"Kill your darlings," was the best piece of advice I got as a young journalist. Those luscious phrases and extravagant wordings might be great to write down but if they impede the clarity of the writing, off with their heads. I pass on this same advice to Michael Cheika as he ponders the selection of the Wallabies to defeat England in their three-Test series in June.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
"Kill your darlings" in the context of the Wallabies means ending the Test careers of a number of veterans from the 2015 Rugby World Cup tournament. No more Wallabies jerseys for Matt Giteau, Adam Ashley-Cooper, Drew Mitchell, James Horwill, Dean Mumm, Ben Alexander, Wycliff Palu or Will Genia.
In February, Cheika announced he was planning an initial squad of 50 local players for the June Tests: "We want to grow that base of players who can be making a difference in Test matches by maybe another eight to 10 players this year." This makes good sense. The best way to see if a young player has potential to play well at the Test level is to give him time as a Wallaby. It is something that Cheika was reluctant to do in 2015, unfortunately.
In that same February statement Cheika said he wanted some of the overseas veterans to help "the new brigade" to transition successfully in the post-World Cup phase. Only Genia of this 60/7 cohort will be considered for the June Tests. But the implication in Cheika's statement is that some of the others will be playing in The Rugby Championship and in the November Tests in Europe.
The problem is that developing the Wallabies to where they can win back the Bledisloe Cup and capture the Webb Ellis trophy in 2019 requires a better and younger squad than the 2015 team. That can only come by bringing new players into the Wallabies now, not in a couple of years' time. Take the case of Nick Frisby. The Reds halfback has been a standout for a struggling side. His passing is crisp, he is quick to the rucks, he backs up strongly and he reads the play well on defence. In my view, he has gone past Nic Stirzaker as the next Wallabies starting halfback. One of the key games within the game in the Hurricanes-Reds match on Saturday will be Frisby's contest with the All Black halfback TJ Perenara.
If Cheika has a weakness as a coach, it is his reluctance to trust young talent. We saw this tendency with the Waratahs when he held back youngsters such as Jed Holloway and Andrew Kellaway. After a disastrous start to the season, the new coach Daryl Gibson has possibly turned things around (the Waratahs-Bulls match on Saturday will be the test of this) by bringing in young players and re-gigging the backline by moving Israel Folau from fullback to centre. The Folau experiment has been a terrific success. Cheika can – should – create an Folau/Tevita Kuridrani centre pairing for the Wallabies that will monster any defence in world rugby. Incidentally, it was lack of size at inside centre that helped destroy the Wallabies in the World Cup final. The tiny Giteau was smashed by the All Blacks defenders, forcing him to be substituted in the first half. This will not happen with a Folau/Kuridrani pairing.
The Australian sides have won only 20 of their 48 Super Rugby matches this season. But a number of players have demonstrated Wallabies potential, almost in defiance of their teams' results. Dane Haylett-Petty has been outstanding for the Force. Tom Robertson has stiffened up the Waratahs scrum. Andrew Ready, as his name suggests, is ready for promotion to the Wallabies squad, along with Reds teammates Samu Kerevi and Frisby. Rory Arnold, the Brumbies giant second-rower, played a sensational match against the Bulls last weekend. He was instrumental in the Brumbies taming a Bulls pack into submission, something that rarely happens. There is an element of the Brodie Retallick in his play.
Memo to Michael Cheika: Kill your darlings and select some new Wallabies in June.
