And so the weekend has finally arrived and the Lions Tour of
Australia 2013 will kick off...in Hong Kong.
Against the Barbarians. Weird,
right? Well, that’s the nature of the
professional game these days, but I’m sure everyone is getting excited about
Wednesday when the Lions will launch their first assault on Australian soil in
Perth against the Western Force. Of
course, this weekend marks the last round of matches in Super Rugby before an
effective Lions break, so it’s the last chance many potential Wallabies will
have to impress that egotistical scrotum Robbie Deans before the extended squad
is announced.
In Part 1 of RuckedOver’s 2 part guide to the Tour, we take
a look at who are the chief contenders to pull on that green and gold jersey in
less than a month’s time...
Front Row
The Aussie front row often gets a bad rep – perhaps
spearheaded by the appearance of Matt Dunning, who looked like drunk pub
landlord and couldn’t scrummage, but was talented at useless prop forwarding
skills such as this:
But the truth is, aside from the very odd shocker, the
Aussie scrum has improved dramatically over the last couple of years and
regularly stands up to pressure in the Rugby Championship – which, when you
consider that they’re up against scrum-lovers Argentina and South Africa, is a
pretty solid achievement. I’m not saying
they’re world beaters, but one of the easiest mistakes to make would be to
assume that, just because renowned scrummagers Adam Jones and Dan Cole are in
the squad, the Lions are going to walk the set piece.
The loosehead side of the scrum is one of the easiest calls
to make, with Benn Robinson proving
during the autumn – aside from a nightmare against France – that he is more
than capable of causing a few problems of his own in the scrum, with great
performances against England and Wales.
He may not be the most mobile, but at least he looks in marginally
better shape than Dunning and his set piece ability gets him the nod from
me...plus, having the powerful carrying ability of Sekope Kepu on the bench is
a useful option later on in the game. On
the tighthead side, it’s a close call between Ben Alexander and James Slipper, but the older Brumbies prop just
gets the nod because of his big-game experience and slightly stronger work in
the set piece – although the mobile and versatile Slipper is no slouch in the
tight and offers some serious pace around the park too.
At hooker, the Wallabies have tried several options with
varying success – Tatafu Polota-Nau is powerful but not the greatest thrower (and
is now crocked) whilst Saia Faingaa is enthusiastic but pretty much a liability
in all set-pieces – so once again I’m going to go for the experience and
technical excellence of the human egg, Stephen
Moore. The Brumbies man is a solid
scrummager – which, if you haven’t guessed from my selections, is an area I
think needs to be beefed up – and has a great engine on him. He’ll be chomping at the bit to get stuck
into the Lions, so he starts and Faingaa benches.
Second Row
Following in the footsteps of great second rows like John
Eales and Nathan Sharpe isn’t easy, but one man’s done such a good job that –
injuries permitting – he is another shoe-in for the side. James
Horwill, Reds captain, gets the nod as skipper of the Wallabies from me – a
statement that the Wallabies will be up for the physical battle the Lions will
be bringing. The big guy is a powerful
presence in the loose and a smart operator in the lineout, and he’ll be
relishing the thought of throwing himself into the touring behemoths. Partnering him, I’m going to go for his
Queensland buddy Rob Simmons. The gangly lock has come on in leaps and
bounds over the last couple of the years and is quickly becoming an ‘enforcer’
in the pack – he loves to get stuck into the opposition forwards, getting under
their skin and he is a decent carrier as well.
Having the raw physicality of Sitaleki Timani is not a bad option to
have on the bench either.
Back Row
As ever, this is a pretty competitive spot – although a
little bit of the gloss has been taken out of the occasion by the knowledge
that David “which way’s the beach?” Pocock and George “Evergreen” Smith won’t
be fit in time for the Test Series.
They’re two world class operators at openside but, luckily for the
Wallabies, it’s not really a position where they’re lacking in depth. Michael
Hooper and Liam Gill are both great young options who will have to deal
with a lot of responsibility, but the Waratah’s performances in a green and
gold jersey in the Autumn series and his physical carrying for the NSW side
this season puts him in pole position for the 7 shirt, with Gill providing the
pace injection off the bench. On the
blindside, Scott Higginbotham is, in
my opinion, one of the best flankers in the southern hemisphere despite looking
like he’s just walked off the set of Crocodile Dundee. Superb technique with and without the ball
make him a real danger man and he’s an absolute certainty to start at 6 or 8 –
he’s been a one man wrecking ball for the Rebels. That leaves the number 8 spot to be filled by
the intimidating figure of Wycliff Palu
– the Waratahs number 8 is a colossal ball carrier and guaranteed metres maker,
and it’s that ability to give his half backs front-foot ball that gets him the
nod over the hard-working Brumbie Ben Mowen.
Half Backs
Where do the Wallabies get their 9s from? As soon as one magician retires, another
steps straight in and steps it up another notch – Nick Farr-Jones, George
Gregan and now Will Genia. The
Queenslander is probably the easiest pick in the side with his lightning
service and sharp eye for a gap...and he’s not afraid to get stuck into the
nasty stuff as well, which will be useful if the Lions try to bully him via the
ever-friendly Mike Phillips. Nic White will
prove a useful back up after a great season impressing with the Brumbies,
although he will be hoping not to run into any more brick walls like this:
Centres
It may not be the strongest position for the Wallabies but
there’s still some real class in the ranks.
At 12, I’m going to go for a second playmaker in Berrick Barnes. The Waratahs
man has the experience and calmness to take control if Cooper does decide to
flap and will relieve the pressure on his flyhalf, plus he’s been in great form
since his return from injury – a fantastic solo display against the Brumbies
being a particular highlight. In my opinion,
he’s the Toby Flood of Australia – perennially underrated in an international
shirt, despite nobody really recalling a poor game. Christian Leali’ifano is very unlucky but I
think he’ll provide a great bench option and will be able to exploit space when
the game opens up. Outside Barnes I’ve
picked another Waratah in Adam
Ashley-Cooper, one of the most reliable and effective runners in the
game. The experienced centre has the
wheels of a wing and line-picking ability of a full back, as well as being a
rock in defence – Wallaby fans will have no worries about him dealing with the
physical threats of Tuilagi and/or Roberts.
Back 3
There’s no shortage of depth in the back 3 as once again
there’s a plethora of quality Australian wingers just waiting to follow in the
footsteps of greats like David Campese.
Actually, perhaps that’s a bad example...
On the left wing I’ll be going for the electric and powerful Digby Ione – injury permitting of course as he seems to be made of glass at the moment (not that I can talk). The Queenslander has experience at scoring tries against top opposition and has the ability to create a try out of absolutely nothing, and for that X-Factor he just gets into my side ahead of the ultra-physical and hard-working Nick Cummins, who earns a place on the bench. On the opposite side, I’ll be picking James O’Connor in the number 14 jersey – where he’s played his best rugby for the Wallabies. I’m unconvinced of his playmaking abilities at 10 but the Justin Bieber lookalike has the acceleration and strength to excel in the open spaces outwide – especially if, as expected, he’ll be against bigger men. His ability to come off his wing and throw wide passes is also an attractive option for the Wallabies, and overall the Rebels star just has too much quality to leave out.
At fullback, I’m going to fold and go for Israel Folau. Yes, I’m a victim of Izzy Fever – the NRL/ARL
convert has got better and better with each game, looking solid under the high
ball and offering serious speed, footwork and power when joining the line in
attack – not to mention his counterattacking ability when running the ball back
from deep. He shades it ahead of
Brumbies fullback, Jesse Mogg, but either of these 2 could do a stunning job in
the 15 shirt – it all depends, as debutants, who will handle the pressure of
winning a first test cap against the Lions...
Starting Line up: Robinson,
Moore, Alexander, Horwill, Simmons, Higginbotham, Hooper, Palu, Genia, Cooper,
Ione, Barnes, Ashley-Cooper, O’Connor, Folau.
Subs: Faingaa, Kepu, Slipper, Timani, Gill,
White, Leali’ifano, Cummins.
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