Pre-tournament, Michael Cheika said he would adopt a horses-for-courses selection policy at this World Cup, but for the Wallabies’ crunch Pool D game against Wales in Tokyo, he backed the wrong horse. The coach’s master-plan fell apart and perhaps it is time to look at Plan B.
Wallabies selectors made four changes to the starting team that beat Fiji 39-21 in their opening game in Sapporo last Sunday, all in the backline. Cheika flipped his halves combination, replacing Nic White and Christian Lealiifano with Will Genia and Bernard Foley for the Wales game. Dane Haylett-Petty also displaced Kurtley Beale at fullback, while Adam Ashley-Cooper took over from the suspended Reece Hodge.
With the exception of Ashley-Cooper for Hodge, it seemed the changes were pre-planned rather than based on form. Foley did not play against Fiji, not even off the bench. But without any form as a guide Foley started in a crucial playmaking position in a game that may well have determined the Wallabies’ fate at this tournament.
If the selection had been made on form alone Matt Toomua would have started against Wales after playing so strongly off the bench against Fiji, an effort he repeated in the Wallabies’ heart-breaking 29-25 loss. But the decision to flip the halves backfired on the Wallabies, who lacked cohesion in the first-half and allowed Wales to build a commanding 23-8 lead.
As they promised, the Welsh targeted Foley, who was guilty of throwing some wild passes under pressure, adding to the general confusion in the Wallabies’ attack as the handling errors which have bedevilled this team for the last four years continued to plague them. He was hooked in just the fourth minute of the second half, a tacit admission that the selection was wrong.
Toomua came on and made an immediate impact, making a break and then having a second involvement in a movement that led to Haylett-Petty’s try in the 45th minute. It put the Wallabies back in the game. White made a belated entrance in the 52nd minute when he replaced a tiring Genia, who had thrown a long pass that was intercepted by Wales halfback Gareth Davies and led to a decisive try just before half-time.
The Wallabies won the second half 17-6, which was no mean feat against the Six Nations champions and served as a reminder of the great things this team is capable of, but the selections have to be spot on –particularly at five-eighth, which has been Australia’s problem position for over a year.
Australia are still in this tournament, but they must now take the more difficult road through the knockout stage. Assuming the Wallabies defeat minnows Uruguay and Georgia in their remaining Pool D games, they are likely to meet England in a quarter-final. After slow starts against both Fiji and Wales, the Wallabies must figure out how to play as well at the start of the game as they have at the end. They cannot afford to give a team as strong as England such a big head-start.
Toomua has to come under serious consideration to start in the quarter-final. He has played better than both Lealiifano and Foley, albeit coming off the bench. He may not have the silky passing skills of that pair but he runs hard and strong at the defensive line and is a solid defender. He is also a good goal-kicker. That said, Toomua’s performance against Wales was not without blemish, and he failed to put a penalty kick into touch at a critical moment in the 76th minute.
What was Cheika’s plan for the Uruguay and Georgia games? Probably to give squad members a run who have not had much, if any, game-time. The Wallabies fielded the same starting forward pack against Fiji and Wales so there is scope to rest some key forwards against Uruguay and Georgia. But Cheika must now use their remaining pool games to sort out the halves combination. Giving White and Toomua, who played a lot together at the Brumbies in Super Rugby, more time together would be a good start.
Clearly, a lot of thought and pre-planning has gone into the Wallabies’ World Cup campaign, but from here onwards, form must be the main criteria for selection.