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Wallabies' World Cup chances hinge on imminent Giteau Law changes
How Rugby Australia tweaks the Giteau Law will shape the Wallabies’ path to the 2023 World Cup after a yo-yoing test season offered a peek over both sides of the fence.
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Dave Rennie’s side finished a 14-test campaign with seven victories, with an impressive Rugby Championship the meat in a sandwich of Bledisloe Cup and Spring Tour pain.
Record losses to New Zealand and the first winless spring tour of Europe since 1976 don’t make for good reading.
But the fine print shows an unprecedented COVID-19 bubble existence and the fact only three players were present in the 15 that started in both the first and last test.
Hunter Paisami was one of those, but missed a large enough chunk in between for his replacement Samu Kerevi to earn a world player-of-the-year nomination.
The barnstorming inside centre was a shock recall to the test fold alongside fellow overseas-based talents Sean McMahon, Quade Cooper, Tolu Latu, Will Skelton, Rory Arnold and Kurtley Beale.
Cooper and Kerevi’s partnership in particular reaped rewards, back-to-back wins over South Africa the highlight as Australia shot from seventh to third in the world rankings.
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They were gone as quickly as they arrived, though, a messy few days of club-versus-country conversations ending in the pair and McMahon remaining in Japan.
Their absences in the United Kingdom upset the squad balance and left Rennie scrambling, with an unlucky loss to Wales a frustrating finale that led to the Wallabies sliding back to No 5.
Of that overseas group, only Beale and Cooper are able to play again under current eligibility rules, the 60-test or seven-year service cap colloquially known as the Giteau Law was relaxed due to COVID-19 and now set for review ahead of next year’s home series against England.
Their time in Wallaby gold revealed both sides of the coin – and summed up the season in general – as Rugby Australia mull over how to permanently alter their selection policy and provide Rennie the structure needed to truly formulate his World Cup assault.
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“It was a real rollercoaster; wasn’t brilliant against New Zealand, the next five, six matches were really positive and then the tour was far more difficult than I thought everyone thought,” two-time World Cup winner Phil Kerns told AAP.
Rugby Australia boss Andy Marinos has promised the sport’s chance to reset and prosper won’t be missed after the country all but landed the hosting rights for the 2027 World Cup. #RugbyWorldCup https://t.co/aFtBWY2Dh2
— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) November 25, 2021
“They’ve got to get their act together, but I’d rather be losing now than in two years’ time (at France’s World Cup).
“And there’s no way that our team is anywhere near settled. We’ve seen that through selection, once settled, you’ll find some real improvement.”
Rugby Australia CEO Andy Marinos said the end-of-year review, to be held once Rennie returns from England where he’ll coach the Barbarians this weekend, would ideally help settle on a permanent selection structure that wouldn’t change in a World Cup year.
And he said a 2025 British & Irish Lions tour of Australia to follow the next World Cup would encourage players to remain or return to Super Rugby, rather than rely on an eligibility tweak to qualify.
“It’s attracted quite a lot of attention … we’d like to get as much consistency as we can,” he said of the Giteau Law.
“We saw it this year when we started winning … players want to play where they’re going to get silverware, grow and develop.”
Comments on RugbyPass
The value he brought to the crusaders as an assistant was equal to what he got out of being there. He reflected not only on the team culture but also the credit he attributed to the rugby community. Such experience shouldn’t be overlooked.
3 Go to commentsGood luck Aussie
10 Go to commentssmith at 9 / mounga 10 / laumape 12 / fainganuku 14
50 Go to commentsBar the injuries, it’s pretty much their top team …
2 Go to commentsDon’t disagree with much of this but it appears you forgot Rodda and Beale, who started at the Force on the weekend.
10 Go to commentsExcept for the injured Zach Gallagher this would be Saders best forward pack for the season. Blackadder needs to stay at 7, for all of Christies tackling he is not dominant and offers very little else. McNicholfullback is maybe a good option, Fihaki not really upto it, there was a reason Burke played there last year. Maybe Havilli to 2nd five McLeod to wing. Need a strong winger on 1 side to compliment Reece
1 Go to commentsTo me TJ is clearly the best 9 in the competition right now but he's also a proven player off the bench, there's few playmaking players who can come off the bench as calm and settled as he is, Beauden can, TJ can and I doubt any of the scrumhalves in contention can, if they want to experiment with new 9s I want him on the bench ready to step in if they crumble under the pressure. The Boks put their best front row on the bench, I'd like to see us take a similar approach, the Hurricanes have been doing similar things with players like Kirifi.
50 Go to commentsROG has better chance to win a WC if he starts training and make himself eligible as a player. He won’t make the Ireland squad but I reckon he may get close with Namibia (needs to improve his Afrikaans) or Portugal. Both sides had 1000:1 odds to win the RWC in 2023 which is an improvement on ROG’s odds of winning a RWC as a coach. Unlike Top 14 teams, national teams can’t go shopping and buy the best players - you work with the available talent pool and turn them into world beaters.
3 Go to commentsthat backline nope that backline is terrible why would you have sevu Reece when he’s not even top 5 wingers in the comp why have Blackadder when there’s better players no Scott barret isn’t an automatic the guy is more of a liability than anything why have him there when you have samipeni who’s far far better
50 Go to commentsAh, good to find you Nick. Agree with everything about Cale. So much to like about his game
51 Go to commentsNot too bad. Questions at 6, lock and HB for me. The ABs will be a lot stronger once Jordan and Roigard return. Also, work needs to be made to secure Frizzell back for next season and maybe also Mo’unga; they’re just wasting time playing in japan
50 Go to commentsOn the title, i wonder for many of those people it is a case something like a belief in working smarter, not harder?
1 Go to commentsForget Sotutu. One of those whose top level is Super Rugby. Id take a punt on Wallace Sititi Finau ahead of Glass body Blackadder.
50 Go to commentsI’m a pensioner so I've been around a bit. My opinion of SBW is he is an elite athlete and a great New Zealander and roll model. He has been to the top and knows what he's talking about. To all the negative comments regarding SBW the typical New Zealand way, cut that tall poppy down.
17 Go to commentsI'm not listening to a guy moralise over others when this is the guy who walked out mid season on Canterbury RLFC when he had a contract with them, what a hypocrite. All the Kiwis sticking up for this unprincipled individual because they can't accept justified criticism, he has zero credibility or integrity. Those praising him are a joke.
17 Go to commentsI’d put Finau at 6 instead of Blackadder but that’s the only change I’d make. Can’t wait to see who Razor picks.
50 Go to commentsTamati Williams, Codie Taylor, and Same Cane? Not sure about Hoskins Sotutu at test level. Wasn’t that impressive last season. Need a balance between experience and talent/youth.
50 Go to commentsInteresting insight. Fantastic athlete, and a genuine human being.
17 Go to commentsThey played at night in Suva last weekend and it’s an afternoon game forecast for 19 degrees in Canberra this weekend. Heat change is a non issue.
2 Go to commentsWishing Rosie a speedy recovery
1 Go to comments