wouldn’t even be a debate.
Hunter Paisami
In his second match starting at inside centre for the Wallabies, Paisami was arguably the player of the first half.
Linking up with Jordan Petaia, the Reds teammates were running rampant as Paisami stepped up as a playmaker which was great to see. His playmaking nearly set up his centre partner for a try, had a kick in-behind the Pumas defence had run mere inches shorter than what it did.
Individually everyone has known that both players have potential, but link them up, and the Wallabies might just have their version of Ma’a Nonu and Conrad Smith.
Paisami was touted as the replacement to Samu Kerevi for the Reds, and it appears that he’s stepped into his shoes for the national side as well.
Paisami and Petaia is a combination isn’t just for the future, it’s a partnership that the Wallabies need right now.
Comments on RugbyPass
The Chiefs definitely didn’t win ugly. They had the superior scrum, a dominant lineout, and their defence was excellent once the Waratahs scored their two tries (thanks to some lucky refereeing calls mind you). They put pressure on the Waratahs lineout throughout the game, and the mind boggles as to why the referee did not award a yellow card or a penalty try against the Waratahs for repeated scrum infringements on their own try line before Narawa’s first try. And the Chiefs were slick with their passing and running angles on attack. It was a dominant performance all round, even with many questionable refereeing decisions.
1 Go to commentsWasnt late. Ref 2 assistants andTMO all saw it so who are you to say it was?
3 Go to commentsAre the Brumbies playing the Blues twice in a row?
3 Go to commentsBig difference from the Saders. Forwards really muscled up and laid a solid platform. Scooter brought some steel and I liked the loosie combination. Newell has been rather disappointing this season but stepped up big time - happy also to see Franks dot down. He should do that more often! Reihana had a good game and there seems to be more flair and invention with him in the saddle. McNicoll plays well from the back and is reliable plus inventive when he joins the line. Keep it up chaps!
3 Go to comments🤦♂️🤣 who cares who’s the best . All I know is the All Blacks have the star coach but have few star players now …
30 Go to commentsJe suis sûr que Farrell est impatient de jouer avec Lopez et Machenaud et d’être entraîné par Collazo… 🤭
1 Go to commentsAn on field red (aka a full red) in SRP must surely carry a bigger suspension than a red card given by the bunker as that carries a 20 minute team punishment. Had Damon Murphy abdicated his responsibility as a ref and issued both Drua players a yellow, which would have been upgraded to a 20 minute red by the bunker, that would have killed Australia and New Zealand’s push for the 20 minute red to be trialled globally from July this year.
11 Go to commentsEver so often you all post a Danny Care story that isn’t the announcement that he has finally re-signed for one more, victory tour season at Quins and I’m just like, “well you fooled me again!” My absolute favorite player ever, we need to make his final year at the Stoop (and Twickers) official already. I know he supposedly snubbed France but I won’t feel better until he signs.
1 Go to commentslate hit what late hit it wasn’t at all late and can clearly see he was committed before the tackle
3 Go to commentsChristian Lio -Willies 2 try perfomance was a standout. As was captain Scott Barrett. Up front was where the boys won it.They are a great team and players. Fantastic Crusaders , you can keep going.
3 Go to commentsI don't know how the locals feel about that? I guess if you call yourselves the Worcester Wasps that might be appease. But really we need more teams in the Premiership in my view so they are not padding it out as they are at the moment. It might curtail so many players going abroad as well
5 Go to commentsNZ 😭😭😭is certainly rivaling England for best whingers cup!😭😭😭 !!!
30 Go to commentsYup. New Zealand won 3 out of 10 world cups played. SA 4 out of 8 attempts 30 Vs 50 per cent.🤔🤔
30 Go to commentsShould've done this years ago. Change Saturday kick off times to around 11am. Up and off and back home before 3pm, limit travel time too. Allows players to actually do something else with their Saturday that's family oriented or being rugby fans they could ‘watch’ pro rugby. Increases crowds etc. How can anyone that enjoys grassroots and pro rugby have to choose between the two on Saturdays?
9 Go to commentsI bet he inspired those supporters just as much.
1 Go to commentsBen Smith Springboks living rent free in his head 😊😂
67 Go to commentsGood to hear he would like to play the game at the highest level, I hadn’t been to sure how much of a motivator that was before now. Sadly he’s probably chosen the rugby club to go to. Try not to worry about all the input about how you should play rugby Joey and just try to emulate what you do on the league field and have fun. You’ll limit your game too much (well not really because he’s a standard athlete like SBW and he’ll still have enough) if you’re trying to make sure you can recycle the ball back etc. On the other hard, you can totally just try and recycle by looking to offload any and everywhere if you’re going to ground 😋
1 Go to commentsThis just proves that theres always a stat and a metric to use to justify your abilities and your success. Ben did it last week by creating an imaginary competition and now you did the same to counter his argument and espouse a new yardstick for success. Why not just use the current one and lets say the Boks have won 4 world cups making them the most successful world cup team. Outside of the world cup the All Blacks are the most successful team winning countless rugby championships and dominating the rankings with high win percentages. Over the last 4 years statistically the Irish are the best having the highest win rate and also having positive records against every tier 1 side. The most successful Northern team in the game has been England with a world cup title and the most six nations titles in history. The AB’s are the most dominant team in history with the highest win rate and 3 world cups. Lets not try to reinvent the wheel. Just be honest about the actual stats and what each team has been good at doing and that will be enough to define their level of success.
30 Go to commentsHow is 7’s played there? I’m surprised 10 or 11 man rugby hasn’t taken off. 7 just doesn’t fit the 15s dynamics (rules n field etc) but these other versions do.
9 Go to commentsPick Swinton at your peril A liability just like JWH from the Roosters Skelton ??? went missing at RWC
14 Go to comments