Three Bledisloe Cup micro-battles that are worth the price of admission alone
Both Michael Cheika and Steve Hansen sprung a few surprises when they named their teams for the first Bledisloe Cup fixture of the year.
In the Wallabies’ corner, Tolu Latu and James O’Connor have been handed starts despite not having much form to justify it.
The All Blacks’ major talking point was naming Ardie Savea in the 6 jersey. Many expected Savea to start – but at the back of the scrum, not on the blindside flank.
The more left-field choices, combined with the usual rivalry and aggression we expect from a Bledisloe Cup match, means there are plenty of exciting match-ups to savour in Perth this weekend.
Tolu Latu v Dane Coles
Tolu Latu was the heir apparent to the Wallabies’ 2 jersey as recently as last year. There would have been high hopes at the beginning of the Super Rugby season that Latu would prove his worth for the Waratahs and make his selection an easy one, despite only having 11 caps to his name.
Instead, Latu earned himself a six-week suspension early in the season for dangerous play. He then copped a fine and further suspension upon his return for drink driving. All in all, Latu is very lucky to have even made the squad.
Dane Coles is fairly lucky himself – but for completely different reasons. Coles was rocked by two concussions during 2017 that kept him out for most of the season. Last year, a torn ACL extended the stocky hooker’s time on the sidelines. Questions were fairly raised whether the 32-year old would ever take the field again – so the fact that Coles is still up with the best hookers on the international scene is a miracle in of itself.
Despite not finding himself on the wrong side of the law (either on and off the field), Coles does have a fiery temper. The two starting hookers could find themselves in each other’s faces throughout the game – and not just during the scrums.
Latu was given a yellow card in the most recent match between the two sides in Japan last year for shoving opposite Codie Taylor in the face – Cheika will be hopeful that his hooker doesn’t make the same mistakes this weekend.
Latu and Coles are both quick to rush to their teammate’s defences – and are quick to throw in a few choice sledges now and again – so don’t be surprised to see the two rakes involved in some on-field disputes. Tempers tend to flare in Bledisloe Cup matches and neither Latu nor Coles will shy away from any confrontation.
Lukhan Salakaia-Loto, Michael Hooper and Isi Naisarani v Ardie Savea, Sam Cane and Kieran Read
Michael Cheika has chosen to start the same three loose forwards against South Africa, Argentina and now New Zealand. The Wallabies coach has clearly identified these three men as the key trio heading into the World Cup, although David Pocock’s supposedly impending return could change that.
There’s been no such consistency in the All Blacks’ ranks this season, however. Sam Cane and Ardie Savea both started against Argentina, with Savea packing down at number 8. Against South Africa, neither player was used, with Matt Todd taking over on the openside and Kieran Read resuming his role at the back of the scrum. Many suspected that the three who have now been named for tonight’s fixture would start the match – but every expectation was that Read would shift to the blindside to allow the more dynamic Savea to take over at 8.
There are a number of interesting sub-plots to the loose forward battle that viewers will bear witness to tonight.
Lukhan Salakaia-Loto has been underwhelming for the Wallabies this season and may well be on borrowed time. Some of his better matches in 2018 were against the All Blacks, with the Auckland born loose forward playing the full 80 in both Rugby Championship games against NZ. With Pocock due to return as early as next week and Pete Samu also not far away, Salakaia-Loto will need to put in a strong shift this weekend to ensure he has a spot on the plane to Japan later this season.
The Wallabies have regularly used Michael Hooper and Pocock in tandem when both have been fit. This combination has given them great control over the breakdown and helped hand the Wallabies extra possessions of the ball. They’ll find themselves on the opposite side of the coin this weekend, however, with the All Blacks now employing two specialist openside flankers.
Whilst New Zealand can thrive on scraps of possession thanks to their attacking threats throughout the side, Australia are not so well equipped. Will the Wallabies find themselves putting greater numbers into the breakdown, thus leaving themselves open to wider attacks?
Although Savea and Read have been named at 6 and 8 respectively, comments from Hansen have indicated that the numbers on the jerseys can sometimes mean very little in terms of the roles expected of the loose forwards. Arguably, Savea’s greatest strength over his fellow loose forwards is his dynamism on attack – an attribute that could be expertly used from the back of the scrum. Don’t be surprised to see Savea packing down at 8 when the All Blacks need to chew up some metres, despite the 6 he’ll be wearing.
Continue reading below…
Samu Kerevi and James O’Connor v Anton Lienert-Brown and Jack Goodhue
Fans will be treated to new midfield combinations on both sides of the park this evening.
Samu Kerevi was the Reds’ MVP of the season this year and carried the Queenslanders on his shoulders. There’s arguably no player more deserving of their spot in the Wallabies lineup than Kerevi. O’Connor, on the other hand, is making his first start since returning to Australia, having spent the last four years in the international wilderness.
Anton Lienert-Brown and Jack Goodhue may well be New Zealand fans’ favourite midfield combination for the All Blacks. Typically, only one of the two have been utilised on the field for New Zealand at any one time, but that’s about to change.
The first thing to address is probably that O’Connor and Lienert-Brown are both somewhat ‘out of position’.
O’Connor has never started a match for the Wallabies in the 13 jersey, instead lining up at first five, inside centre, full back or on the wing. During his time at Sale, however, O’Connor regularly lined up at 13 and has all the skills needed to play there.
Lienert-Brown has been used primarily at outside centre for the All Blacks and will start just his fourth match at 12 this weekend. Despite that, Lienert-Brown has ample experience in both midfield roles at Super Rugby level and will not come up short in any areas of play.
The Wallabies combination is reminiscent of other successful midfield pairings. The combos of Ma’a Nonu and Conrad Smith, Manu Tuilagi and Henry Slade, and Bundee Aki and Robbie Henshaw all use a hard-hitting, bulldozer at 12 with a distributor and organiser at 13. It would be unfair to say that Kerevi doesn’t possess skills outside being an excellent ball carrier – but he’ll certainly be tasked with crashing the ball into the opposition defence more than O’Connor will.
Lienert-Brown and Goodhue, meanwhile, play a more similar style to one another than their Australian rivals. Lienert-Brown’s point of difference is his quick-stepping and offloading. If the Wallabies can’t prevent Lienert-Brown from getting his hands free then there could be a number of midfield breaks on offer for the All Blacks. Goodhue is exceptionally balanced – there are really very few weaknesses to his game.
The test match likely won’t be won or lost in the midfield, but with both sides trialling new combinations, there could be a bit of confusion early in the game. Whichever sides better takes advantage of that confusion could build a handy lead.
Across the field
Bledisloe Cup matches are always worth savouring, even if the results have been fairly one-sided in recent times.
All across the pitch there are plenty of head-to-heads worth keeping an eye on, beyond the above.
How will Rieko Ioane fare against the Wallabies after his worst performance in an All Blacks jersey to date? Could we see his wing peppered with high balls from Nic White, and how will he perform in the air with Reece Hodge lining up opposite?
Scott Barrett is making his first appearance for the year and will form an imposing second row with Sam Whitelock. Will the relatively inexperienced duo of Izack Rodda and Rory Arnold be able to cope with the Crusaders combo at the lineout, or will Australia have to survive on bread crumbs?
Finally, both sides will be fielding dual playmakers at 10 and 15, with Christian Lealiifano and Kurtley Beale running out for Australia and Richie Mo’unga and Beauden Barrett steering the ship for New Zealand. Neither team has had very commanding kicking games in recent times – the winner of this duel could end up controlling the play and ultimately controlling the game.
Get set, because tonight’s match is going to be a cracker.
Comments on RugbyPass
Lets compare apples with apples. Lyon sent weak team the week before, but nobody raised an eyebrow. Give the South African teams a few years to build their depth, then you will be moaning that the teams are too strong.
41 Go to commentsDid footballs agents also perform the scout role at some time? I’m surprised more high profile players haven’t taken up the occupation, great way to remain in the game and use all that experience without really requiring a lot of specific expertise?
1 Go to commentsSuper rugby is struggling but that has little to do with sabbaticals. 1. Too many teams from Aust and NZ - should be 3 and 4 respectively, add in 2 from Japan, 1 possibly 2 from Argentina. 2. Inconsistent and poor refereeing, admittedly not restricted to Super rugby. Only one team was reffed at the breakdown in Reds v H’Landers match. Scrum penalty awarded in Canes v Drua when No 8 had the ball in the open with little defence nearby - ideal opportunity to play advantage. Coming back to Reds match - same scrum situation but ref played advantage - Landers made 10 yards and were penalised at the breakdown when the ref should have returned to scrum penalty. 3. Marketing is weak and losing ground to AFL and NRL. Playing 2 days compared with 4. 4. Scheduling is unattractive to family attendance. Have any franchises heard of Sundays 2pm?
10 Go to commentsAbsolutely..all they need is a chance in yhe playoffs and I bet all the other teams will be nervous…THEY KNOW HOW TO WIN IM THE PLAYOFFS..
2 Go to commentsI really hope he comes back and helps out with some coaching.
1 Go to commentsI think we are all just hoping that the Olympic 7s doesn’t suffer the same sad fate as the last RWC with the officials ruining the spectacle.
1 Go to commentsPersonally, I’ve lost the will to even be bothered about the RFU, the structure, the participants. It’s all a sham. I now simply enjoy getting a group of friends together to go and watch a few games a year in different locations (including Europe, the championship, etc). I feel extremely sorry for the real fans of these clubs who are constantly ignored by the RFU and other administrators. I feel especially sorry for the fans of clubs in the Championship who have had considerable central funding stripped away and are then expected to just take whatever the RFU put to them. Its all a sham, especially if the failed clubs are allowed to return.
9 Go to commentsI’m guessing Carl Hayman would have preferred to have stayed in NZ with benefit of hindsight. Up north there is the expectation to play twice as many games with far less ‘player management’ protocols that Paul is now criticising. Less playing through concussions means longer, healthier, careers. Carter used as the eg here by Paul, his sabbatical allowed him to play until age 37. OK its not an exact science but there is far more expectations on players who sign for Top 14 or Engl Prem clubs to get value for the huge salaries. NZR get alot wrong but keeping their best players in NZ rugby is not one of them. SA clubs are virtually devoid of their top players now, no thanks. They cant threaten the big teams in the Champions Cup, the squads have little depth. Cant see Canes/Chiefs struggling. Super has been great this year, fantastic high skill matches. Drua a fantastic addition and Jaguares will add another quality team eventually. Aus teams performing strongly and no doubt will benefit with the incentive of a Lions tour and a home RWC. Let Jordie enjoy his time with Leinster, it will allow the opportunity for another player to emerge at Canes in his absence.
10 Go to commentsLove that man, his way to despise angry little men is so funny ! 😂
4 Go to comments“South African franchises would be powerhouses if we had all our overseas based players back in situ. We would have the same unbeatable aura the Toulouses, Leinsters or Saracens of this world have had over the last decade or so.” Proof that Jake white does not understand the economics of the game in SA. Players earning abroad are not going to simply come back and represent the bulls. But they might if they have a springbok contract.
22 Go to commentsA lot of fans just joined in for the fun of it! We all admire O'Gara and what he has done for La Rochelle
4 Go to commentsThe RFU will find a way to mess this up as usual. My bet is there will be no promotion into the the Premiership, only relegation into National League One. Hopefully they won’t parachute failed clubs into the league at the expense of clubs who have battled for promotion.
9 Go to commentsWell that’s the contracts for RG and Jordie bought and paid for. Now, what are the chances we can persuade Antoine to hop over with all the extra dosh we’ll have from living at the Aviva & Croke next season…??? 🤑🤑🤑
35 Go to commentsWow, that’s incredible. Great for rugby.
35 Go to commentsYou probably read that parling is going to coach the wallaby lineout but if not before now you have.
14 Go to commentsIf someone like Leo Cullen was in O’Gara’s place I don’t hear Boo-ing. It’s not just that La Rochelle has hurt Leinster and O’Gara is their Irish boss. It’s the needle that he brings and the pantomime activity before the game around pretending that Munster were supporting LaRochelle just because O’Gara is from Cork. That’s dividing Irish provinces just to get an advantage for his French Team. He can F*ck right off with that. BOOOOO! (but not while someone is lying injured)
4 Go to commentsDid the highlanders party too hard before the game? They were the pits.
1 Go to commentsWhat a player! Not long until he’s in the England side, surely?
5 Go to commentsHe seems to have the same aura as Marcus Smith - by which I mean he’s consistently judged as if he’s several years younger than he actually is. Mngomezulu has played 24 times for the Stormers. When Pollard was his age he had played 24 times for South Africa! He has more time to develop, but he has also had time to do some developing already, and he hasn’t demonstrated nearly as much talent in that time as one would expect. If he is a generational talent, then it must be a pretty poor generation.
6 Go to commentsThe greatest Springbok coach of all time is entirely on the money. Rassie and Jacques have given the south african public a great few years, but the success of the springbok selection policy will need to be judged in light of what comes next. The poor condition that the provincial system is currently in doesn’t bode well for the next few years of international rugby, and the insane 2026 schedule that the Boks have lined up could also really harm both provincial and international consistency.
22 Go to comments