The $5m shuffle which can save Wallabies from disaster against British and Irish Lions
What’s the point of spending millions on a Lamborghini if you can only operate it in first gear? As Julian Linden writes, it’s a problem the Wallabies and Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii are grappling with.
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The second coming of Rob Valetini and Will Skelton to the Australian side for Saturday’s Game Two against the British & Irish Lions isn’t the Hail Mary that will save the Wallabies from losing the series before the final test.
Adding two more big bodies to a forward pack that lost the physical battle in last weekend’s series opener in Brisbane is still a timely boost but it’s not enough to solve all of Australia’s problems.
For too long, the Wallabies have always promised things will suddenly get better when all their best players are available but that’s just sugar-coated the failings of others.
If the Wallabies are fair dinkum about winning in Melbourne to ensure game three in Sydney isn’t a dead rubber, they need to change their line-up and tactics because Plan A just didn’t work.
If the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results, coach Joe Schmidt will be condemned as a madman if he doesn’t roll the dice and try something else.
The New Zealander is a quiet talker who gives little away but he’s not crazy.
To his credit, he’s been pick and stick with a line-up that needs time to develop some cohesion but with Lions’ tours to Australia taking place only every 12 years’, his long term plans need to be shelved for now.
To get high rewards he needs to take high risks right away.
This includes reconsidering the best position to play Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii.
Rugby Australia’s $5 million man looks to have the skills and temperament to cut it on the world stage but he’s wasted at outside centre because he just doesn’t get enough ball in space.
The Wallabies need to take their cue from the New South Wales Waratahs and play Suaalii at fullback, where he was outstanding during the Super Rugby season.
That will set off a chain reaction with the rest of the backline but these are desperate times.
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Len Ikitau has done an admirable job at inside centre but his natural position is 13 so he needs to be shifted out wider with Hunter Paisami getting the 23 jersey because he has the power and strength to carry the ball past the gain line.
The Wallabies also need to look at bringing in a new winger, with Harry Potter making way for Tom Wright or Dylan Pietsch, while the other big change that needs considering is in the halves.
In his first starting appearance for the Wallabies, Tom Lynagh did a great job under difficult circumstances last weekend, but was no match for his more experienced opponent Finn Russell.
However Lynagh would benefit enormously if he’s paired with his Queensland Reds teammate Tate McDermott, the form halfback of the Super Rugby season.
Schmidt has always preferred Jake Gordon because his fundamentals – passing and box kicking – are top notch, but McDermott is an old fashioned running halfback who can open up defences with his darts from the back of the ruck.
Schmidt got a lot of pay out of stacking his bench in Brisbane but they came on too late with the game already gone so he needs to get the balance right.
The old warhorse James Slipper was a marvel in the scrums but Angus Bell is the best running prop in the game so should start.
If fit Dave Porecki must be recalled as the starting hooker, not for the scrums, but to fix the lineouts which were a shambles in Brisbane, with Billy Pollard coming off the bench.
With Skelton and possibly Carlo Tizzano also coming on, the Wallabies can still retain enough firepower for the second half but they need to take some risks to make sure there’s still something to play for when they do get on.
Originally published as The $5m shuffle which can save Wallabies from disaster against British and Irish Lions
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