Tom Wright and Lachie Swinton to debut as Dave Rennie makes big changes to Wallabies
Wallabies coach Dave Rennie has brought Brumbies winger Tom Wright in to join fellow debutant Lachie Swinton for the fourth Test.
The pragmatist has surfaced in Dave Rennie as the Wallabies coach has sought to plug up the losses of his three most experienced backs by selecting utility Reece Hodge at five-eighth against the All Blacks in Bledisloe IV on Saturday, rather than giving Noah Lolesio a second chance.
In his three Tests to date, Rennie has consistently worked at rebuilding the Australian side, with every selection having medium or long-term implications for the Wallabies. But after the All Blacks last week inflicted their biggest win over Australia in the 117 years of trans-Tasman competition, he wanted a sure hand above all else pulling the levers at playmaker and opted for Hodge.
Aside from 34-Test halfback Nic White and 31-Test winger Marika Koroibete, Rennie has experience nowhere else in his backline, following the losses to injury of Matt To’omua, James O’Connor and Dane Haylett-Petty. Suddenly, 146 Tests worth of experience has been ripped from his back division and, had he stuck with last week’s debutants Lolesio and inside centre Irae Simone (neither of whom took their chances), it could have been to invite disaster.
Filipo Daugunu’s profligacy with the ball has cost him his starting spot, with Brumbies winger Tom Wright on debut to replace him. Three-Test rookie Hunter Paisami is starting in the midfield alongside Jordan Petaia (five Tests), while Tom Banks — an old hand with seven Tests to his credit — returns at fullback in place of Haylett-Petty.
Even Rennie admitted he was not entirely sure whether Hodge was up to running the Australian game. “I’ll tell you after Saturday,” he said somewhat hesitantly. “I know he wants to cement a (Test) spot and to be honest his preferred spot is 12 or 13 or 15, not winger, but he is very excited about playing 10. So maybe 10 (can become his long-term position.)”
Rennie admitted he had given thought to again putting his faith in Lolesio at 10, particularly now that a “breakdown in communication” had been worked out and the Brumbies youngster would in future defend predominantly in the front line.
“He has a really good skill set but that wasn’t sharp enough on the weekend,” he said. “He has responded really well and we did consider throwing him back in, but it is a very young group outside of Whitey so we have plugged it with Hodgey there.”
It is the first genuinely controversial selection of the Rennie era. Hodge has started only one of his 42 Tests at five-eighth — against Japan — and, while he has a prodigious boot and takes the ball to the line with assurance, these are also assets easily transferable to inside centre. Still, Rennie wanted to reward the reliable Paisami with a starting position and, with Petaia having a lock on the 13 jersey, that left only 12.
There are two problems there. Aside from replacing the injured To’omua at Eden Park, Paisami has not played inside centre this season, not for the Reds nor the Wallabies. Second, and perhaps more importantly, he is not a natural communicator.
Hodge will have his eyes glued to his halfback, White, which means Paisami has to be in his ear at all times, giving suggestions, pointing out possible holes in the defence. But while he has been told to “work on his comms”, players under the sort of pressure the All Blacks bring to bear tend to revert to type. And Paisami is by nature a quiet man.
If Wright is the ninth new Wallaby created by Rennie, then Lachie Swinton, the Waratahs flanker, is the eighth. He is the third player to fill the six jersey in four Tests, following Harry Wilson and Ned Hanigan, while Rob Valentini, Liam Wright and Fraser McReight all have had stints there off the bench. All have done moderately well without nailing the position, though Wilson was always going to end up as a number eight. And while Scott Fardy remains the perfect model of a modern Australian blindside flanker, he is now 36 and beyond a recall from the wilds of Leinster. So the search goes on for a number six.
Rennie does feel some remorse at consigning Hanigan to the bench, but he is hoping the “mad-dog element” that Swinton brings will make up for a certain roughness around the edges.
“Ned is a very good lineout forward, good athlete, carries well, good footwork and has a big engine,” he said. “Lachie has a bit more of an edge about him but not necessarily the skill set. We are pretty open-minded about that spot, but a combination of those two men at the moment would be world-class.”
The All Blacks will start their own debutant at blindside flanker, Akira Ioane, while having another three new caps among the reserves. But, as ever, all the newcomers come into a team heavily populated by veterans.
“I know the All Blacks have made a lot of changes but you look at their side and it’s pretty impressive,” Rennie said.
“We need a response. Last week wasn’t good enough. Expect to see that on Saturday.”
Wallabies: James Slipper, Brandon Paenga-Amosa, Allan Alaalatoa, Rob Simmons, Matt Philip, Lachie Swinton, Michael Hooper (c), Harry Wilson, Nic White, Reece Hodge, Marika Koroibete, Hunter Paisami, Jordan Petaia, Tom Wright, Tom Banks
Reserves: Folau Fainga’a, Angus Bell, Taniela Tupou, Ned Hanigan, Liam Wright, Tate McDermott, Noah Lolesio, Filipo Daugunu
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