Winning a Rugby World Cup ain’t easy. As recent history has shown us, even getting out of a pool and reaching the business end of the tournament is tough.
And the pressure cooker of a home tournament is furnace-like.
While we all thoroughly enjoyed England’s demise at their own show back in 2015, as 2027 creeps closer there must be growing concern these Wallabies may share Stuart Lancaster’s England’s fate.
Australian rugby needs to grasp the nettle in the next 18 months and grapple with some home truths if it is to avoid catastrophe.
For starters, our ‘Test ready’ depth at No.9 is a major problem, our fly-halves either can’t stay on the field or haven’t measured up and our hookers struggle to hit barn doors.
The problem at No.10 is particularly acute. You don’t make Rugby World Cup Finals without a world class fly-half.
Carter Gordon of the Wallabies poses ahead of the Rugby World Cup France 2023, at Stade de France on September 07, 2023 in Paris, France. (Photo by Chris Hyde/Getty Images)
The one exception in recent memory was perhaps Bernard Foley who had an elite inside centre, Matt Giteau outside him. It was no coincidence that Michael Cheika drove the ‘Giteau Rule’.
Was Joel Stransky ‘elite’? Perhaps not but a certain Joost van der Westhuizen was playing inside him on that fateful day in 1995.
What chance do we have without a settled 9-10-12 where at least one of them is world class?
When you add to that list the fact too many Wallabies are playing out of position, well we need a re-think and not wishful thinking like Michael Hooper’s.
To think the Wallabies can win four or five Tests straight against Tier 1 competition to make a World Cup Final in less than two years’ time without a significant shake up is pure fantasy.
People may point to the third Lions Test and the Ellis Park miracle, but James O’Connor was playing wasn’t he? We had all too briefly a capable if fading world class professional in the driving seat.
Selection has been a massive bone of contention this past month. As has the narrow attack and passive defence that has been so regressive. It’s not just Ewen McKenzie and John Connolly trying to understand how Joe Schmidt wants to play the game.
Below is my ‘Way Too Early 33’ to take to the Rugby World Cup in 2027 including a highly controversial dream signing, a few bolters and the benching of more than one super star.
It’s a squad capable of playing any which way Les Kiss wants to but most importantly, one where we pick our best players in position and put our best foot forward:
1. Loosehead Prop: Angus Bell if fit and healthy, has to be one of the first names on the team sheet. The depth behind him isn’t great but Tom Robertson looks the best back up we have ahead of Blake Schoupp.
Angus Bell poses for a portrait during an Australian Wallabies Portrait Session at NEP Studios on June 24, 2025 in Sydney, Australia. (Photo by Darrian Traynor/Getty Images)
2. Hooker: It’s scary when your hookers appear to be fetchers rather than throwers. Billy Pollard has to be better at the lineout as do all of the other candidates. Richie Asiata makes my bench for physicality and impact ahead of Matt Faessler. Brandon Paenga-Amosa should also be in the wider training squad ahead of Josh Nasser.
3. There’s a young guy in Brisbane by the name of Massimo de Lutiis. Will 2027 be too early for him? At 6’2” and 125kg he’s big enough. By all accounts an excellent scrummager. He had the raw strength to beat out Taniela Tupou in the gym benching 202.5kg. Let’s hope by the time 2027 rolls around tight head is a three-way competition with Allan Alaalatoa in the squad.
4. Nick Frost has done enough to nail down a lock spot. Unless say Isack Rodda returns to the country or Josh Canham hits a rich vein of form, it’s not a tough selection.
5. As long as he’s available through 2026 and La Rochelle don’t unilaterally decide most of the Rugby World Cup is outside of the Test window, Will Skelton should be selected here. He’s getting on and will be 35 years old in 2027 but adds weight where you need it. Play him for 50 minutes and bring on Lukhan Salakai-Loto. If you want more mobility for certain opposition, both Williams and Rodda are in the 33.
6. Our best blindside flanker is Tom Hooper who will undoubtedly benefit from a stint at Exeter. Pick and stick at No.6. He’s an important lineout option if Skelton is selected.
Tom Hooper of Australia charges forward during the The Rugby Championship & Bledisloe Cup match between New Zealand All Blacks and Australia Wallabies at Eden Park on September 27, 2025 in Auckland, New Zealand. (Photo by Phil Walter/Getty Images)
7. Carlo Tizzano is one hell of a back up but he is to Fraser McReight what Phil Waugh was to George Smith. With Luke Reimer perhaps an admirable but unlucky David Croft. McReight will captain this side.
8. Harry Wilson has guts. He has passion. He’s a team man. But Bobby Valetini needs to start here. His carry and go forward are essential. Backrow balance is everything and it’s not quite right with Wilson at No.8, especially when the tight five isn’t carrying effectively.
9. Tate McDermott is really the only option and that’s a bad thing. As good as McDermott is, can he start and win Tests? Will he fully recover from a bad hamstring tear? What if he is injured on the eve of the tournament? Joe Schmidt has now blooded Kalani Thomas. Les Kiss needs to bring Teddy Wilson and Louis Werchon straight into the set up too. Create a five-way competition for the back-up spot now. If Lonergan is good enough, if Jake Gordon is good enough, they’ll beat the others out.
10. A year ago, I had hoped and prayed young Tom Lynagh would grab this position by the throat but his health just hasn’t allowed it. Does he have the medical history and frame to play 20 Tests beforehand and stay healthy through a RWC? Carter Gordon showed a lot in his Italian job minutes but is coming off his own serious health issues. Step up Nathan Cleary who is as close a footballer to Stephen Larkham that we have and had the Springbok camp raving recently in London. Outcry… I don’t care, a bullet needs to be bitten. A bridge needs to be built until a new talent emerges. If Edmed and Donaldson are the answer, what is the question?
Nathan Cleary. (Photo by Phil Walter/Getty Images)
11. Max Jorgensen has to my mind nailed down a spot on the wing. Providing he has some licence to roam and isn’t consigned to kick chasey.
12. Bolter alert. Remember when 12s played 12, when Timmy Horan and Matt Giteau and even Nathan Grey had the jersey? I do. The most natural 12 we have in Australia is Isaac Henry. If Henry can stay fit, keep an eye on him making a charge next season and demanding a spot in 2027. Both Carter Gordon and Len Ikitau provide cover in the squad. And even if Angus Crichton makes a switch to union, I’m backing Henry here.
13. Len Ikitau is probably the world’s best 13. Play him there. Enough said.
14. Mark Nawaqanitawase seems like he’s coming home to Union. If he does, he starts on the wing opposite to Max Jorgensen. He’s an out and out finisher.
15. Hope and pray Tom Wright comes back from his ACL seamlessly. If not, give Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii time at the back where he might actually get into games and can show off his aerial skills. Suaalii is the perfect cover for the back three and he might even make opposition coaches think twice about bombing the Wallabies off the park.
Bench: Schmidt has persisted with certain players who he must see something in but have offered little. It’s no coincidence we’ve been in games up until the final quarter. We need impact from our bench. Far more than we get now. Asiata, Tupou and Lukhan provide that in spades. Either Wilson or Tizzano would provide back row cover depending on the opposition. Both LSL and Hooper are capable of covering lock and the blindside flanker role.
Teddy Wilson must start for the Tahs next season. We need to see what all the fuss is about and whether he stands up. If he’s half as good as people say, well he is the second coming of Conor Murray. The idea of unleashing Suaalii with 20 to go isn’t unappealing either nor is bringing on Carter Gordon as a second playmaker at 12 in the right circumstances.
A final word re my selection of Cleary which is sure to trigger plenty of people and divide opinion.
He’s a professional with poise, vision and skill under pressure. A pure footballer with good union grounding as a schoolboy. The Springbok camp took time out to watch him at Wembley and came back raving.
The bottom line is that Australian rugby finds itself in a position where a push to sign Cleary requires serious consideration. A creative deal involving the Tahs as well as Japanese or French clubs isn’t impossible to imagine. It can be a fiscally responsible three-year deal.
Carter Gordon and Tom Lynagh both have serious health and fitness issues. Even if one makes it to the RWC fit, there’s no guarantee he will have had much time in the seat beforehand. The alternatives are not good enough – either utility backs or provincial level. Could I be proven wrong? Maybe. But we don’t have the luxury of time to find out.
My 33 man Squad for the Rugby World Cup 2027:
1. Bell 2. Pollard 3. De Lutiis 4. Skelton 5. Frost 6. Hooper 7. McReight 8. Valetini
9.McDermott 10. Cleary 11. Jorgensen 12. Henry 13. Ikitau 14. Nawaqanitawase 15. Wright
16. Asiata 17. Robertson 18. Tupou 19. LSL 20. Tizzano 21. T Wilson 22. C Gordon 23. Suaalii
The rest: Faessler, Schoupp, Alaalatoa, Rodda, Williams, H Wilson, Werchon, Lynagh, Daugunu, Pietsch.
Will Evanshttps://https://ift.tt/LqycIdp skipper, bolter at 12 and break the bank for one NRL star: Wallabies’ RWC 2027 squad wish list
إرسال تعليق