The Wallabies must learn from their mistake in the Quade Cooper-Carter Gordon selection dilemma and avoid a similar situation in the future. The controversial decision to choose both experienced Quade Cooper and young talent Carter Gordon for the five-eighth position was seen as a poor choice, causing confusion and negatively impacting team performance. The lesson to be learned is the importance of selecting a clear and consistent lineup, understanding the implications of mixing youth and experience in key positions. This misstep should serve as a valuable reminder for the Wallabies to avoid repeating such selection conundrums in the future..
The All Blacks would have done exactly the same thing on Saturday, so Gordon’s inclusion should give the Wallabies some extra security in defence.
At Super Rugby level, at least, Gordon has been a willing and effective defender, and he has absolutely earned his start in Melbourne.
Considering Cooper’s track record against the All Blacks, it is not really a roll of the dice at all, and presumably Jones has already told him that his World Cup hopes do not depend on a good performance. His place in France is already assured.
What is likely to happen, however, is that the All Blacks slightly shift their focus to Petaia and Samu Kerevi, especially as they have at least one strike play that is specifically designed to exploit uncertain midfield combinations.
It’s true that Petaia and Kerevi have some history in the midfield together, but their partnership at the Reds is ancient history now and the challenge posed by Jordie Barrett and Rieko Ioane will be both physical and nuanced.
Against Argentina, the All Blacks ran a midfield move that cut Los Pumas to pieces, with Barrett carrying, Ioane running the dummy line and No.10 Damian McKenzie hovering in behind for the pullback pass from Barrett.
The All Blacks are at short odds to run that again on Saturday, with Richie Mo’unga in for McKenzie, but possessing the same sort of acceleration that McKenzie used to slice through Los Pumas.
Petaia’s selection, not that of Gordon, will have been the one that caught the All Blacks’ attention, with the Rebels playmaker well regarded in New Zealand — and already studied hard by their Super Rugby teams.
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None of these issues will necessarily stop the Wallabies from performing well on Saturday; getting up for one-off occasions against the All Blacks is part of their recent history.
But their struggles in the Rugby Championship so far, and the selection moves made by Jones, will tell the dispassionate observer that nothing should be off limits for the incoming high-performance tsar if Australian rugby is serious about returning to its glory days.
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The Wallabies have made some interesting selection moves ahead of their match against the All Blacks on Saturday. The inclusion of Carter Gordon should provide extra security in defense, while the selection of Jordan Petaia is seen as riskier. The All Blacks are likely to focus on targeting Petaia and Samu Kerevi in the midfield, as they have a play designed to exploit uncertain combinations. The Wallabies’ struggles in the Rugby Championship and these selection moves indicate that changes may be needed for Australian rugby to return to its former success.
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