IIt is time for Rugby Australia to bite the ball and qualify all overseas players for the Wallabies. The record defeat of 43-5 to the All Blacks in Sydney on Saturday was a compelling argument that Australia cannot continue its current domestic selection policy and is hoping to win the Bledisloe Cup again.
It is clear that new Wallabies coach Dave Rennie does not have enough talent in the domestic pool and has to bring back star players from Europe and Japan to strengthen the local contingent.
The All Blacks have been hosting the Bledisloe Cup for 18 years in a row. The record of the Kiwis between 1951 and 1978 is 28 years – although the cup was only contested twelve times during this time. If RA does nothing to stop the rot, the prospect of the All Blacks breaking their own record is not beyond the reach.
When the Golden Wallabies won the Bledisloe Cup five years in a row from 1998 to 2002, coaches Rod Macqueen and Eddie Jones had access to all of Australia’s leading players. The only notable faces missing during this period were the great pairing of Tim Horan and Jason Little, even though they were near the end of their careers.
Since then, the overseas exodus has increased dramatically and shows no signs of subsiding. The Wallabies would be a much stronger team with the likes of Rory Arnold, Adam Coleman, Samu Kerevi, Sean McMahon and Will Skelton.
Rugby Australia has been pursuing an open slather policy since the Giteau Act was introduced in 2015. This year Rennie was allowed to select two overseas resident players who were not eligible under this rule, but only second rowers. Arnold was supposed to come, but he was injured.
Whether it’s open to everyone or just a few, local stars playing overseas need to know if and when they are eligible for the wallabies – not just if it’s appropriate for the selection. RA can just as easily go broke. This policy worked for the Springboks who won the 2019 World Cup in Japan with players from abroad.
An open door policy could potentially harm Super Rugby if it encourages players to go overseas. The players leave anyway. Super rugby is important, but the wallabies are the rainmakers. If they keep fighting the Australian game will be in big trouble.
In any case, it won’t really matter who plays for Rennie’s side until Australian rugby changes its attitude towards the game, especially the All Blacks.
When Macqueen trained the wallabies, he followed the strategies of the Chinese General Sun Tzu, which can be found in his treatise The Art of War. One of Tzu’s principles was to know your enemy. After 18 years, the Wallabies don’t seem the smarter way to scare off the New Zealand national team.
At halftime on Saturday, when the All Blacks took a 26-0 lead, Wallabies center-back Nic White made the following comment in a television interview: “No disrespect, but they haven’t done much. It was just all of our mistakes. We gave them points. We make too many simple mistakes. “
In fact, the All Blacks did exactly what they intended. Fifth and eighth Richie Mo’unga stated after the game that part of their schedule was taking advantage of the wallabies’ mistakes. That’s how they play. You have been doing this for 18 years. When will Australia wake up?
The performance of the All Blacks was a masterclass in rainy weather soccer that dominated possession and territory, forcing their opponents to make costly mistakes. Some of the wallabies’ wounds have been self-inflicted by panic and aimless kicking, but that is the effect of relentless pressure.
The home team produced 20 minutes of good rugby in the third quarter, nowhere near enough to disturb a decent team. Now a discouraged group has to pick up on Saturday evening in Brisbane for the dead rubber.
While Rennie can’t possibly stay with a team that has suffered such a humiliating defeat, there is also no point in throwing the baby out with the bathwater.
Signs are that James O’Connor will return from injury to start at eight eight, but rookie playmaker Noah Lolesio, who made a mixed test debut in difficult circumstances, will have to stay on the squad to move up to 10th place report and continue its development.
The fourth Bledisloe could be an opportunity to give some other young players such as Will Harrison and Angus Bell a taste.
The unfavorable rear rowers Isi Naisarani and Pete Samu as well as the Tevita Kuridrani center should be included in the calculations. It was also hard to understand why Jack Dempsey was playing for Gordon in the Sydney Grand Final and not with the Wallabies roster.
There is only one way for RAs to justify their refusal to select more overseas based players. The wallabies have to start winning again and are unable to do so with what they have.
