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The Wallabies selections this week also showed who Schmidt will be surrounding with a core of players. They are Tom Wright, Hunter Pasami, Filippo Daugunu, Fraser McCreight, Rob Valletini, Allan Alaalatoa, Matt Fessler, Andrew Kellaway, Taniela Tupou, Jack Gordon and James Sleeper.
It’s not set in stone — players like Len Ikitau could be added soon — and Noah Lolesio isn’t explicitly included because Tom Lynagh’s injury makes the No. 10 spot a bit unclear.
Eight of those core players will face Georgia, so this team is far less experimental than it might appear at first glance and, as this column pointed out during Super Rugby, the quality gaps between players in many positions in the Australian side are so small that a change in selection does not necessarily mean relegation.
The third thing to note about this Wallabies No. 23 is that it is a bit like the Bomb Squad. Sure, it won’t go all out like the Springboks did in the 6-2 draw, but it has two second-row players on the bench: Jeremy Williams and Tom Hooper (although both can cover the back row).
This is a nod Georgia’s expected advantagesBut it is also an awareness of what the future holds, and test coaches must always keep an eye on the future.
Three weeks after Georgia, the Kangaroos will face the Springboks in Brisbane and everyone knows what they will bring. Therefore, I have no problem with Schmidt’s changes this week, starting Isaac Kylea, Billy Pollard and Angus Bryce to give them a chance to be included in the 23-man squad against the Springboks, knowing that the Kangaroos forwards may need 30 minutes against the original Bombers.
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That is the acceptable level of risk mentioned earlier. The other option is to pick a veteran like Slipper as the starter, limit Kylia’s playing time, and then say “good luck son” when he is needed in the last 20-30 minutes of the game against South Africa.
Of course, those subtleties would be lost if the Wallabies were to suffer a disastrous defeat against Georgia, an extremely proud team with a real pace advantage.
But if the aforementioned core of Wallabies players – plus the likes of Tate McDermott, who has now played a ton of Super Rugby and Test matches – can get the job done, and the younger players gain some experience in the process, it will be a far greater improvement than the narrow win over Wales in Melbourne.
Watch Australia vs Georgia and New Zealand vs Fiji This weekend, Football Home will be available live and on-demand with no ads. Stan Spott.
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