Wallabies tour: Multinational challenge facing Cheika’s men

The magic of rugby comes from its internationalism and the challenge of this Grand Slam tour reflects just that.

England, Ireland, Scotland, Wales (and France). They may be ­brothers in the atlas but barely cousins in playing style and culture as each nation brings its own subtle yet distinct differences to bear.

Five weeks, five countries, five unique Tests. Much of the magic of rugby comes from its internationalism and the challenge of the mother of all Grand Slams reflects just that. In fact, if you follow the Wallabies’ itinerary from their Test against the Springboks in Pretoria recently and run through to the Test against Italy in June 2017, they will play 11 Tests against 10 different countries, with the only double being Scotland. A decidedly different proposition to playing six in a row against the All Blacks and England.

Leaving the All Blacks out of it for the minute, however, as they are a team apart, the closeness of the competition between the best of the rest ensures each of these Tests will be so evenly contested, threatening to sway on even the most innocuous of moments.

Victory against all five in one tour has never been achieved. In fact, it has never been attempted, so history is in the offing. For the ambitious, the seduction of such a possibility is a restless tease as one eye wanders to that which you wish to record, while the other remains loyal to the mantra of the professional sporting calendar, counting, as it does, but one week at a time. Lose the first Test, however, and the glow of the Grand Slam will be gone and the histor­ians’ pens idle at their sides.

So Michael Cheika must allow no thoughts beyond the cunning and powerful Welsh side they seek to overcome tomorrow morning, as you can be sure it will be a tough opener. The spectre of the Wallabies’ run of 11 straight victories against the Welsh, hardly one by more than a seven-pointer, may play its part in the battle of the ­psyche but it won’t bring victory on its own. The Welsh perform­ances in New Zealand in June, particularly evidenced in their first two Test matches, are a more ominous portent to alert the ­Wallabies’ guard.

Regular contests with the All Blacks provide great preparation for the Wallabies as well, however, as the Welsh share some similarities with the world champions, especially in their capacity for continuity and their desire to load and then reload their big, hard running backs.

It was just those men in red, also under the tutelage of Warren Gatland, who stole the Lions series so emphatically from Australia in the third Test. Jamie Roberts, George North, Alex Cuthbert and Jonathan Davies are all players requiring 80 minutes of attention.

Australia must counter and they have gambled in their selection, especially with their shortish and not lineout-laden backrow. This is a serious risk as rugby hasn’t the habit of rewarding teams for gambling with the core tenets of the game.

Tight Tests tip on the smallest of moments, I hope that moment doesn’t ensue in a crucial lineout. That’s not to undermine the chosen three as David Pocock and Michael Hooper can perform together, we know that, and ­Lopeti Timani has form, but Stephen Moore’s precision and the nous in Adam Coleman’s calls are now vital to compensate for a compromised lineout.

Around the ground, though, the balance feels good as I suspect the numbers on their back may be just that, numbers. Hooper, ­wearing 7, in many ways bears the habits of a No 6 which bal­ances Pocock, donning 6, in his more traditional 7 game. And with building consistency, Timani can be a long-term solution at 8.

The start of the match is critical for the Wallabies. Scott Sio has spoken of the importance of the first scrum. He could also have spoken of the first tackle, the first lineout, the first contact. Because this year the Wallabies have not generally been fast starters.

When teams are so closely matched physically and tactically then psychology can dictate the outcome and a fast start will raise Welsh doubts. Doubts that may quickly become mortal in the absence of talismanic team leaders Sam Warburton and Alun Wyn Jones.

A fast start can feed a sense of perceived control and, as Ellen Langer, a professor of psychology at Harvard University noted recently in a New York Times article, perceived control diminishes stress and promotes wellbeing.

It’s not too much of a stretch then to believe that it also provides clear headspace and confidence. So, who can the Welsh turn to then when the screws themselves turn? If someone steps up to ­answer that call, they will be hard to toss.

Come next June the Wallabies will have a yardstick against the top 10 rugby nations but come Sunday they’ll know whether they are on a Grand Slam tour or a tour of the northern hemisphere.