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Will Genia's take on Wallabies halves combo: 'Both teams are much better sides when he's on'

By Tom Raine
Nic White. (Photo by Stuart Walmsley/Photosports)

With the British & Irish Lions tour to South Africa set to properly get under way this weekend in Johannesburg, an equally as intriguing international series will commence just a matter of days later, as France kick off their two week tour of Australia at Suncorp Stadium in Brisbane – the two teams set to meet for the first time since 2016.

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Given the widespread disruption to the international rugby calendar caused by COVID-19 in 2020, this rejuvenated French side under head coach Fabien Galthié has not yet had the chance to test themselves against the Southern Hemisphere heavyweights, making for a truly tantalising prospect come July.

The exuberance and dynamism of France’s attack, combined with a structured and aggressive defence under Shaun Edwards, has brought large improvements to the team that limped to a three-nil test series defeat to the All Blacks back in 2018. Indeed, the rapid improvement of Les Bleus has seen them secure two consecutive second-place finishes in the Six Nations, only losing out in 2020 on points difference.

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Legendary Wallabies halfback Will Genia joins Ross Karl, James Parsons and Bryn Hall on the Aotearoa Rugby Pod to give his perspective on the coming season.

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Legendary Wallabies halfback Will Genia joins Ross Karl, James Parsons and Bryn Hall on the Aotearoa Rugby Pod to give his perspective on the coming season.

Galthié’s 42-man squad will be without some of its key personnel however, as with stringent quarantine restrictions, players from Top 14 finalists, Toulouse and La Rochelle, will be unavailable. Among this excluded group, the match-winning halfback pairing of Romain Ntamack and 2020 Six Nations player of the championship, Antoine Dupont.

Yet the fact that this current squad features 23 uncapped players by no means signals a lack of quality among the French ranks. England of course, in their narrow Autumn Nations Cup victory in 2020, were pushed extremely close by what many pundits viewed to be the French second or even third-string team. Thus, Galthié’s team look certain to expand upon their already substantial strength in depth as they build towards a home World Cup in 2023.

Maori All Blacks halfback Bryn Hall, speaking on this week’s episode of the Aotearoa Rugby Pod, noted Dupont’s quality was sure to be missed, but that the 24-year-old’s absence was not cause for total French concern.

“I think having that kind of player, who is arguably the best halfback in the world bar maybe Aaron Smith, with his running threat and his ability in big moments to be able to influence the game, it’s definitely going to be a loss for them,” commented Hall of Dupont. “But it opens up opportunities for other players.”

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Ex-All Black hooker James Parsons echoed Hall’s positive opinions on the French prospects for their tour.

“It’s sort of a win-win for the French side,” said Parsons. “They haven’t got their big stars down here but … because there’s so many opportunities in this squad for the French, they’re going to be hungry, there’s going to be a lot of excitement and energy in that camp.”

Parsons in particular identified the real quality coming through the French ranks at youth level, with nearly a quarter of Galthié’s squad members of the French U20s sides that won back-to-back World Rugby U20 World Championships in 2018 and 2019.

“A lot of these players have come through that U20s environment,” remarked Parsons. “I feel that our expectation was a full squad to come down and be favorites, whereas this brings France in as the underdogs and the unknown. To look at where they want to get to for 2023 and the depth it can potentially create for them, I don’t see this tour being a losing situation for them … it’s a real win-win.”

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Similarly, the youthful quality contained within Dave Rennie’s Wallabies side is cause for interest. Much like their French counterparts, the Wallabies have benefitted from a successful group of Australian U20s transitioning effectively to senior test level. Certainly, for former Wallabies centurion Will Genia, this test series in July presents a fantastic opportunity for Australian rugby after a tough Super Rugby Trans-Tasman.

“I think for us as the Aussie team, we’re crucially coming into this series fresh, it’s in the middle of our season,” said Genia, a guest panellist on the Aotearoa Rugby Pod. “So everyone’s hungry for test rugby and everybody’s looking forward to it.”

Genia proved candid in regards to his old position of halfback and the youthful prospects being pushed up the pecking order in light of both Nic White’s recent knee injury and Jake Gordon’s MCL injury.

“I would say Nic White is comfortably the best halfback in Australia,” said Genia. “I think when he plays for the Wallabies and for the Brumbies, both teams are much better sides when he’s on … if Jake Gordon was right I would have gone with him [as a replacement] … but I don’t think you’d want to chuck Gordon straight into that first test coming off the back of injury.”

White and Gordon’s absences leave two-test Wallaby Tate McDermott and White’s Brumbies teammate Ryan Lonergan vying for the No 9 jersey in green and gold.

“I think Tate McDermott’s been excellent throughout Super Rugby AU and Super Rugby Trans-Tasman,” commented Genia. “So you’d want to give him an opportunity to continue to build on that momentum and build on that confidence … Ryan Lonergan is still pretty green, I think he’s only had a handful of starts for the Brumbies. So moving into the test, I’d probably go with Tate McDermott, give him the opportunity to play off the confidence that he’s built throughout the Super Rugby season.”

Injuries at standoff have also presented the opportunity for new combinations at nine and ten to develop for the Wallabies, with another 2019 Australian U20 graduate in Noah Lolesio potentially poised for a big series to both build his confidence and a key partnership with McDermott.

“I love the fact that through injury they’re forced to play big minutes now,” said Genia. “The fact that they have to start and have to take control of the team, I think it’s an opportunity for them to build themselves into test match rugby, see if they can mix it at this level and understand things they need to work on to get better and to grow into being good test match players.”

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J
Jon 3 hours ago
Jake White: Are modern rugby players actually better?

This is the problem with conservative mindsets and phycology, and homogenous sports, everybody wants to be the same, use the i-win template. Athlete wise everyone has to have muscles and work at the gym to make themselves more likely to hold on that one tackle. Do those players even wonder if they are now more likely to be tackled by that player as a result of there “work”? Really though, too many questions, Jake. Is it better Jake? Yes, because you still have that rugby of ole that you talk about. Is it at the highest International level anymore? No, but you go to your club or checkout your representative side and still engage with that ‘beautiful game’. Could you also have a bit of that at the top if coaches encouraged there team to play and incentivized players like Damian McKenzie and Ange Capuozzo? Of course we could. Sadly Rugby doesn’t, or didn’t, really know what direction to go when professionalism came. Things like the state of northern pitches didn’t help. Over the last two or three decades I feel like I’ve been fortunate to have all that Jake wants. There was International quality Super Rugby to adore, then the next level below I could watch club mates, pulling 9 to 5s, take on the countries best in representative rugby. Rugby played with flair and not too much riding on the consequences. It was beautiful. That largely still exists today, but with the world of rugby not quite getting things right, the picture is now being painted in NZ that that level of rugby is not required in the “pathway” to Super Rugby or All Black rugby. You might wonder if NZR is right and the pathway shouldn’t include the ‘amateur’, but let me tell you, even though the NPC might be made up of people still having to pull 9-5s, we know these people still have dreams to get out of that, and aren’t likely to give them. They will be lost. That will put a real strain on the concept of whether “visceral thrill, derring-do and joyful abandon” type rugby will remain under the professional level here in NZ. I think at some point that can be eroded as well. If only wanting the best athlete’s at the top level wasn’t enough to lose that, shutting off the next group, or level, or rugby players from easy access to express and showcase themselves certainly will. That all comes back around to the same question of professionalism in rugby and whether it got things right, and rugby is better now. Maybe the answer is turning into a “no”?

35 Go to comments
j
john 6 hours ago
Will the Crusaders' decline spark a slow death for New Zealand rugby?

But here in Australia we were told Penney was another gun kiwi coach, for the Tahs…….and yet again it turned out the kiwi coach was completely useless. Another con job on Australian rugby. As was Robbie Deans, as was Dave Rennie. Both coaches dumped from NZ and promoted to Australia as our saviour. And the Tahs lap them up knowing they are second rate and knowing that under pressure when their short comings are exposed in Australia as well, that they will fall in below the largest most powerful province and choose second rate Tah players to save their jobs. As they do and exactly as Joe Schmidt will do. Gauranteed. Schmidt was dumped by NZ too. That’s why he went overseas. That why kiwi coaches take jobs in Australia, to try and prove they are not as bad as NZ thought they were. Then when they get found out they try and ingratiate themselves to NZ again by dragging Australian teams down with ridiculous selections and game plans. NZ rugby’s biggest problem is that it can’t yet transition from MCaw Cheatism. They just don’t know how to try and win on your merits. It is still always a contest to see how much cheating you can get away with. Without a cheating genius like McCaw, they are struggling. This I think is why my wise old mate in NZ thinks Robertson will struggle. The Crusaders are the nursery of McCaw Cheatism. Sean Fitzpatrick was probably the father of it. Robertson doesn’t know anything else but other countries have worked it out.

28 Go to comments
A
Adrian 8 hours ago
Will the Crusaders' decline spark a slow death for New Zealand rugby?

Thanks Nick The loss of players to OS, injury and retirement is certainly not helping the Crusaders. Ditto the coach. IMO Penny is there to hold the fort and cop the flak until new players and a new coach come through,…and that's understood and accepted by Penny and the Crusaders hierarchy. I think though that what is happening with the Crusaders is an indicator of what is happening with the other NZ SRP teams…..and the other SRP teams for that matter. Not enough money. The money has come via the SR competition and it’s not there anymore. It's in France, Japan and England. Unless or until something is done to make SR more SELLABLE to the NZ/Australia Rugby market AND the world rugby market the $s to keep both the very best players and the next rung down won't be there. They will play away from NZ more and more. I think though that NZ will continue to produce the players and the coaches of sufficient strength for NZ to have the capacity to stay at the top. Whether they do stay at the top as an international team will depend upon whether the money flowing to SRP is somehow restored, or NZ teams play in the Japan comp, or NZ opts to pick from anywhere. As a follower of many sports I’d have to say that the organisation and promotion of Super Rugby has been for the last 20 years closest to the worst I’ve ever seen. This hasn't necessarily been caused by NZ, but it’s happened. Perhaps it can be fixed, perhaps not. The Crusaders are I think a symptom of this, not the cause

28 Go to comments
T
Trevor 11 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.

21 Go to comments
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