Reece Hodge case provides unwanted World Cup distraction for Wallabies | Bret Harris

Australia will miss Reece Hodge in more ways than one following his three-week suspension for a dangerously high tackle on Fijian flanker Peceli Yato. The Wallabies will be denied one of their first-choice wingers for three World Cup pool games, starting with their crucial match against Wales at the weekend, when his absence will likely be felt both physically and mentally.

Hodge should not be needed in the following pool games against Uruguay and Georgia, but Sunday’s match with the Six Nations champions may come to define the Wallabies’ tournament.

There is an argument Hodge would not be missed as much as, say, giant second-rower Rory Arnold or powerful inside-centre Samu Kerevi – both key players who are regarded as central to Australia’s game. But Hodge is a utility player with many strings to his bow. He may not possess the x-factor of star fullback Kurtley Beale or fellow winger Marika Koroiebete, but he is a good, solid finisher who will find the try-line if given space.

Hodge is also a dependable defender; a few phases before he illegally stopped Yato, Fijji’s most dangerous ball-runner, in his tracks, he grounded the same player with a perfect copybook tackle around the legs. But his real point of difference as a winger is his kicking, both out of hand and for goal. Wales will play for field position and were Hodge on the pitch, his powerful boot could have returned to sender, belting the ball back 50 to 60 metres up-field.

He used his kicking to great effect against Fiji. It was Hodge’s enormous kicks for touch from penalties which put the Wallabies in position for hooker Tolu Latu to score two tries from rolling mauls off five-metre lineouts. And he can kick penalty goals from beyond the halfway mark – indeed he is more accurate from long range than he is from short range. Beale is also capable of booting the ball a fair distance, but Hodge is a specialist in this area. In a tight game that could be critical.

Hodge’s likely replacement is Dane Haylett-Petty, more a fullback than a winger, but very reliable under the high ball. If Wales launch an aerial assault against the Wallabies as expected, it will be handy to have someone like Haylett-Petty in the back three. There was an argument to be made to have him in the run-on side even of Hodge had been available.

Coach Michael Cheika may prefer veteran outside-back Adam Ashley-Cooper, whose defensive heroics helped Australia beat Wales in their pool game in the 2015 World Cup. But whoever the Wallabies decide to go with, Hodge was meant to be playing the game that may determine his side’s World Cup campaign. And that will weigh heavily on the Australians’ minds.

It is not just the loss of a first-choice player that will potentially hurt the Wallabies, but the mentally draining experience of going through the judiciary process. Cheika should have been fully focused on preparing the Wallabies for Wales. Instead, he has been distracted by the time-consuming Hodge drama and that has the potential to have an adverse effect not just on the coach, but on the whole team.

It will be interesting to see how Cheika handles the situation. He was adamant Hodge had no case to answer and accused Fiji of not acting in the spirit of the game when they cited the winger. Cheika will be looking for some kind of edge that will benefit the Wallabies and there is the possibility he will try to create an old-fashioned siege mentality heading into the Wales game. Us against them. Motivational fuel.

But the suspension of Hodge has put every player on notice that dangerous tackles, particularly contact to the head, will not be tolerated. Coaches and players should have been alive to that before the World Cup even started. There has been a big clamp-down on attacks to the head and World Rugby will certainly not want to see that kind of foul play, deliberate or accidental, in the global showpiece event.

There has been a lot of criticism of the refereeing so far in the tournament. It is puzzling that it was left to Fiji to cite Hodge, who escaped sanction during the game, but now that the incident has been dealt with so firmly, there should be no doubt in anyone’s mind that referees will have a renewed focus on head-high tackles and that’s a lesson every team should heed, including the Wallabies.

source: theguardian.com