James O’Connor didn’t play well against Argentina last weekend, but he didn’t cost the Wallabies the Test match.
The alarm bells were already well and truly ringing by the 24th minute when Los Pumas No.12 Jeronimo de la Fuente managed to skip through the Wallabies’ defence untouched, blow a hamstring and still make his way to the try line when he realised the Australian defenders had deemed it impolite to tackle an injured man.
Having been through a difficult week before the first Test – Jed Holloway’s wonderfully emotional post-match interview showed that they had gone deep into the reserves – the Wallabies weren’t where they needed to be in San Juan.
The axing of O’Connor for the Springboks, therefore, seems to be an extraordinary overreaction to the loss, particularly as the Wallabies selectors clearly don’t trust Noah Lolesio – at least not with the deep faith required at Test level.
Combined with the recall of Bernard Foley ahead of two No.10s – Tane Edmed and Ben Donaldson – who have just been through Super Rugby and Australia A campaigns, it is clear that the Wallabies are firmly in the corridor of uncertainty when it comes to the critical playmaking position.
Foley, who has spent the past two-and-a-bit years playing in Japan, is clearly being lined up to play in the second Test against the Springboks in Sydney. There would be point in bringing him back unless he is going to play.
It is unfair to lay the blame for the Wallabies’ record loss to Argentina at the feet of James O’Connor.Credit:AP
That means Lolesio’s likely selection against the Springboks in Adelaide in another one of the countless votes of half-confidence he has received during his Wallabies career. He will know that unless he plays a standout Test against the Springboks, he will be replaced by Foley the following week.
You do feel for the Brumbies No.10, who must be in danger of missing out on next year’s Rugby World Cup if he can’t erase Dave Rennie’s reservations during the remainder of the year.
It is a shame Tane Edmed had a tricky end to Super Rugby Pacific and an underwhelming Pacific Nations Cup campaign with Australia A. The Waratahs’ five-eighth has the core skills and size to play Test rugby, but he struggled against the Chiefs in Hamilton and didn’t impose himself against Manu Samoa in Suva.
It was clearly an opportunity lost, as Langi Gleeson’s elevation to the Wallabies squad showed. Gleeson – Waratahs coach Darren Coleman says the flanker has been tested as the “fastest forward in Australia” – is ample proof that the Wallabies selectors watched that Australia A program very closely.
It is increasingly clear the Wallabies don’t believe Noah Lolesio is the man for the job.Credit:Getty
Edmed, or Donaldson, may yet come through but with four Tests against the Springboks and All Blacks looming for the Wallabies, it appears they will have to wait until the end-of-year tour.
The Wallabies, therefore, are mired in the sort of uncertainty at No.10 that unnerves rugby teams. It’s no coincidence that when you look at the top-three ranked teams in the world, they all have clear first-choice No.10s: Johnny Sexton (Ireland), Romain Ntamack (France) and Handre Pollard (South Africa).
To give credit to Eddie Jones, he has recognised the danger of instability and has placed his faith in Marcus Smith at No.10, resisting the pressure to change after England lost to the Wallabies in Perth.
The All Blacks have been the model of instability at No.10 for three years, frequently chopping and changing between Richie Mo’unga and Beauden Barrett, although Ian Foster probably saved his career by picking Mo’unga last weekend and must surely now anoint the Crusaders playmaker as his clear preference.
The Wallabies are the outliers here, and their own obvious uncertainty has exacerbated the situation. The lack of an obvious candidate behind Quade Cooper is one thing, but an inability to pick and stick with what they feel is the next best option is making matters worse.
Lolesio is now at the stage where he has to be backed in the longer term and unshackled in the near term. The Springboks looked vulnerable against New Zealand when Mo’unga went wide early, and from deep. The remarkable Eben Etzebeth aside, their big men do not turn and chase well.
Mo’unga also threw an intercept but never stopped playing. Give Lolesio that licence to go big and fail big, if necessary because, at the moment, the Brumbies No.10 is being killed by a thousand cuts.
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