No Todd and no interest in Mo'unga meant that Goodhue vs Lienert-Brown and J.Barrett vs Naholo were the only real points of interest. I thought they'd be conservative again and stick with Lienert-Brown, but am glad to see Goodhue starting. To use a Dismalism, a Conrad-esque tenure could be dawning for him. He has the benefit of continuing his Crusaders pairing with Crotty, so really needs to set out and dominate the midfield against a second (third?) string utility back.
With Milner-Skudder's drop off in form, J.Barrett or Naholo was, as already alluded to, a sucky flip of a coin scenario. On the one hand you get an out of form fullback whose been stuck in the midfield lately. On the other hand you get a relapse of 2009 PTSD. But the Wallabies aren't the most threatening side off the boot, so maybe it's the better call in this situation. I'd be having an aneurysm if it was against Ireland.
On the Beaugen. He effectively has that Crusaders Rolls-Royce pack in front of him. The pack that made Mo'unga's life so easy in Super Rugby, according to the Hutt. Barrett now has that platform, and with Madman Retallick thrown in for good measure. He better perform, as the only way for his position to otherwise remain tenable is down to failures in forward coaching.
Bring it on you waltzing Matilda's.
EDIT: And these front row injuries are becoming a real nuisance. As far as I know both Perry and Sheriff Karl are dedicated looseheads, and tighhead scrummaging is more challenging than loosehead scrummaging. So there could be a real danger of late game scrums being uncontested on safety grounds.