Now, that’s different: Wallaby team & preview

Matt Rowley November 6, 2009 41

Bringing the BBQ to pommyland

The Wallaby team to take on England this weekend was named today, and what flutter of excitement it’s caused. There might only be one new starter and a few positional swaps in it, but what a change it signals.

From the makeshift security of The Earl (AAC) and Ryan Cross being part of another predictable loss last weekend, we now have the excitement machine; a centre pairing of Mr BBQ footy – Quade Cooper at 12, and the hardest runner in the Super 14 of 2009 – Digby Ioane at 13.

Just when you start to think Robbies selection are made by a robot, he does this. Can anyone remember a more instinctive combination in the Wallabies? I believe that this, dare I say it, could shade Horan & Little for it’s potential to wreak havoc – hopefully just in attack though. A nice curve ball indeed.

To make way for this, The Earl moves to fullback and Shmoo slots in on the wing. So not only does this create a new attacking axis for the Wallabies, but it also shores up the back three. The only other change is George Smith starting in his 107th test, which surely fields Australia’s most competitive back row.

So what does this mean for this weekend?

The pommy press has dismissed this Wallaby side as nothing more than a work in progress, Tri-Nations whipping boy for whom the potential of winning a Grand Slam is nothing short of fantasy. I’ll readily admit that the questions over the Wallaby line-out and locking combination remain a real threat. However, through their second row selections, England seem to be looking for bulk in the scrum and lineout rather than jumping prowess, and in those two areas Australia has made great strides.

What the pommy press has conveniently overlooked, while at the same time bleating about injuries, is that while this thrown together England team has few tested combinations, this Wallaby team has spent the last 3 months training together in between testing themselves against the best two teams in the world.

I believe we could well see the benefit of this learning curve start to pay off this Saturday, with a change from staring down the Boks and the Blacks acting as the the confidence tonic this side needs. As usual, the opposite is just not worth thinking about.

Gagger says: Wallabies by 10

Wallabies from the set piece

Wallabies named:

15. Adam Ashley-Cooper (Brumbies)
14. Peter Hynes (Queensland Reds)
13. Digby Ioane (Queensland Reds)
12. Quade Cooper (Queensland Reds)
11. Drew Mitchell (NSW Waratahs)
10. Matt Giteau (Brumbies)
9. Will Genia (Queensland Reds)
8. Wycliff Palu (NSW Waratahs)
7. George Smith (Brumbies)
6. Rocky Elsom (Brumbies, captain)
5. Mark Chisholm (Brumbies)
4. James Horwill (Queensland Reds)
3. Ben Alexander (Brumbies)
2. Stephen Moore (Brumbies)
1. Benn Robinson (NSW Waratahs)

Run on reserves:

16. Tatafu Polota Nau (NSW Waratahs)
17. Matt Dunning (Western Force)
18. Dean Mumm (NSW Waratahs)
19. David Pocock (Western Force)
20. Luke Burgess (NSW Waratahs)
21. Ryan Cross (Western Force)
22. James O’Connor (Western Force)

POSTED IN » England, Wallabies

About the author: Matt Rowley View all posts by Matt Rowley

Matt started G&GR just before the 2007 Rugby World Cup and has been enslaved ever since. Follow him on twitter: @MattRowley

Discussion »

Noddy

I LOVE this team. I am so excited about this game now. That centre combo is going to fun to watch. I expect fuck ups, no doubt, but I also anticipate some magic.

PErsonally, I am also looking forward to watching Wilko again. I am a fan of his and think this is a wondeful achievement of his to be back playing.

Also intrigued by the Steve Thompson selection. His lineout throwing is as bad as Moore/TPN’s.

But this Aussie team – wowza! Nice. I remember when we played the Boks in Perth we picked crash ballers AAC and Cross in the centres, but for some reason we played started the game trying to play with width.

I know expect us to play boring crash ball rugby.
- Bobas
  
  Trust you to like Wilkinson noddy.
http://www.rededdo.blogspot.com Eddo

I’m exited too..

An while I’m not the most exstatic QC fan,.. I’m keen to give it a go. I fully expect to see Banahan and every other POM over 100kg to be steaming down the QC Channel. You only get better with practice right.. So, this could be a turning point for QC.

Diggers. I think everone approves.

AAC holding the Fort. Magic.

Lineout. … Can’t win without some freaking ball, so I hope we’ve done some double time there. Embarassing to see the single braincell Chisolm used to make his calls last week. Expect the two short balls to Benn Robinson again… Why not. .100% record

“As long as we beat the English..”
Robson

Well there is nothing boring about Quade, even though you watch him sometimes with your heart in your mouth. Robbie clearly wants some penetration in the back line and I think he’s got the combo to do it.

Will it happen? Dunno, but the pairing of Quade and Digby is mouth watering in the exquisite sense of anticipation it engenders. George back at “7″ should please a lot of people here and fair enough too. And so to the lineout. Hmmmmmmmm???? Dunno again.

Scrum,we should be okay. Breakdown?? The poms know how to kill the ball better than the ABs so Smith has to be at his best here. If he is, then we will get some good phase ball, all we need is to make it continuous phase ball and patience.
- CanadianRugby
  
  The old poms used to be the masters as killing the ball. This current group doesn’t have the veterans to pull it off. Expect much better from the Wallabies at the breakdown.
  - Robson
    
    Hope you’re right.
Searsy

Have a look at that QLD laiden backline. This team DOES excite me. My nipples could cut glass!

I wonder if QC and Gits will swap around as they attempted with Barnes. He may not have the kicking game and defense of Barnes but I cannot think of anyone running around who can fire a freakish pass the way he can. The Poms probably wouldn’t have seen as much of the Genia / Ioane combo either so look for Genia inside pass ala Gregan to Ioane to glide through some tired forwards mid way through the second half.

Obvious issues with the lineout but hopefully we can sort that out in time. I’m not sure why we have Burgess on the bench. We could bring in another front rower as the second best scrum half in Australia seems to be Fat Cat.

Wallabies by eleventeen.
Patrick

I too am excited – most of all to see Digby finally at 13. Also, AAC at 15 is a good option providing safe kick-returns and some real power on the burst. With him, Ioane and a random backrower all out wide Gits and GQ will have targets aplenty.

Wallabies by 20.
- Paris Tah
  
  The random backrower out wide will of course be our third ball player, Smith who will pass back inside to either Diggers or AAC.
Bobas

I also am excited, finally a starting team without Force Players.

7 Brumbies, 3 Tahs, 5 Reds.
- http://beerandsport.net Moses
  
  Great spot Bobas, it inspired me to do an artists impression of how our team might look (added to original post)
  - Robson
    
    But what’s that bird’s nest doing on top of Drew Mitchells jersey (sorry jumper)?
    - http://beerandsport.net Moses
      
      Oh, that’s no bird’s nest
      
      Shmoo
  - Henry
    
    Such lovely locks
Ozrugbynut

Ioane will more ball time at outside will be excellent, and having QC as second playmaker will mix up the attack a lot. Hoping his defense is up to the job. AAC at full back provides a lot more surety. Back three are looking good.

Don’t expect anything from the new backline unless the forwards sort their shit out in the line out and at the breakdown. And FFS can they share the workload a bit more – can’t rely on Palu and Smith to make all the metres. Chisholm, Elsom, Alexander and Moore need to get more involved.

Poms to play territory too, so our infield kicking game has to be on song. Pretty av against NZ. Coops should provide something here too.
- Bobas
  
  Ioane definitely ‘will more ball time’.
Epi

Great Team. Obviously after the despair of Tokyo, Deans has stumbled onto Greenandgoldrugby.com and taken the advice of the some of the most knowledgeable armchair quarterbacks in the world of sport.

Hoping to see Qwade in at first receiver with Gits given some space. Really looking forward to watching Diggers at outside centre and expecting to see some telepathic interplay with Sanchez.

This should be a cracker.
- Newb
  
  diggers and sanchez had a nice play worked out at the reds with digby running off the ruck to a nice inside pop pass from a (effectively) crabbing genia. i hope to see it used.
- Patrick
  
  Only one quarterback that I’m aware of on this site…
Goochmeister

As everyone else here seems to be, I am excited about this line up. AAC should be solid at the back, George HAS to be on the run on, the more Diggers touches the ball the better. Just hope QC gets plenty of help in defense. I have a feeling we might put on some points this weekend. Can’t wait.
- Rocky Elboa
  
  I wouldn’t be suprised if we saw the Coopers swap around a bit in defence and attack.
DPK

isnt matt dunning’s 2009 a little fairy-tale story? from eastwood 2nd grade to the wallabies. can he be considered a capped bolter?
- http://beerandsport.net Moses
  
  Dunning was the incumbent before his achilies blew up on a sub-standard surface against the baabaa’s. He’s also our only genuine option for both sides of the scrum
  - DPK
    
    thnx, ive never heard of him before
    - http://beerandsport.net Moses
      
      He’s been around a while, 90 Super 14 caps for the Waratahs and 43 Test Caps for the Wallabies.
      
      Once kicked a drop goal which ended the Tahs season (needed a bonus point). Loved by taxi drivers everywhere, and Canadian.
    - DPK
      
      i was actually joking, seems like a good move for him to head to the western force huh
    - CanadianRugby
      
      I’m sorry, did you mean “Canadian” in a good way or bad way? Your answer will dictate if I send you a dead skunk in a box or not….
Lance Free

How do you like this?

Fox Sports are showing LIVE Leicester v South Africa at 6.00am tomorrow morning (Fox Sport 2) but haven’t got the wherewithal to show the f*ckin Wallabies v Gloucester!!!!! Wankers.

QC all grown up…..I’d like to see that?
- http://beerandsport.net Moses
  
  That’s pretty poor really, why not show our trial match?
- Searsy
  
  Will A Lot of Tuquiri be playing for Leicester???
  - http://beerandsport.net Moses
    
    on the bench
- http://www.greenandgoldrugby.com/ Gagger
  
  The Glocs game was arranged late, but I think it’s more that Sky Sports up here doesn’t give a toss about #3 in the world playing Gloucester
CanadianRugby

To state by biases first. I don’t think QC is international quality yet and I DO think Gits should be the 10.

Having said that….

QC certainly seems to step up when he’s in the Green and Gold. Really does bring his A game. I hate the way he plays in the Super 14, but everyone he is a wallaby he seems to play very very well. Also, the few times he and Gits have been on the field together Gits seems to run very well off him. I like the possibility of QC putting Gits into space occasionally.

Also, if everyone looks back to the Welsh game last year, one of the best plays for the Wallabies was gits firing a pass back inside to Ioane on the burst. I think with two excellent passers in Gits and Cooper, it frees Ioane to search for gaps wherever the hell he feels like.

And really, I’ll take the current set of Wallaby forwards over the current set of English.
Juan Cote

The first test this year I am boning up over!!!

I think these selection are inspired however it probably points to how exasperated Dingo is with the current lack of scoring prowess his team possess.

I think AAC will really benefit from having QC, who is a natural ball player, in mid-feld. Even if QC’s hit and miss ratio is 60:40 he should have enough quality around him to make the good ones count.

Fucken Beauty!!!!
Lance Free

Funnily enough JC, I’m fairly happy about the direction as well. Looks like QC has matured a bit and will certainly offer some ball playing potential at 12. Just hope he muscles up in defence, although he’s up against a similar type of player in Geraghty.

Diggers is TNT – ‘Cause I’m T.N.T I’m dynamite, T.N.T. and I’ll win that fight, T.N.T. I’m a power load, T.N.T. watch me explode….T.N.T. oi, oi, oi!’

An explosion waiting to happen. Danny boy – you’re in the ‘Eartha Kitt’.

George – legend!

Boned up? I’ve already had a happy event……
Juan Cote

Breaking news that Morty will take no part in the end of season tour…the last we have seen of him I suspect
- Lance Free
  
  Morty, you’ve been a f*ckin champion player over the past 9 years and outstanding captain. Thank you for all that you’ve done for Australian rugby over that time.
  
  My memory is of you kicking Bledisloe and Tri-Nations Cup winning goals, RWC tries and absolutely smashing some damned good rugby players in your time.
  
  You have been a champion for all of us. In my view, you’ve been the outstanding centre of the decade. You took over the captaincy from a legend and continued in a similar manner.
  
  You were on top of your profession and a world class player. I salute you.
  - Seb V
    
    all true, but you talk like he’s gone already, id like to think he’ll make a return n continue till the RWC in good form. “Come on Morty! you can do it!”
    - Robson
      
      Yep, in his prime, he was definitely the best centre in the world, by a long mark and not that long ago.
      
      But don’t give him away just yet. He’s got the whole summer to come right and even if he doesn’t start S14 until a bit later, I think we’ll see more of him yet. Yeah enough to see him at the RWC 2011. I’m pretty sure about that.
Who Needs Melon

After telling myself NEVER to get worked up about a Wallabies game ever again, I can’t help but feel worked up about this one too.

I can’t believe Ioane is just coming back from injury. Where are the warm up games to get the fitness and touch back?!? Obviously doesn’t need them… or is he still only just warming up?

I would again urge the Wallabies not to read too much press and to assume they are going to get walloped.
- Robson
  
  Wise words, but it is human to live in hope.