What is the short term future for Australian Rugby after the Rugby World Cup 2015?
Wallabies Beyond the Exodus – Part 1
It’s World Cup year Ladies and Gentleman. Always a cause for excitement, Rugby World Cup year also seems to be filled with news of players taking up lucrative offers from overseas clubs in what has become commonly known as “The Exodus.” With some players having already departed our shores, many of whom presumably didn’t rate their chances of getting a World Cup call up, the list will no doubt grow post 2015 RWC, leaving what many see as a hole in Australian Rugby. Always being a visualizer of glasses half full however, I decided to look a bit deeper and analyse whether it is really as bleak as we are led to believe.
Ok, so let’s have a brief look at those who have or will shortly become temporarily lost to Australian Rugby in place of overseas deals in countries such as France, Japan and the United Kingdom. Some notable names include: Ben Mowen (Montpellier), Hugh McMeniman (Japan), Kane Douglas (Leinster), Nic White (Montpellier), Scott Higginbotham (Japan), James Horwill (Harlequins), Sekope Kepu (Bordeaux) and Adam Ashley- Cooper (Bordeuax). No doubt this list will continue to grow as the year progresses but for now I’ll just focus on what we know.
It is interesting to look at the breakdown of positions these players usually occupy, most of which being locks or loose forwards; two positions that could never quite get locked down over 2014. Certainly Kane Douglas was a big loss in terms of second row stock, leaving Rob Simmons with more partners than Taylor Swift (No offence T-Swizzle). The same goes for Ben Mowen, who, although was playing in the back-row for Australia, could easily have been slotted into the second row, as he was with the Brumbies. Add James Horwill to this list and one would be forgiven for thinking that our “Lock stocks” are dire.
This writer however feels that things are not so grim. For a long time I’ve said that Scott Fardy should be playing in the second row for Australia. He is one of the most valuable men the Wallabies can put on the field so why not utilize him in a position in which a) we are lacking quality players and b) he plays usually during the Super Rugby season. It would be like killing two birds with one Fardy. This would also open another backrow spot. Sam Carter played his role adequately but is inexperienced and needs time to develop as a Test player. I’m also a big fan of Willie Skelton – he reminds me of one of those warriors an ancient army would send forward as their champion. With time, conditioning and fitness, Skelton can become that champion but I don’t see him as the short term solution. Dave Dennis also appears to be re-moulding himself into a second rower. This seems like a clever move and one that could greatly benefit the Wallabies. With the return of some key players, back row spots will be HIGHLY contested whereas second row is a lot more open. Either way, options are there; unfortunately, most of them seem like a long term plan.
The Wallabies will also miss the likes of Sekope Kepu. He is good in the scrum as far as Australian props go but it is his height and power as a ball runner which will be missed the most. He is also a mentor to a lot of the younger players, especially those of Pacific Island heritage which cannot be underrated. If there is one area that the Australian team has consistently lacked consistency, it’s the scrum. Even those who only see the world through Gold coloured glasses will admit that this has been our problem child for many years. Losing someone of Kepu’s experience and skill will be one of the more detrimental overseas losses unless he can be sufficiently replaced. But with who? Ben A or Ben R? Holmes? Tongan Thor?!?!? One of the “Bens” seem the most likely but what the Wallabies really need is a Ben Tameifuna; another strong ball running prop who can get them across the advantage line like James Slipper.
The back-row is another issue, fortunately one we can feel a bit better about. David Pocock is back in the mix and will be firmly on the radar of Coach Cheika for this year’s World Cup. Assuming he stays in Australia, retains a functioning ACL and isn’t arrested for his environmental crusades, I’m confident he is an adequate replacement and would most likely have earned a starting jersey anyway. I don’t see Michael Hooper pulling a Ben Mowen and relinquishing his newly acquired Captaincy to move overseas, meaning he will no doubt have his spot locked up in the team. This leaves us to ponder who will slide into that number 8 jersey that has not been worn so well since the days of George Smith and his flying dreadlocks. This spot is usually filled by ‘Cliffy’ Palu, a player on which I am deeply divided. There is no doubting his talent and size, more so just where he goes whenever he changes Blue for Gold. Why is it that so many of our hard-man back rowers seem to disappear at the sight of an All-Black or Springbok jersey? Where’s the mongrel? Michael Hooper has it, Scott Fardy has it, Higginbotham has it (despite the fact he’s usually found in the backline) so then why is it that our big 110kg+ guys lose it? Pocock is big but that’s not so much his role to fill. Who knows? Maybe Big Radike Samo could be convinced to shake off retirement for a few more years and stick around? He’s almost 40 but still puts some of the other blokes to shame. Talent aside though, the stock certainly is there and I have no doubt we will see a lot of youngsters taking up this mantle in the years to come.
To be continued…………
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