Rugby World Cup: Will Wallabies go with experience or excitement to replace McDermott?
Halfback Tate McDermott has been ruled out of the Wallabies next match, who Eddie Jones picks as a replacement will tell us much about what the team stands for, writes JULIAN LINDEN.
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Having already shown he’s prepared to make the big calls, Eddie Jones has got another curly one already lurking in the pipeline ahead of this weekend’s crucial World Cup clash with Fiji.
If Jones gets it right, the Wallabies can book an early place in the quarter-finals but if he stuffs up, things could quickly go down the gurgler.
As expected, the Australian vice-captain Tate McDermott has officially been ruled out of the Fiji pool match after copping an errant knee to his head in Australia’s win over Georgia on the weekend.
Although he eventually got back up on his feet and was able to join his teammates on their victory lap of the Stade de France, McDermott has been stood down for a minimum of 12 days, in accordance with the sport’s strict head injury assessment protocols.
His unavailability is a big setback for the Wallabies because the Queenslander has been one of the driving forces behind the Wallabies’ recent improvement, lifting the tempo for everyone around him with his sniping runs and boundless energy.
Nic White, who had been the starting halfback before McDermott, seems the obvious choice to wear the number nine gold jersey, particularly given his enormous big-match experience.
The 33-year-old has been in and out of the side for the last decade and has a crisp pass and a reliable boot, but his tedious obsession with box kicking is killing the team’s new adventurous vibe, to put it politely.
He may be the safe option but Jones is a known risk taker and there’s another exciting alternative that perfectly fits his current mood for taking a punt on younger players.
A surprise selection in the Wallabies squad, Issak Fines-Leleiwasa is an old school halfback who loves to run the ball, similar to McDermott.
He’s only played one test, off the bench, so is unproven at the highest level, but is known for his attacking flair as much as his trademark dreadlocks. Jones wouldn’t have picked if he didn’t like what he saw in him.
Fines-Leleiwasa is also from a Fijian family, so understands the way the Pacific Islanders will approach Sunday’s match in St Etienne.
Both will be picked for the match regardless, so the only decision is who should start and who should finish, but the Wallabies have been exploding out of the blocks lately and Jones will want those fast starts to continue.
And he has already shown he’s got a knack of picking the right men for the right moment after he selected Ben Donaldson at fullback against Georgia and he paid him back by being named man of the match.
With seven players of Fijian heritage in the Wallabies World Cup squad, this weekend’s match is already shaping as an emotionally charged match for both teams.
Mark Nawaqanitawase, another player who has excelled under Jones, is certain to be picked and said he can’t wait.
“It’s obviously pretty special, having Fijian heritage,” he said. “Obviously, I‘ve been watching them ever since I was growing up as well. Obviously a few players in there as well that I’ve looked up to. For myself and my family. It’ll be a very exciting match.”
Nawaqanitawase celebrated his 23rd birthday in France on Monday.
During a visit to a local school in St Etienne, he was called out in front of the assembly and serenaded by the all the primary aged students, who sang the Australian and French national anthems then happy birthday.
“I‘m really enjoying it at the moment. I’m really enjoying my footy. I’m in France, playing footy, it’s pretty cool,” he said.
“It just made me realise how great the game is; the atmosphere, the passion they have over here.
“It gives you that excitement about the game and makes you realise how big the sport is and how fun it is to play, and there‘s a lot of people out there that love it and it just makes you want to play even more.”
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