Rivals fine-tuning in big push to strike the balance
Hansen looks to mix seasoned campaigners with young blood ahead of next year’s World Cup Wallabies are keen to measure up against All Blacks in eagerly-awaited Sydney showdown
All Blacks coach Steve Hansen will again balance the double expectations of winning every Test match while trying to give less experienced players a chance to develop as he beds down his tactics and squad for next year’s Rugby World Cup.
The All Blacks, who are unbeaten in the Rugby Championship over the last two seasons, have arguably their most settled squad after a raft of injuries to senior players kept them out of various series during that time.
Captain Kieran Read, lock Brodie Retallick and hooker Dane Coles, all of whom missed the 3-0 series sweep against France in June have returned to the squad.
Loose-forwards Sam Cane and Liam Squire also were off the pace in June after returning from long-term injuries and should be back up to speed, adding a combative streak to the All Blacks pack.
Hansen used the France series to blood several new players and while injury and form lapses could rule a few out, it is now highly unlikely anyone not already on the staff’s radar will make it to Japan.
Five of those who made their Test debuts in June, loose-forwards Shannon Frizell and Jackson Hemopo, prop Karl Tu’inukuafe, flyhalf Richie Mo’unga and centre Jack Goodhue, were retained in the Rugby Championship squad.
Much of the focus will be on how Mo’unga performs when given the opportunity after a superb season for the Canterbury Crusaders during their run of those who made their Test debuts in June were retained in the squad to a ninth Super Rugby title.
Some believe he deserves the number 10 jersey ahead of incumbent Beauden Barrett and utility Damian McKenzie, who might also get time at flyhalf after spending most of his career as a fullback.
Hansen, however, has typically stuck with players who have delivered at Test level, and Barrett should start for most of the Rugby Championship, with McKenzie coming off the bench.
The coach also has a selection conundrum for the mix of his back three with incumbent fullback Ben Smith likely to be moved to right wing occasionally to give Jordie Barrett more time in his position.
The selection of Hemopo as a blindside flanker could also provide an interesting sub-plot against the abrasive South Africa and Argentina packs. — Australia coach Michael Cheika’s hopes of fielding a settled side during the Rugby Championship have been dented by a midfield injury blow but the Wallabies will head into the tournament with some optimism, if not outright confidence.
With Samu Kerevi and Tevita Kuridrani both ruled out of the tournament, the versatile Reece Hodge is tipped to be thrown the number 13 jersey and faces a baptism of fire in the position against the All Blacks in Saturday’s opener in Sydney.
The Wallabies will otherwise bring a strong squad, with breakdown menace David Pocock returning after missing last year’s tournament while on a sabbatical.
Winger Dane Haylett-Petty and flanker-captain Michael Hooper have also been cleared from injury, while Matt Toomua has returned from England to reinforce the backline in an outfit keen to test the All Blacks a year out from the World Cup.
Cheika has blooded some 30 players in the Test arena since the 2015 global showpiece but suggested he might be done with the tinkering after trimming his squad to 28 earlier in the week.
He will hope to put more miles in the legs of some of the younger players still finding their feet.
The Wallabies have slumped to fifth in the world rankings after losing four of their last five Tests, including a hard-fought 2-1 series defeat to Six Nations champions Ireland in June.
Yet the gloom that has hung over Australian rugby since the 2015 World Cup has lifted a little this season, with emerging players bolstering a pack that suffered from a lack of depth.
South Africa and Argentina aside, key to a successful Rugby Championship for the Wallabies will be a good first-up showing against the All Blacks after they were eviscerated by Steve Hansen’s team in the last two tournament openers.
Cheika has tried to change that pattern by putting his squad through a practice game against a Super Ruby selection for the first time in the hope his players will be more match fit.
The Wallabies can at least bring happy memories of their last clash against the world champions, having snapped a seven-game losing streak to them in Brisbane in October. —