The changing of the Wallaby coach – and specifically to Ewen McKenzie – is an event that many an Australian rugby supporter has fantasized about for some time now. Despite it having occurred over a month ago, we’ve had no tangible expression of it, no solid concept of what it means. Until today.
This will be but one test of hopefully many that McKenzie will coach for Australia and many would say that he has a leave pass for this test, perhaps even this series. He could therefore go easy on selections. Don’t ruffle too many feathers. Go with what he knows from Queensland. Repay some loyalty. Keep the risk low. Ease into it.
I don’t think so.
If there’s anything that McKenzie showed from his tenure at the Reds – leading to the 2011 Super Rugby success – is that there are no ‘free passes’. Walking into the Reds offices at Ballymore on day 1, Ewen crossed a footbridge fairly carpeted with caked-on bird shit. On list of things to get done that day: get the bloody bridge cleaned.
You start as you mean to go on, and rather than using any ‘honeymoon period’ to ease in into the role, you use it to make those tough cuts you need to.
And so a confession. After the initial happiness at the coaching change in the Wallabies (dampened by the horror of what had happened just days before) a feeling of unease started to creep in as I contemplated what the Wallabies might be like under McKenzie’s new reign – particularly the playmaking and attacking department. We rightly speculated that McKay would take the backs/attack coach role, which by popular thinking would have McKenzie, McKay, Genia and Cooper as the nexus of the Wallabies attack.
I couldn’t help but say “meh”.
Don’t get me wrong, it’s a powerful combo which in 2011 achieved great things. But we’re in 2013 and it hasn’t been delivering the same results, for some time. For McKenzie to pick up the same group and expect it to do different things would be getting close to the popular ‘definition of madness’.
Forget playing styles, provinces and past indiscretions – if we are to expect a change in results, we are going to need to make one.
Therefore, when I read the tip-off that Matt Toomua would be starting at 10 on Saturday, the whole complexion of this new Wallaby era changed. It’s not the same old combos in a different jersey. There’s something definitively new that could bring a style of play some Wallabies fans will not have seen in living memory.
But more important than any of that, it says there’s someone with a map who’ll make the hard decisions, despite personal allegiances.
There’s the excitement.
Courier Mail’s Likely Wallabies team
1. James Slipper
2. Stephen Moore
3. Ben Alexander
4. Rob Simmons
5. James Horwill ©
6. Hugh McMeniman
7. Michael Hooper
8. Ben Mowen
9. Will Genia
10. Matt Toomua*
11. James O’Connor
12. Christian Lealiifano
13. Adam Ashley-Cooper
14. Israel Folau
15. Jesse Mogg
Res: Saia Faingaa, Scott Sio, Sekope Kepu, Scott Fardy, Liam Gill, Nic White, Quade Cooper, Tevita Kuridrani.
