Next step for the Wallabies, bring back Kurtley Beale

The Wallabies need a world-class fullback and Kurtley Beale could be the answer

There is a saying in sport, if you can get momentum going and the blood flowing, anything can happen.

Like most things in life, when a team has momentum, they are more confident and, as a consequence, more likely to find ways to win rather than lose.

So congratulations to the Wallabies for winning three Tests on the bounce; and I have no doubt it will be four this weekend as they take on Argentina again on the Gold Coast.

I must give Dave Rennie credit again.

When a side pitches in, as these boys do, it’s clear that there is a productive bond between them.

It needs to be said that since Quade Cooper has been in the team, there is a sense of calm and composure that was lacking in the three consecutive defeats to the All Blacks earlier in the international season.

Cooper has all the playing gears. But what is even more important is how, in his own quiet way, he relates to the others.

Having experience and options at number 10 is very important in a Test team when others around you exhibit uncertainty. As I said last week, I’m hopeful that coach Rennie can find places for both Cooper and James O’Connor in the run-on squad right through to the World Cup and give Kurtley Beale a call.

It’s clear the Wallabies are a genuine force when they have an older head in the number 10 shirt.

Call it the “Tom Brady factor”, if you like. Brady, at 44 years of age, is still playing in the NFL and his teams keep winning. He just knows how to win and get the job done.

Knowing Cooper, O’Connor and Beale as I do, they also know how to get the job done.

But they need the ball in hand to do it.

So where to now for the Wallabies and how do they keep their momentum going as they prepare to face a proud Puma group that will be looking for revenge? As I said last week, complacency is a cancer.

The match will go ahead, notwithstanding the stupidity of members of the Argentinian squad crossing the border from the Gold Coast and now not being allowed back in until they undergo quarantine.

How should coach Rennie tweak the Wallaby game for the second Test against Argentina?

I would look at three simple things. Firstly, you never vary a winning game, so coach Rennie should ask the team to keep doing what they are doing inside the Pumas’ 22 area.

The Wallabies were very clinical in their attack close to the Puma try line. In the first half, Cooper put the ball in behind the defence line with a lovely attacking kick that resulted in a try.

Then, late in the game, O’Connor ran a terrific outside/inside play for the gifted Andrew Kellaway to score his second try.

I picked Kellaway in my Barbarians side a couple of years ago when barely anyone knew him.

He was something of a nervous wreck, lacking in confidence with seemingly no appreciation of the real talent that he exhibited as a schoolboy. He has now found that belief. He could be anything.

Secondly, Dave Rennie should ask his team to play with more width from set piece attack. Last week, the Wallabies focused on attacking the fringes around the set piece and Argentina will expect more of the same.

I would change it up and go wide early, looking to engage their fullback as the last defender in their backline.

Once he’s in the tackle, there will be plenty of space behind the line and Argentina will be playing without a sweeper.

Finally, we need to stop box kicking as we come out of our half. It’s bloody annoying to see international halfbacks paddling the ball with their hands in the ruck as they waste time setting up to box kick.

And whatever else might be said about a box kick, against the very best sides, it’s giving the ball back to the other team.

And as for this paddling with the ball in the ruck, apart from being illegal, it is negative play and we can do better than that.

Len Ikitau has a monster left boot and Reece Hodge has a “howitzer” right foot.

So why don’t we look to kick down the edges after a couple of passes when we have brought up their open side wingers. We don’t need to box kick and play AFL.

It would help if the English referees, who have been officiating the Rugby Championship fixtures, were a little less officious – maybe a lot less officious.

The young Pommy refs, Luke Pearce and Matthew Carley, clearly like seeing themselves on the big jumbo screens in Australian stadiums. We came to see the players, not them.

Looking forward to the next Rugby World Cup, the Wallabies need six world-class players in the team.

Right now, I believe we have three or four, so we need to find and grow two or three more.

In the front row, Taniela Tupou, I have been saying for months, is a freak and must play the full 80 minutes every week. When he does, the Wallabies could beat anyone.

In the second row, we have a lot of options, but we are still short of a world-class player.

In the back row, Michael Hooper is definitely world class; I’m a fan of his heart and his play and, as an open-side link man, there are none better.

In the halves, we are blessed to have Cooper and O’Connor. Both are world-class players with immense experience and they are both kicking goals superbly well.

In the mid-field, Samu Kerevi is among the best.

Thankfully we seem to be finding some sense in relation to the stupid Giteau’s Law. No matter where the players are, we should pick the best Australian players of all those available.

In the back three, we are searching for a world-class fullback. If Beale gets a call-up, that problem is solved.

Beale is only 32 years of age. He’s currently playing for the Racing Club in France, where the next World Cup will be held.

Remember the average age of England’s 2003 World Cup-winning team was 30.

We need to forget a player’s age and look at what they bring to the team in terms of experience and talent.

As the great basketball coach Phil Jackson says: “Wisdom is always an over-match for strength”.

So well done coach Rennie. The Wallabies finally have momentum and you need to keep pushing the group to think big.

Don’t forget your luck changed this season when you took the recommended chance on Cooper. Now it’s time to bring back Beale.