Deans's Test dilemma: form or reputation

[travelling_gerry]

Deans's Test dilemma: form or reputation

GREG GROWDEN

April 27, 2010

• Comments 2
• Vote

Sure thing . . . Will Genia's form for club and country means he will retain the Wallabies' No.9 spot. Photo: Getty Images

FOR Wallabies coach Robbie Deans a huge question is looming. Does he pick his first Test team in June on form or reputation?
If form is the prime guide, then Deans will find himself in the difficult position of deciding whether his captain Rocky Elsom, chief playmaker Matt Giteau and his other key go-to man Berrick Barnes are worthy of holding their Test spots. He would also have to ignore his fervent youth policy by selecting the Wallabies' oldest second-rower Nathan Sharpe, who has been easily the best Australian lock this season.
Luckily for Deans there is still a month to go for several players to lift their levels of performance, but if not he will find himself in a precarious position, and will have to make some brutal decisions that will affect the balance and direction of the Australian team.
On form, Deans would have to base his Test line-up around the Queensland Reds, who have excelled all over the park, and a sprinkling of Force players. Some have been saying just make the Reds XV the Test XV, and that is far from ridiculous.
The standouts have been their half combination of Will Genia and Quade Cooper, which have played several levels above every other Australian No.9-10 pairing this season.
As long as they continue in the same vein, no one will topple them as the Wallabies halves combination. This will turn the No.12 spot into a tussle between Barnes and Giteau, who before this season were assumed to be the Test 10-12 pairing going into next year's World Cup, with Cooper as their back-up. Now that pecking order has been seriously threatened.
Barnes has not been helped by being switched from five-eighth to inside-centre, while the often stifling Waratahs game plan has appeared to unsettle him. But the past few weeks, Barnes has looked far more assured, and on Saturday night was a crucial reason for the Waratahs' success, being one of the few on the field who was relaxed under pressure. It was deserving of the man-of-the-match award, just ahead of the Brumbies' Adam Ashley-Cooper.
In Giteau's case, his fluctuating performances are not entirely his own fault. His form has gradually improved, but against the Waratahs, Giteau's effort was ruined by poor performances all around him. Giteau attempted to revitalise the Brumbies play, but no one nearby could help him. Instead, several appeared at a loss in knowing what to do next, as Giteau tried to spark them with charges at the line or tight passes. Giteau, whose Test claims are boosted because of his goalkicking prowess, wasn't at fault. It was others in the Brumbies' back line who appeared out of their depth.
The Brumbies are playing like a team without a heart - not surprising considering their dilemmas, including a recent disagreement at training between Elsom and coach Andy Friend, which has since been resolved. There have also been off-field dramas involving Brumbies staff, further destabilising the team.
Maybe that's why Elsom was again quiet on Saturday night, and if the Test team had to be picked today it would be hard for him to be chosen ahead of Queensland's Scott Higginbotham, who has been a consistent performer at blindside breakaway.
The great unknown is who will be the outside-centre, and it will revolve around whether Rob Horne can overcome his hamstring problems. If not, Will Chambers is a worthy option. The other key concern is who will be back-up to Genia.




If a form team was picked today: Peter Hynes; Digby Ioane, Will Chambers or Rob Horne, Matt Giteau, Drew Mitchell; Quade Cooper, Will Genia; Richard Brown or Leroy Houston, David Pocock, Scott Higginbotham, Nathan Sharpe, Dean Mumm, Ben Alexander, Tatafu Polota-Nau, Benn Robinson.




http://www.smh.com.au/rugby-union/un...0426-tndv.html

[Swee_82]

Form.

Crisis Over.

[Sheikh]

If it's form, then Hodgo gets picked for 6 and Higginbotham can play 8 (or maybe do a McCalman and move to 4).

But who gets picked at hooker: Polota-Nau, Whittaker or Charles?

[zimeric]

Polota-Nau on Form but will his injury have any effect on that?
Charles wont have any hope as he is well back in the pecking order.

Im interested in Why Digby hasnt been discussed as the 13 option alongside AAC or Mortlock, they have another big tussle there.

Fullback we have
Huxley,O'Connor, AAC, Hynes, Mitchell, Sheperd on form id take AAC, but Hynes has been solid this year and Huxley & Sheps have pedigree.

Wings we have;
Mitchell, Sheperd, Hynes, Cullett, Turner and Davies, all of which can provide different styles of play out wide... I like the look of Davies though, he is hell fast!! and its been years since we've had a geniune speedster on the wing.

[Burgs]

1. Benn Robinson
2. Tatafu Polota-Nau
3. Ben Alexander
4. Rocky Elsom
5. Nathan Sharpe (C)
6. Matt Hodgson
7. David Pocock
8. Scott Higginbotham

9. Will Genia
10. Quade Cooper
11. Drew Mitchell
12. Matt Giteau
13. Rob Horne
14. Digby Ioane
15. Adam Ashley-Cooper

16. Ben Whittaker
17. Ben Daley
18. Tom Hockings
19. Richard Brown
20. Brett Sheehan
21. James O'Connor
22. Peter Hynes

[BDAVEY]

1. Benn Robinson
2. Tatafu Polota-Nau
3. Ben Alexander
4. Rocky Elsom
5. Nathan Sharpe (C)
6. Matt Hodgson
7. David Pocock
8. Scott Higginbotham

9. Will Genia
10. Quade Cooper
11. Drew Mitchell
12. Matt Giteau
13. Rob Horne
14. Digby Ioane
15. Adam Ashley-Cooper

16. Ben Whittaker
17. Ben Daley
18. Tom Hockings
19. Richard Brown
20. Brett Sheehan
21. James O'Connor
22. Peter Hynes

shit thats a great team Burgs I cant fault that...... no room for Barnes (reserves)

[jono]

form. and i dont care if we go badly for the first half of the international season. find the right mix, and train the hell out of it for next year!

[force addict]

umm... form. obviously.
you cant pick say.. giteau because of what he has been capable of in the past, because clearly right now the better #10 is cooper. it makes sense to have better players in form!!

[Burgs]

No guarantees for any Wallabies: Deans

DARREN WALTON
April 27, 2010 - 7:24PM

AAP

Robbie Deans is once again offering no guarantees in 2010, with the Wallabies coach on Tuesday admitting even Rocky Elsom's captaincy is under review.

"Nothing is forever," Deans told AAP as the countdown begins to the domestic Test season.

Elsom, who led the Wallabies on the five-Test spring tour of Japan and the UK last November, has been unusually quiet since joining the Brumbies for this year's Super 14.

Former Wallabies coach Eddie Jones is leading a push for Queensland's match-winning skipper Will Genia to take over as Test captain and Deans conceded the little halfback marvel certainly has credentials.

"He's shown he's a natural leader," he said of the 11-Test Genia.

"The good thing is we've got a lot of leadership development and that's what we need because no one man can carry a group.

"A group can carry a man, not the other way around.

"They're all decisions we're going to make over the next month, but I haven't been prone to ducking and diving (in the past).

"We put a lot of time into all of our decisions. None of them will be made lightly."

Including the selection of the Wallabies midfield.

Deans is spoilt for choice, with classy playmakers Matt Giteau, Quade Cooper and Berrick Barnes vying for the five-eighth and inside centre roles.

Cooper has been in scintillating form for Queensland, his deadly halves combination with Genia driving the Reds' unexpected finals charge, and most are tipping he will win the Wallabies' No.10 jumper.

That may prove the case but Deans acknowledged Giteau - who was five-eighth and man of the match in Australia's season-ending Test demolition of Wales in Cardiff - had also excelled while being serviced by Genia.

"There's a lot of things that we'll consider in settling on a group but every player's context is different," Deans said.

"So we'll consider both elements - what the individual brings to the table, but also what he offers the team beyond his own individual talents.

"Obviously some players get the benefit of good teamwork, but what we'll consider is how much did they contribute to that because that's the critical ingredient in what is the ultimate team game."

A 40-man Wallabies squad for the Tests against Fiji, England and Ireland plus two mid-week fixtures against the Barbarians will be named as soon as the last Australian team is eliminated from the Super 14.

Beyond that, Deans said the onus was on every player to perform or face demotion from the Test 22.

"There will be movement and, as we've shown in the past, we'll continue to observe what players do," said Deans, who has only named the same starting XV for back-to-back matches twice during his 28-Test tenure.

"When we get underway, we'll continue to respond to what we see."

New Zealand bookmakers on Tuesday installed the Wallabies second favourites for next year's World Cup behind the hosting All Blacks and Deans said he was happy with Australia's progress.

"We've got a queue of people who are putting their hands up and saying 'give me a go, I want to have a crack' and that's great," he said.

"It's great to have depth. We can work with that."

Deans also had encouraging words for Test veterans Phil Waugh and Al Baxter, whose international careers appeared over when they were omitted from the spring tour.

[pieter blackie]

1. Benn Robinson
2. Tatafu Polota-Nau
3. Ben Alexander
4. Rocky Elsom
5. Nathan Sharpe (C)
6. Matt Hodgson
7. David Pocock
8. Scott Higginbotham

9. Will Genia
10. Quade Cooper
11. Drew Mitchell
12. Matt Giteau
13. Rob Horne
14. Digby Ioane
15. Adam Ashley-Cooper

16. Ben Whittaker
17. Ben Daley
18. Tom Hockings
19. Richard Brown
20. Brett Sheehan
21. James O'Connor
22. Peter Hynes

Just drop gits out there and play Barnes He is much more conservative and does not have his own agenda

---------- Post added at 21:40 ---------- Previous post was at 21:39 ----------

Oh and Elsom will play because he is captain

[GIGS20]

Considering the first test is against Fiji, I'd give Rabbit or Anthony Faingaa a shot at 12 with Gits on the bench. It'll ram a rocket up Gits, give the young boys a chance to show their wares and wouldn't put anything important at risk.

It would also be a good opportuinty to get some of the other questions answered, Houston v Brown for #8 Higginbotham v Hodgson for #6 Ashley Cooper v Rabbit v Hynes v Shep for #15 The whole 'who plays our second lock' question Give some guys 1/2 a game each!

TPN and Moore will probably duke it out for Hooker, but expect to see Whittaker, and Fitzy both in the training squad.

[Burgs]

Yeah, if it was me I would play Anthony Faingaa as I said somewhere earlier in the week Gigs. My team above is a bit of a composite of what I believe will and what should happen. Probably should have made two lists to cover both extremes...