Rugby World Cup: Michael Cheika spoiled for selection choice
WALLABIES coach Michael Cheika is spoiled for selection choice, with Australia boasting depth in the forwards.
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IF ROBBIE Deans had the bad luck that Michael Cheika has, he might have won the World Cup.
The injuries that ruled Wycliff Palu and Will Skelton out of the tournament could almost have been planned by Cheika, so perfectly have they fitted in with the way things are evolving for the Wallabies.
Four years ago it could not have been a more different story for Deans, who gambled on taking just one specialist open-side flanker to New Zealand.
The fact that player just happened to be David Pocock, arguably the best number seven in the world, was meaningless after he was injured in the first match against Italy.
With Pocock’s injury not bad enough to see him ruled out of the tournament and replaced, Deans was forced to go with what he had, necessitating playing number eight Ben McCalman on the side of the scrum in the loss to Ireland.
With Pocock no certainty to recover in time for the quarter-final, Deans would have loved to bring Queensland’s Liam Gill into the squad but his hands were tied.
A glimmer of light appeared with an injury to winger Digby Ioane.
With Ioane being assessed by the tournament doctor, Dean was asked whether he would have to be replaced with another winger if ruled out.
“No,” he said almost too quickly, while searching for Gill’s number in his phone.
It was immaterial. A beaming Ioane returned to break the good news that he’d only miss a game or two.
“Great,” said Deans, who had seven players capable of playing wing.
No such woes for Cheika. He gambled on bringing only two hookers, his captain Stephen Moore and the Waratahs’ Tatafu Polota-Nau, both of whom missed last year’s Spring tour through injury. Another possible selection risk was Palu, the big number eight who has also spent plenty of time on the sidelines.
After Australia’s first match it had become obvious that Palu would not be required for the big games, with Pocock a revelation at number eight in his two starts there in wins against the All Blacks and Fiji.
And even if he or number seven Michael Hooper did break down, Cheika had two outstanding replacements in Sean McMahon and McCalman.
What Cheika was lacking was a big body to come on late in matches and counter the lack of bulk and lineout efficiency lost by playing the two backrow flyers. Skelton is big, but he can’t jump and his running appears to be less effective in Test matches than in the more open spaces of Super Rugby.
And, of course, the coach wouldn’t say no to another hooker as back up to Moore and Polota-Nau as the workload becomes more physically demanding.
With two players who could be considered expendable ruled out to injury, Cheika has been able to fill his wishlist with lock Sam Carter and hooker James Hanson.
Any coach who has taken a team to the World Cup will vouch that you need the cards to fall your way to succeed. Robbie Deans would tell you that Michael Cheika couldn’t have dealt them better himself.
Originally published as Rugby World Cup: Michael Cheika spoiled for selection choice
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