What Will the Wallabies Look Like in 12 Months’ Time?

By
at Internationaled.org

Published: November 10, 2015

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If any rugby-playing nation has proved how fast your fortunes can change it is Australia.

At the end of 2014 they had crashed to a first defeat to Argentina, their coach had been jettisoned and one of their star players was the subject of a serious breach of squad discipline.

At the end of 2015 they are second in the world, reigning Rugby Championship winners and World Cup runners-up.

It rather makes a fool’s errand of the task of predicting where they will be a year from now.

But we can, at least, make a decent fist of assessing the personnel they may be using as they arrive back in Europe for their 2016 autumn tour schedule.

 

The pack

The improvement in the Wallaby scrum was one of the most eye-catching features of their World Cup campaign, so it is unlikely that Michael Cheika and his set-piece expert Mario Ledesma would make wholesale changes to the players responsible for the upgrade.

Hooker Stephen Moore is 32 and the incumbent captain, and he has thrived under Cheika’s coaching. He passed the 100-cap mark during the 2015 World Cup but has given no hint that he is ready to step down.

With the explosive impact of Tatafu Polota-Nau evident when he came off the bench for Moore during the tournament, Cheika may well see this double act as the best way to service the hooking duties in the medium to long term.

One area Moore and his understudy need to improve is the lineout, which faltered too often against New Zealand in the final.

Either side of Moore, Scott Sio and Sekope Kepu were arguably the props of the tournament. The loose head Sio gave Dan Cole and Samson Lee tough examinations during the pool stages and when he was missing against Argentina in the semi-final, the Wallabies pack struggled without him.

With only 16 caps and at 24 years old, Sio is certain to enjoy a long international career if he...
Article Source: Bleacher Report - Rugby Union

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