Staniforth centre option
By Wayne Smith
November 21, 2006 THE on-off Test career of Western Force midfield player Scott Staniforth is set to be dramatically switched on again.
Staniforth is a new centre option for Australia after the 21-6 shutout by Ireland at Lansdowne Road.
In strictly pragmatic terms, not a whole lot went right for the Wallabies in Dublin, other than the scrum, which finished well on top of an Irish pack not especially renowned for its set-piece work.
Otherwise, the pickings were slim, a not-too-bad performance from the lineout and yet another fiesty display at halfback by Matt Giteau, even if this was one occasion when the Wallabies really might have been well served by George Gregan and his 127 Tests worth of experience.
By process of elimination, it was established Giteau will remain at halfback for the final Test of the European tour, against Scotland in Edinburgh on Sunday AEDT), after coach John Connolly virtually ruled out appearances by him at either five eighth or inside centre.
As for the resurrection of the Mat Rogers-Steve Larkham experiment at five eighth and inside centre, the Wallabies coach quickly knocked that on the head as well.
"I would doubt that," Connolly said, implying that one or the other would start at five eighth, the other, at best, off the bench.
The selectors could stick with the experimental monster midfield pairing used against Ireland, Stirling Mortlock and Lote Tuqiri, but there was little in evidence at Lansdowne Road to encourage them to continue down that path.
Individually, both played well but there was no cohesion between them, especially in defence, and after a while it became painfully obvious Irish skipper Brian O'Driscoll was developing a real liking for the attacking channel outside Tuqiri.
Enter Staniforth. Although his five Test appearances, spread over eight seasons, have all been on the wing - most recently his 16-minute cameo in Dublin as a replacement for Clyde Rathbone - he came to the Force's rescue as an inside centre this season and just might do the same for the Wallabies at Murrayfield.
Certainly he will have at least one of the three selectors strongly pushing his case, armed with Staniforth's powerhouse game at inside centre for Australia A in its hard-fought win over Ireland A in Limerick last week.
Still, even if the 28-year-old misses out on selection at inside centre, it would not surprise if he won a place in the starting side as a winger, with Rathbone's chronic handling problems causing him to lose his grip on the No.14 jersey.
The release lof the Australia A team to play Scotland A in Perth tomorrow morning (AEDT) makes clear how radical an approach the selectors intend to take for the Edinburgh Test.
Certainly any player with Test aspirations would dread to hear his name announced as a starter in the Perth match - and not just because the game is likely to be played in Arctic conditions.
Virtually by extrapolation, those frontline players not named for Perth will start in the Test, and it is a safe bet now, after their strong showings off the bench against Ireland that Queensland hooker Stephen Moore and NSW loosehead Benn Robinson, will start in the front row for the Test.
Most likely Guy Shepherdson will be retained at tighthead, although Rodney Blake did win back some support on the selection panel with his quality scrummaging performance in Limerick.
Although Mark Chisholm claimed some quality lineout throws in extremely difficult conditions against Ireland, he failed to make any real impact around the field, bringing Australia A captain and second rower Al Campbell into the selection frame for Murrayfield.
And the 52nd-minute substitution of George Smith for number eight Wycliff Palu at Lansdowne Road - "we just wanted someone on the ball with a higher workrate", Connolly explained - pretty much telegraphed a change at the back of the scrum for the Scotland Test.
Although Connolly refuses to rule out a return to the Eddie Jones formula of using two tearaways, Smith and Phil Waugh, in tandem in the backrow, it's more likely the Wallabies coach will simply continue the rotation policy at openside flanker.
This would mean Smith coming into the starting side for Waugh, while David Lyons is finally expected to reclaim the number eight jersey he made his own in 40 Tests - among them the 2003 World Cup final.
LETS HOPE SO...GO SPANNER!
