Wallabies would struggle to beat New Zealand Super Rugby teams
AS it stands, the All Blacks-stacked Crusaders would probably prevail against a Wallabies side lacking depth and form. And the gap widens with each Kiwi Super Rugby win.
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WITH Grand Slam champions Ireland heading to our shores next month, it is going to be a big ask for the Wallabies to start 2018 on a winning note.
Could the Wallabies even beat the Crusaders?
As it stands, the All Blacks-stacked Super Rugby champions would probably prevail.
The Hurricanes too.
Such is the uninspiring state of Australian rugby, New Zealand’s best Super Rugby teams look stronger than Australia’s national side.
On a 38-game losing streak to Kiwi sides stretching back to May 2016, Australia’s Super Rugby players are down on confidence and form.
Few of the experienced Wallabies are playing to a standard that is demanding a starting position for the June series against Ireland.
No rookies are producing consistent “pick me” performances.
It is largely pedestrian.
While compiling a probable Wallabies side brings up an impressive list of names on paper, on the field they’re not delivering the magic that fills viewers with confidence they’ll win the big Test matches this year.
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Since losing the 2015 World Cup final, Australia has won just 13 of 29 Test matches.
If that trend is to miraculously turn around over the next 17 months for them to win the World Cup in Japan, then they need to break the two big streaks plaguing them.
One of Australia’s Super sides must beat a Kiwi team this season, and then the Wallabies must wrest back the Bledisloe Cup they’ve not held since 2001.
The mental weight of these losing runs is clearly crippling the players.
They admit to panicking in the tight moments against Kiwi opponents, moving away from their game plans, finding ways to lose from winning positions.
That has also been evident in their losses to Scotland, Ireland, England in the past two years.
There are question marks over so many key positions leading into June.
If the Crusaders picked their best forward pack, it would read: Joe Moody, Codie Taylor, Owen Franks, Scott Barrett, Sam Whitelock, Jordan Taufua, Matt Todd, Kieran Read. Aside from Taufua, they’re all Test stars.
It is difficult to see any selection of eight Wallaby forwards dominating this pack.
Such is the disregard for Aussie opposition, the Crusaders have rested three All Blacks from their team to play the Waratahs this week, with coach Scott Robertson admitting it’s part of a plan to have them fresh for New Zealand’s June series against France.
It is guaranteed they would not have rested Franks, Ryan Crotty and David Havili if the Crusaders were playing Kiwi opposition this weekend.
To be fair, the Crusaders and Canes would trouble most Test teams.
But unfortunately for Australia, the losing streak is severely damaging the confidence of the players and coaches and the hole just continues to grow deeper.
If there are World Cup winners lurking around in Australia’s Super Rugby teams, they need to show themselves now.
Originally published as Wallabies would struggle to beat New Zealand Super Rugby teams