Wallabies v Wales: Name Your Best XV

I am aware there is another thread dedicated to Wallabies selections. However, it fails to set any selection parameters and what we end up with is people naming everything from their Fox Sports Fantasy Rugby wishlists right through to their Fairy Tale XV in which players, who are well past their prime, magically overcome ailments such age, injury and poor conditioning and return to career form.

The purpose of this thread is to come up with what you believe to be the best possible twenty-two man squad to take on Wales in the first test match of the mid-year series. Your proposed selections should take into consideration current form, past performances and everything in between. You may name currently injured or out of form players if it is reasonably foreseeable that they will return to form before the first test match.

Let the selection process, begin!

OK, I'll have a go, though I may get props and locks on the wrong side of the scrum:

1. Robinson 2. Moore 3. Slipper 4. Horwill 5. Pyle 6. Higginbottom 7. Pocock 8. Palu 9. Genia 10. Barnes 11. Ioane 12. O'Çonnor 13. McCabe/Horne 14. AAC 15. Beale.

Bench - Polota-Nau, Kepu, Simmons, Hodgson, White, Tapuai, Cummins.

Toughest position to pick is 13. 'Pyle, White and Cummins are my 'bolters.

Well, I forgot to post my twenty-two and it will be controversial to say the least:

Starting XV: 1. Benn Robinson 2. Stephen Moore 3. Dan Palmer 4. James Horwill 5. Nathan Sharpe 6. Matt Hodgson 7. David Pocock 8. Scott Higginbotham 9. Will Genia 10. James O'Connor 11. Digby Ioane 12. Christian Lealifano 13. Andrew Smith 14. Joe Tomane 15. Kurtley Beale

Reserves: 16. Tatafu Polota- Nau 17. Ben Alexander 18. Sitaleki Timani 19. Michael Hooper 20. Brendan McKibbin 21. Berrick Barnes 22. Ben Tapuai

Goal Kicker: Matt Dunning (100% drop goal record). obviously

Yep same forward pack except I'd have this backline.

9.Genia 10.JOC 11.Ioane 12.Barnes 13.McCabe 14.AAC 15.Beale. So pretty similar but I prefer JOC @ 10 & Barnes @ 12.

Bench: Charles, Kepu, Simmons, Dennis, Gill, Lucas or Stanard, Tapuai.

Would like to see TPN have a rest & use the test window to freshen up.

Well, the incumbent Welsh squad do not have a Rugby World Cup to name but I am almost certain they would have but for the red card to Sam Warburton in the Semi-Finals.

.they fill up blogs though, do they ever.

I do not understand why everyone still rates Palu so highly. He is well past career form and with the amount of injuries he picks up, the chances of him returning to his twilight years are pretty slim. I think Higginbotham is the first choice number eight to take on the Welsh this year, the Lions next year and the world in 2015. He has the speed, size and skill set of a good number eight and his workload in tight is picking up.

Cat - TPN - Keps
Sharpie - Kev
Mowen - Bam (c) - Cliffy
Genia - Barnes
JOC - Horne (if he finds his feet)
AAC - Ioane - KB

If not horne, then put McCabe/Cummins in (take your pick)

I dont rate Horne. I dont particularly like the style McCabe plays, but he is definitely my first pick for centres

9. Genia
10. JOC/Barnes
11. Ioane
12. JOC/Barnes (either or with these 2 - both have their perks in both positions, good to have an interchangeable 10 & 12)
13. McCabe
14. AAC
15. Beale

I'd like to see a winger on the bench, maybe Tomane? and then Taps as well on the bench

Have you even watched Palu play this year? He's been the Tahs best forward every time he is on the park.

There are some strange selections here, I agree with Cyclo and qwerty aswell.

1- Robinson
2- Moore
3- Slipper
4- Sharpe
5- Horwill
6- Higginbotham
7- Pocock
8- Palu
9- Genia
10- O'Connor
11- Ioane
12- Barnes
13- Tapuai/McCabe
14- Ashley-Cooper
15- Beale

Bench: Hanson, Kepu, Pyle, Dennis/Hodgson, Lucas/Kingi, McCabe/Tapuai, Cummins

Something like that. Not sure why Palmer has been mentioned in that article, has done nothing of note this year, not to mention you have Slipper, Kepu, Alexander and Holmes a mile ahead as tightheads.

1- Robinson
2- Moore
3- Slipper
4- Pyle
5- Horwill
6- Higginbotham
7- Pocock
8- Palu
9- Genia
10- Barnes
11- Ioane
12- O'Connor
13- McCabe/Taps/Horne
14- Ashley-Cooper
15- Beale

Bench: Hanson, Kepu, Sharpe, Mowen, Lucas/Kingi/White, McCabe/Tapuai/Horne, Shipperly.


I would like to see Cummins play some games at 13 for the force. Might also pick Kepu over Slipper.

1. Fatcat
2. Moore
3. Palmer
4. Sharpe
5. Horwil
6. Mowen
7. BamBam
8. Palu
9. White
10. Rabbit
11. Diggers
12. Lealifano
13. Taps/McCabe
14. AAC
15. Beale
16. Alexander
17. TPN
18. Pyle
19. Hooper/Gill
20. Genia
21. Barnes
22. Taps/McCabe

Yeah, I have and I think he is no nearly as menacing as he used to be and his work rate leaves much to be desired as well. I would rather have Higginbotham perform the number eight duties, who has performed well there every time he has been given a chance, and have a Hodgson or Dennis at six. Fardy and Cottrell need to be left in the oven a little longer before they earn a bolter start. We have plenty of depth at six but as far, as far as I am concerned, only have two viable options at eight: Higginbotham and Mowen in distant second.

As much as I enjoy watching higgers, I don't see him as a test player while he does some brilliant stuff he also does some stupid stuff and I don't think the wallabies need that,they need work horses in the forward pack against a strong welsh team.