Combinations for the Wallabies against the Lions?

[Sully]

Should the Wallabies be picking combinations from the Super Rugby clubs or the best player for each position?
There are a few players who are walk up starts in the wallabies. Horwill and Genia are certainties if fit. Stephen Moore, Adam Ashley-Cooper and Palu would be close behind.
If you pick Genia do you pick Cooper? And if you pick Cooper do you pick Tapuai?
Are Horwill and Simmons a team or do you go with Douglas?
If you pick Moore does the Brumbies frontrow come with him?
How good does a player have to perform to bust up a good partnership. The most obvious example is Genia and Cooper. Their understanding of each others play is at a level rarely seen and frankly a bit freaky.
So which combinations would you keep and who would you break up?
NB: The 3 amigo's are not a combination.

 

[Scotty]

If there aren't any outstanding options, then I would go with your line of thinking and try and keep 'important' combos together.

Halves pairing
Front row
Centres

For the halves we are likely to have the reds duo if cooper continues to improve as he has recently shown.

The front row could be a tahs or brumbies combination, but I think it will likely be a mix as for me Robinson is clearly better than Alexander and Moore is clearly better than TPN.

We don't have any great centre pairings so unlikely to see this as a provincial combo unless McCabe moves to 13 and gels well with Lilo or Barnes goes to 12 for the tahs.

 

[Sully]

I think there is a good case for Inside Centres to be added to the halves combination.

 

[Slim 293]

With the way Alexander is playing lately, I certainly wouldn't be picking the entire Brumbies' front row to compliment Moore........

Palmer yes........ Alexander no...........

 

[TOCC]

I've mentioned it before, but you could argue the lock-prop combo is equally if not more important then the prop-hooker-prop combo..

Regardless I don't think sorting the combo in the forwards where it's mostly a technical understanding is really a major selection concern, most of the candidates are experienced and should have the knowledge to be able to adjust quite quickly...


The backline combos are a little different though, whilst it is structured there are a larger number of variables in terms of timing and understanding a players intent..

 

[Braveheart81]

I think there's just as good a case for developing Wallaby combinations.

Tapuai and AAC (Adam Ashley-Cooper) could become an excellent centre pairing.

The players play almost as many tests as they do Super Rugby games each year. Developing combinations from year to year is very important. There aren't going to be that many times that there is a Super Rugby combination that is so dominant that it is worth overlooking other players to keep them together.

I'd say that Genia and Cooper are the only one and that is only the case when Cooper is really firing.

 

[Train Without a Station]

I think combinations are important, but you should not pick an inferior player because of his combination, after all, somebody may perform better in that combination. If two players are fairly equal, it should be a consideration.

Unfortunately Deans seems to only pick in absolutes... i.e. If two players are equal, pick the player with the best potential. He seems to pick inferior players on potential, so I would hate for him to consider combinations too...

 

[Slim 293]

I don't really think that picking combinations from provinces is a necessity......... All Blacks case in point:

9. Smith (Highlanders)
10. Carter (Crusaders) / Cruden (Chiefs)
12. Nonu (Blues)
13. Smith (Hurricanes)

 

[Train Without a Station]

In all fairness Slim, Nonu and Smith played together at the 'Canes for close to a decade...

 

[Slim 293]

In all fairness Slim, Nonu and Smith played together at the 'Canes for close to a decade.

In fairness, half a decade......... But the point still stands.........

 

[Sully]

Do you think Smith will be the half back? And he only played a few games there.

 

[Train Without a Station]

In fairness, half a decade... But the point still stands...

Yeah and Nonu played wing a bit that 06-07 period too. But yeah, there was a bit of combo. You have the think it was a bit of a consideration at certain points of time. Took SBW a fair while to usurp Nonu too.