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From the SMH of all places
Matt Hodgson should be leading a merry quintet of Western Force players into the Wallabies' first squad of the season when it is announced next week.
Hodgson, Ben McCalman, Nick Cummins, Nathan Charles and Angus Cottrell or Kyle Godwin, depending on how Ewen McKenzie splits the forwards and backs, are all well deserving of selection. There may be more than five, if McKenzie is feeling adventurous, but there should not be less, if there is justice in the world.
Last week's win over the Cheetahs in Bloemfontein should be enough to change the conversation about the Force's achievements this year. It was built on more than just a refusal to yield. There was quality there, in the handling, the execution, the accuracy. From the moment Dane Haylett-Petty flicked the ball inside to allow the clearing kick to be made, it was clear that there is confidence flowing through this side. The shame for Australian audiences is that, because of time differences, the grim win over the Bulls in Perth is probably fresher in the mind. Similarly, the Brumbies will get a chance to answer their (justified) critics this weekend against the free-flowing Cheetahs in South Africa.
If Hodgson is not the Australian Super Rugby player of the year, then he can take some consolation in losing out to someone of Michael Hooper's class. Doubts about Hodgson's size curtailed his opportunities under Robbie Deans, but he looks like a stronger player over the ball these days, certainly no less effective than Liam Gill, whose place must be under threat after a disrupted season. Hodgson leads the entire competition for turnovers won and what ball he hasn't stolen he has slowed down.
Hooker Charles looks like the best solution to a problem that isn't immediately apparent, but is only one injury away from being so. Behind Stephen Moore and Tatafu Polota-Nau, the cupboard is not exactly bursting. Polota-Nau is injury prone and Moore has barely been sidelined in two years of heavy attrition. I'm not sure which of those facts should be making McKenzie more nervous. Regardless, the third hooking spot has been so problematic that even Albert Anae was called into the squad last year. A better run with injuries for Charles this year has allowed him to build on the potential he showed in his earlier years.
Wags might say that a particular attribute McCalman has shown this year – cleaning up terrible ball at the base of the scrum – makes him the perfect choice of Wallabies No.8, but it is the power he has added to his game that has been most noticeable.
In round five against the Highlanders in Dunedin, he rumbled straight through Liam Coltman, one of the All Blacks' hopes at No.2. My only qualm with McCalman relates to acceleration, or lack of it, but of course the eyes can deceive. Until Sunday, Crusaders No.8 Luke Whitelock looked like a smart, strong player from solid stock. But after leaving Reds Will Genia and and JJ Taulagi choking on his fumes with one burst he suddenly looks like something different altogether.
Huge young Force second-rower Adam Coleman is being mentioned in the Wallabies-bolter category. I'm not sure he has done enough to force his way in just yet. Rebel Cadeyrn Neville was another who went through the cursed process of being anointed too early, and is just coming out the other side.
There'll be a lot of continuity in McKenzie's squad, and it is something the playing group understands as important. But there has to be rewards for the high performers, too. It is a crucial tool for keeping the incumbents on edge and the candidates keen and, as is important these days, in Australia. As the old saying goes, you use it or you lose it.
Read more: http://www.smh.com.au/rugby-union/un...#ixzz31q076GhO
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Originally Posted by SNOB
