Deans has enough on his plate without his own players going wild, says Tim Cronin from RugbyShirts.net…
There will be some late nights spent by Robbie Deans and his fellow selectors as they plot the downfall of the British and Irish Lions, with the make-up of their team depending hugely on the style of play the Wallabies aim to take, and the selection criteria they employ to determine who will wear the green and gold jersey.
There is plenty of talent floating round in the various backlines of the five Australian Super XV franchises, and the fact that many of them can cover a number of different positions makes the selection process that much tougher. The fact of the matter is that these decisions will be based not only on how talented and capable the individuals are, but also on how their personalities contribute to the culture of the team, with some of Australia's most gifted players also being a bit loose in the head!
Of course I'm talking about Quade Cooper and Kurtley Beale. Cooper famously fell out with Deans last year, and I'm sure any bridges that have been built in recent months are pretty wobbly ones. To earn selection for the Lions' tour Cooper's form would need to be thoroughly compelling, and he just hasn't achieved that yet.
Beale is similarly volatile. Unquestionably talented and a very real threat on attack, Beale is a close friend of Mr Brain-Explosion, and Deans may well feel he's better off without him in his squad. The Lions will pose such a challenging proposition for the Wallabies that they will need a squad which plays for each other, rather than a team made up of individual stars, and I'm inclined to think that will cost both Cooper and Beale their spots in the side. It will be interesting to see how Deans balances experience with the exciting new stars emerging in the midfield and outside backs. Is their room for veterans like Drew Mitchell and Berrick Barnes and relatively conservative but oh-do-solid players like Mike Harris, or will he look to inject youth and enthusiasm in to his backline in the shape of Christian Lealifano, Nick Cummins and Jesse Mogg?
Israel Folau is the other big name in the mix. A player who undoubtedly possesses X-factor, but will he find his feet in Rugby Union in time to make the cut? Having said that, even playing slightly below par he's managing to make an impression on the Super XV competition, and personally I think Deans has to include him.
In the loose there are a number of quality players battling for positions, with much hinging on whether the ARU is able to secure the services of George Smith through until the middle of the year. Young opensides Liam Gill and Michael Hooper will be hoping the ARU can't come to terms with Suntory, as they're the next cabs off the rank, while seasoned campaigners Scott Higginbotham and Dave Dennis are both likely to miss the cut, such is the depth in this area. In the tight-forwards there is little depth, to say the least, and the set-pieces are an area of the game the Lions will expect to dominate and will look to exploit.
James Horwill's return will be a welcome one, and the impressive form of fellow-lock Sitaleki Timani should consign Rob Simmons to the bench, but Deans will be sweating any injuries to those three. Stephen Moore has returned to his best, and is demanding the starting role at hooker, with the likes of Tatafu Polota-Nau and Saia Fainga’a fighting for the other spot. Australia will never dominate the Lions at scrum time, so Deans will be looking for props who can stop the Wallabies going backwards, rather than make genuine inroads.
It says much about their depth in the front-row that Benn Robinson is still about as good as it gets in Aussie, although Ben Alexander on the other side is half decent. I'm not convinced Deans has enough consistent performers across the park to genuinely challenge the Lions, but he does have some true game breakers, and if he can get the mix right then that never-say-die Aussie attitude will mean they're always an outside chance.
For what it's worth, here's my line up to take on the Lions - 1. Benn Robinson 2. Stephen Moore 3. Ben Alexander 4. James Horwill 5. Sitaleki Timani 6. Ben Mowen 7. George Smith 8. Wycliff Palu 9. Will Genia 10. James O'Connor 11.Nick Cummins 12. Ben Tapuai 13.Adam Ashley-Cooper 14.Digby Ioane 15. Israel Folau Reserves - 16. Tatafu Polota-Nau 17.James Slipper 18.Rob Simmons 19.Liam Gill 20. Nic White 21.Christian Lealifano 22. Jesse Mogg
Tim Cronin is a Rugby fan and full time writer based in the rubble of the Canterbury Crusaders’ home town, Christchurch. Tim is a part of the Pukeko Sportsteam, where his role is watching, writing, and complaining about all things rugby.
This is Tim’s last regular blog for HoR2 for the time being. His first contribution was back in July 2012 – Friday the 13th no less – but his weekly posts have brought the site anything BUT bad luck! We wish him well in his future ventures and hope to hear from him again before too long. Thanks mate, and best wishes also to the Crusaders & All Blacks for the rest of the season down there! JLP
