Connolly faces selection dilemma
Perhaps a timely spot to begin talking about your "Form XV's" for Wallaby selection as we start to wind out the Super 14 season?
Rayner puts some pretty good arguments forward for the majority of his selections.
Who would you select to play for Australia?
Whack on your armchair selectors cap and get thinking!
Please list them in the traditional (and TWF endorsed) manner of 1-22 down the page.
If you feel the urge then round out your 33 Man squad and add any notes you feel warranted as well.
I will list Rayners as an example and do my own later on in a seperate post.
Rayners Wallabies:
1. Gareth Hardy
2. Jeremy Paul
3. Guy Shepherdson
4. Daniel Vickerman
5. Daniel Heenan
6. Hugh McMeniman
7. George Smith
8. David Lyons
9. George Gregan
10. Stephen Larkham
11. Clyde Rathbone
12. Matt Giteau
13. Stirling Mortlock
14. Lote Tuqiri
15. Mark Gerrard
16. Al Baxter
17. Adam Freier
18. From- Nathan Sharpe, Alex Kanaar, Mark Chisholm and Rocky Elsom
19. Phil Waugh
20. Sam Cordingley
21. Mat Rogers
22. Scott Staniforth
Connolly faces selection dilemma
By Michael Rayner
Wallaby Forward Pack
Choosing a Wallaby pack in the wake of the maulings it endured last year is much harder for coach John Connolly and his co-selectors than choosing the backline.
Perhaps only Dan Vickerman and George Smith would be regarded as certainties but, even more than the backs, we need to assemble an integrated combination rather than a pack of individuals.
Based on what I've seen to date in the Super 14 series, my pack would be Gareth Hardy, Jeremy Paul, Guy Shepherdson, Vickerman, Daniel Heenan, Hugh McMeniman, Smith and David Lyons.
My bench would include Al Baxter, Adam Freier and Phil Waugh, although I have no idea who to choose as reserve lock from Nathan Sharpe, Alex Kanaar and Mark Chisholm, or whether Rocky Elsom should cover the bench position given McMeniman's inclusion.
Probably the most controversial choice is Paul to start with and Freier to come on. While Freier has been the form hooker this season and is a better thrower than Paul, I still believe at Test level Paul's incredible ability to position himself to take inside passes or pounce upon spilt balls puts him in another class. Perhaps, unusual as it may be, we should try a prop out as line-out thrower.
Hardy and Shepherdson look to me to have superior scrum skills to Al Baxter, Matt Dunning, David Fitter and the much-vaunted Rodney Blake at this stage, but I admit I'm no expert here.
Vickerman's partner will be an equally vital choice and I'm choosing Heenan at present for his aggression which I don't see in Sharpe, Chisholm or Kanaar.
In the back row, I'm returning Lyons to number eight because he is the most consistent in getting over the advantage line, just ahead of John Roe. McMeniman is there because he is aggressive and a third jumper, but only just ahead of Elsom and Stephen Hoiles.
As has been said, Connolly will not put Smith and Waugh on the field at the same time. Smith gets the starting nod because of his superior attacking skills, but Waugh is still essential as a scavenger off the bench.
Wallaby backline
Connolly's task of selecting and preparing the right backline to tackle the World Cup is fraught with complexity.
He has a glut of talent in the backs to choose from, but the trick will be to work out whether to go for those most individually brilliant or those who will create the best combination.
For example, he could not do much better than to pick the entire Brumbies backline as all are in-form and all are Wallabies of stature - George Gregan, Stephen Larkham, Matt Giteau, Stirling Mortlock, Clyde Rathbone and Mark Gerrard.
As great as this line-up appears, it would mean a provincial backline acting as a Test backline.
The Waratahs have a number of back who must also come into consideration, in particular Mat Rogers, Lote Tuqiri, Morgan Turinui and Wendell Sailor. The Force's best chances are Scott Staniforth and Cameron Shepherd, while Reds players Chris Latham, Drew Mitchell and Sam Cordingley all have claims.
As if sorting things from that oversupply is not difficult enough, there are other interesting possibilities like the surprise 'bolter' Gavin DeBartolo from the Force, the mercurial and near faultless goalkicker Peter Hewat from the Waratahs, and Ben Tune and Berrick Barnes from the Reds.
Assuming there are 10 backs in the 22 to make up the Test team, I would make the following choices.
The first pick halves combination should be Gregan and Larkham. Larkham proved against the Cheetahs on Saturday that there has possibly never been a better match-winning fly half. Gregan has heeded the warning that unless he regains unpredictability by running for the ball his days are over. He is again our best half-back.
I like the idea that Cordingley and Rogers provide a bench combination to alternate with Gregan and Larkham. It has the added benefit of Rogers covering full-back and wing if needed.
Giteau seems to have a mortgage on the position of inside centre as there are few others to choose from. Turinui is a reliable back-up but has been playing outside centre. I would opt for Staniforth, who has proven to be the Force's most aggressive back and he can cover wing and possibly outside centre too.
Outside centre is the hardest choice as Mortlock and Tuqiri are arguably the world's best in that position. I would at present retain Mortlock for his classic timing ability to crash through, thus putting Tuqiri back onto the wing.
However I would love to see Tuqiri tried at full-back, where he has time to wind up and opportunity to link in from across the field. In fact, what I would do is treat Gerrard and Tuqiri as a wing-full-back combination, able to switch positions in attack or set up for Larkham's targeted bombs.
The other winger would be Rathbone, whose matched strength and speed put him a touch ahead of Mitchell.
So as difficult as it is to omit some classy stalwarts, my first team would comprise Gregan, Larkham, Giteau, Mortlock, Rathbone, Tuqiri and Gerrard, with Cordingley, Rogers and Staniforth on the bench.
This leaves out the likes of Latham and Mitchell, who I regard as too hot and cold, although they would be next choices after injury. Sailor is not there because I do not believe he has ever fully adapted to rugby, although his performances are occasionally sensational.
I would love to have Tune around because whenever he takes the ball for Queensland there is an obvious rise in class, but unfortunately he is up against Mortlock and Tuqiri.
Hewat would also be great on the bench should Giteau or Mortlock have off days with the boot, but he would need to displace either Gerrard, Rathbone or Staniforth, who are all in a class of their own.
I doubt that Barnes could evolve in less than a year to challenge Rogers at fly half. Turinui is the obvious challenger for Staniforth's bench position but lacks his aggressive impact.
Lloyd Johansson has often been described as a penetrating runner, but I have never seen anyone so incapable of holding onto the ball or unloading it accurately. I would not have him even close to being chosen.
If there is a problem, it is what to do if either Cordingley or Giteau are injured. The next best half-back is probably still Chris Whitaker since Matt Henjak has been lacklustre for the Force to date.
However neither choice sets the heart racing. Staniforth is untried as a Test inside centre while we know Turinui could cover the job more than adequately.
Perhaps, as Eddie Jones found, injury will make the choices for Connolly. If that is not the case, the benefits of having a largely proven Brumbies combination and of alternating pairings at half/fly half and wing/full-back make, in my view, for a magical Wallabies backline.
