What's the point? What's the bloody point?!
I'll tell you the bloody point (excuse the poor formatting, my laptop at home doesn't agree with the site):
***Depth***
Admittedly, this team will essentially be an 'Australia A' team - but is that so bad? Cheika has done a tremendous job in building depth within the squad over the last couple of years and this game will be a continuation, and a manifestation, of that.
Regardless, with the following lineup, the Wallabies will still be fielding a combined 531 caps in the 23, and that isn't to be laughed at:
Ala'alatoa, Moore, Slipper
Arnold, Tui
Hanigan, Dempsey, Timani
Phipps, Paia'aua
Hunt, Kerevi
Rona, Folau, Speight
Robertson, Uelese, Faulkner
Douglas, McCalman
Powell, Godwin, Meakes (or Perese)
Not bad at all, eh? It's certainly a team that I would pay to see (and have paid to see, as I am attending).
This is even more important if you consider where we are in the International season both in the short-term (in 2017) and in the long-term (beyond).
Before the Spring tour, we'll play Japan in Japan before heading to Europe to play another three teams in the following three weeks. That's a lot of travel, but I think it's ultimately a good decision to boost the code's coffers with a game in Japan and to let the squad become familiarised with the environment before the 2019 RWC (Eddie Jones has indicated that England will look to do the same at some stage).
BUT, given the sheer amount of rugby that the spine of our team has played (TPN, Coleman, Hooper, Genia, Foley, Beale, Folau) it doesn't make sense to run our first choice side against Japan.
BUT, Japan are no shmucks, and they proved this with the greatest upset in Rugby's history against South Africa at the last RWC. If we run our second choice side against them without a prior game to gel, an upset is certainly plausible and that'd be terrible for both the Wallabies and Australian Rugby.
The solution? Give the team to face Japan (or the majority of it, Folau and Moore to step out) a chance to gel against the Barbarians and become familiar with the Wallabies structures and game plan within the heat of battle. That way, if any of them are required to step into the first choice side as a result of injury, the game plan won't be as foreign to them.
Longer term, the importance of a quality and battle hardened second string team can't be underestimated. At the RWC, each country essentially takes two teams: one to face Tier 1 teams in the pool stages, and another to play Tier 2 nations (and Japan and Fiji etc.).
This game is as much about preparing that second tier side for the RWC as the rest of the Spring tour is about preparing the first tier side for the RWC.
How good. Very exciting stuff.
***The Marquee Event Effect***
Rugby in Australia has a considerable amount of dormant demand. Most famously, we see it at the Sydney 7s and Brisbane 10s these days, but as a 23 year old I've also seen it elsewhere.
Both this year and last, myself and my wider friendship circle (and their circles) attended the Shute Shield Grand Final to a tune of about 50 people. Remarkably, it was essentially the same group as the crowd that I attended the 7s with, both this year and last. Besides from myself and a couple of others, very few of them give a flying fuck about Rugby Union and, even then, I'll be the first to admit that I don't care much for the Shute Shield or the success of our 7s team.
So why did we go? Because we're 20-somethings who will follow a good atmosphere and an excuse to drink at 3pm to the edge of the earth.
Next weekend, a lot of the same group are attending, and I think that's indicative of the wider Rugby public. It'll be a fun afternoon game where (hopefully) some fantastic skills are showcased, and I think that'll be enough to attract a decent crowd who wouldn't necessarily attend many Waratahs / Wallabies games.
***It's Personal***
Alan Jones fucking hates the ARU and has had his fair share to say about Cheika's tenure. This game will get Jones talking about it to parts of Australia that may have forgotten about the glorious game of Rugby Union, and will give Cheika a chance to shut him up for once (or Jones a chance to keep rabbiting on).
He's chosen Quade Cooper, Australian Rugbys "forgotten son" (depending on who you ask), who is custom-fucking-made for Barbarian's fucking and who will be very eager to make a statement for the end of year tour (which I think he will be attending).
He's then chosen Matt Hodgson and a fair few other Western Force alumni who will be eager to send their own message to the ARU and wider Australian public. I'm thinking we could see more quips from Hodgson similar to the delectable "and we did it without the extra $2 million" he served to Hooper as the Force trounced the Waratahs at the end of the recent Super season.
Add a bit of grubbiness to the flair of a Barbarians game and it should be a spectacle.
I'm personally very excited, as is my Dad, my m8s and my bloody dog.
Everyone who can attend, should.
End of.
