Spring tour to plant seeds for the youth revolution

John Connolly | September 28, 2008


The spring tour of Europe will be a terrific opportunity for Wallabies coach Robbie Deans to spend plenty of time working with his players away from the pressure of the Tri Nations and by the time he returns to Sydney he'll make judgments on each player.

The November tour is the perfect opportunity to usher through the next generation of internationals.

In 2006, a total of 35 players toured with the Wallabies, and 28 played in the Tests. The likes of Benn Robinson, Brett Sheehan, James Horwill and Guy Shepherdson all made their Wallabies debuts, while Josh Valentine, Tatafu Polota-Nau, Wycliff Palu, Drew Mitchell and others gained valuable experience on the road.

I'm expecting that by the end of the tour 18-year-old James O'Connor, David Pocock , Sekope Kepu and Quade Cooper will all have made their debuts off the bench.

The tour comes at an interesting time. Sydney has had the Shute Shield, but for some clubs in Brisbane there has been no rugby played since the end of July. The regrettable demise of the Australian Rugby Championship led to this ridiculous situation. It is also ludicrous to think the Queensland Reds and Western Force had to tour the UK to get some game time. The hierarchy has to urgently review this situation because it is not helping Deans evaluate his players.

Interestingly, the ARU demands results. Chief executive John O'Neill wrote an article in November 2006 that essentially criticised everyone involved in Australian rugby because the Wallabies' win-loss ratio didn't quite measure up to his expectations.

"The win-loss ratio of the Wallabies is clearly a barometer you can't hide from," he wrote.

But rugby is judged on the international stage and it is a competitive game. At the time of O'Neill's article, Australia were ranked No.2 behind the All Blacks. I hope Deans has his support.

O'Neill has been back in the top job for 12 months and his spin always amuses me.

He reminds me of the urban legend about Judy Wallman, a genealogical researcher.
Wallman supposedly discovered that Hillary Clinton's great-great uncle, Remus Rodham, was hanged for horse stealing and train robbery in Montana in 1889. The only known photograph of Remus shows him standing on the gallows. The back of the picture bears this inscription: Remus Rodham: horse thief, sent to Montana Territorial Prison 1885, escaped 1887, robbed the Montana Flyer six times. Caught by Pinkerton detectives, convicted and hanged in 1889.


When Wallman contacted Clinton for comments, her staff sent back the following biographical sketch: Remus Rodham was a famous cowboy in the Montana Territory. His business empire grew to include acquisition of valuable equestrian assets and intimate dealings with the Montana railroad. Beginning in 1883, he devoted several years of his life to service at a government facility, finally taking leave to resume his dealings with the railroad. In 1887, he was a key player in a vital investigation run by the renowned Pinkerton Detective Agency. In 1889, Remus passed away during an important civic function held in his honor when the platform upon which he was standing collapsed ...

But I digress.

Australia will aim to win each of their Tests - against Italy, England, France and then Wales - but if they win three, the tour should be considered a success. Deans will want to rotate his squad but he won't want to be left vulnerable.

There is always a hard-luck story with any touring squad and for my money it's Waratahs pivot Kurtley Beale. The big test for Kurtley is how he bounces back, because the selectors have proven by picking so many young players that there is definitely a future for him.


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