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Dave Rennie will have a hard time separating potential candidates for Wallabies roles

(Photo by Mark Evans/Getty Images)

Who’d be a first-time international rugby coach under the cloud of the coronavirus?

Naming his maiden Wallabies team has turned into a devilish task for Dave Rennie, who quite likely will have to base his selection off just seven rounds of Super Rugby evidence.

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In the latest episode of The Academy, Brisbane Boys’ pre-season comes to a punishing conclusion:

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The chances of a Super Rugby resumption and even of home Tests against Ireland and Fiji in July going ahead are looking increasingly bleak, while the game’s financial foundations have a sickly appearance.

It’s to that backdrop that Glasgow-based Rennie must bunker down and contemplate the form of the four Australian teams and assess the merits of a promising batch of rookie players if and when the 2020 Test season commences.

Rennie’s choices at five-eighth and loose forward will determine whether he’s leaning towards new blood or wanting to open his tenure with proven performers.

At playmaker, veterans Matt To’omua and James O’Connor had warmed to their task at No.10 for the Melbourne Rebels and Queensland Reds respectively.

Both 52-Test utilities have rarely played five-eighth for their country but could be seen as more reliable candidates than Will Harrison (Waratahs) and Noah Lolesio (Brumbies) who have shown encouraging levels of composure in their maiden campaigns.

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The two youngsters are among a clutch of last year’s impressive Junior Wallabies alumni who will have turned Rennie’s head.

At the front of that group is Queensland Reds No.8 Harry Wilson, who has barged the door down with his attacking skills and work rate.

Unfortunately for the 20-year-old, Rebels back-rower Isi Naisarani has taken his 2019 form to another level while Pete Samu has been a weapon at the base of the Brumbies scrum, unleashing his frustration at missing World Cup selection last year.

Rob Valetini has been a Brumbies powerhouse while fellow-youngster Liam Wright has shone as Reds skipper on the openside flank, applying some serious heat to the selection of Wallabies skipper Michael Hooper, whose cause wasn’t helped by the Waratahs’ abysmal start to the season.

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Rennie has forward depth in some positions – Allan Alaalatoa and Taniela Tupou are two of the world’s foremost tighthead props – but not in others.

Replacing departed lock Rory Arnold could be a challenge although Matt Philip (Rebels) and Cadeyrn Neville have put their hands up, the latter a physical presence for the Australian Conference-leading Brumbies.

https://www.instagram.com/p/B-OLqhJAJG3/

Other Brumbies to mount their case in the backline are fullback Tom Banks and uncapped inside centre Irae Simone, while established Test star Kurtley Beale has failed to really impose himself for the Waratahs.

Jordan Petaia’s season-ending injury was a major blow given a lack of depth out wide, although the Rebels have a clutch of outside backs in decent form.

That includes speedy winger Andrew Kellaway, whose seven tries in six games may leave him standing as the leading try-scorer in the shortest Super Rugby season on record.

POSSIBLE WALLABIES XV: Tom Banks, Dane Haylett-Petty, Tevita Kuridrani, James O’Connor, Marika Koroibete, Matt To’omua, Nic White, Harry Wilson, Michael Hooper, Isi Naisarani, Izack Rodda, Cadeyrn Neville, Allan Alaalatoa, Folau Fainga’a, James Slipper.

– AAP

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Flankly 2 hours ago
'Absolute madness': Clive Woodward rips into Borthwick in wake of NZ loss

Borthwick is supposed to be the archetypical conservative coach, the guy that might not deliver a sparkling, high-risk attacking style, but whose teams execute the basics flawlessly. And that's OK, because it can be really hard to beat teams that are rock solid and consistent in the rugby equivalent of "blocking and tackling".


But this is why the performance against NZ is hard to defend. You can forgive a conservative, back-to-basics team for failing to score tons of tries, because teams like that make up for it with reliability in the simple things. They can defend well, apply territorial pressure, win the set piece battles, and take their scoring chances with metronomic goal kicking, maul tries and pick-and-go goal line attacks.


The reason why the English rugby administrators should be on high alert is not that the English team looked unable to score tries, but that they were repeatedly unable to close out a game by executing basic, coachable skills. Regardless of how they got to the point of being in control of their destiny, they did get to that point. All that was needed was to be world class at things that require more training than talent. But that training was apparently missing, and the finger has to point at the coach.


Borthwick has been in the job for nearly two years, a period that includes two 6N programs and an RWC campaign. So where are the solid foundations that he has been building?

4 Go to comments
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