Match Preview - Wallabies vs Barbarians
December 03, 2008 - 5:46pm
Story by: ARU
Barbarians matches use to be a bit of a doddle.
A chance to relax and have some fun at the end of a long tour. Throw the ball around, score some tries (greeted by polite applause) and give the tourists a nice send off – usually with a 20-point victory.
But all that changed last year when the Barbarians – coached by Bob Dwyer – hammered the newly crowd world champions South Africa 22-5 at Twickenham.
It was a bitter pill for Springbok coach Jake White as it was his last game in charge and not the way he wanted to go out.
The Boks chief tormentor on that day was Qantas Wallabies flyhalf Matt Giteau, who scored a try and landed a penalty goal and two conversions, in a masterful display. Also on the scoreboard that day was Wallabies flanker Rocky Elsom.
White would have already been plotting his revenge – as soon as the final whistle blew – and now he gets his chance as he coaches the Barbarians against the Men of Gold in a match played to celebrate Australia’s Olympic Games success 100 years ago.
It is also the first Rugby match played at the new Wembley Stadium.
Elsom and Giteau are not in the Wallabies line up on Wednesday night (Thursday morning 6.45am AEDT) but that will not lessen White’s fiercely competitive drive.
To call the team the Rugby World Cup winning coach in 2007 has assembled a “World XV” is something of an understatement.
The Barbarians is not only a collection of the best Rugby players on the planet – but also a few players who are among the best their country has ever produced.
The line up contains four of the last five winners of the IRB Player of the Year Award: Welsh winger Shane Williams (2208), Springbok winger Bryan Habana (2007), All Blacks skipper Richie McCaw (2006) and Springbok flanker Schalk Burger (2004).
The only superstar missing is the 2005 winner – All Blacks flyhalf Dan Carter, who probably would be playing to if he hadn’t start his sabbatical with Perpignan in France.
Indeed when the Wallabies run out on Wednesday night it might resemble something of a horror show.
Look one way and they’ll come eyeball to eyeball with McCaw, who isn’t even the captain. Look the other and they come face to face with the human cheetah, the top tryscorer at the 2007 RWC, Habana.
Spin around and they’ll confront the Boks Rugby World Cup wining captain John Smit and standing nearby some of his Rugby World Cup winning team mates – Burger, lock Bakkies Botha and scrumhalf Fourie du Preez.
Out in the centres is arguably the best midfield player in the world, another South African Jean De Villiers, and alongside him dangerous All Black runner Rico Gear.
Throw in tryscoring All Blacks machine Joe Rokocoko and New Zealand hard man Jerry Collins and you start to get an idea of the task facing the Wallabies.
Indeed when Williams, who singlehandedly inspired Wales to victory over the Men of Gold on the weekend, can only make the bench (!) – you’ve got to say this Barbarians side is a fair team.
And the final icing on the cake – sitting alongside Williams is a Wallabies legend – George Gregan, who would like nothing better than to chalk one up against his old team mates.
It’s a tribute to White’s reputation, and his repoire with his players, that they have fronted up for him at the end of such a long and exhausting season.
White hasn’t spared any experience on the coaching staff either, bringing in former Wallabies coach Eddie Jones, who helped mastermind the Boks World Cup win last year, as his Assistant Coach.
On the Wallabies side things are a little different. At the end of an arduous six week Spring Tour, one of the toughest in Wallabies history, Robbie Deans has opted to use many of the younger players in his squad.
Partly to give them some big match experience – partly because they are the last men standing.
There are only five Wallabies remaining from the XV who ran out to take on Wales – outside centre Ryan Cross, winger Digby Ioane, No.8 Richard Graham, flanker Hugh McMeniman (who moves to lock) and lock Mark Chisholm.
Gone from the line up are stars like Giteau, Wallabies captain Stirling Mortlock, Rookie of the Year Peter Hynes and the entire front row that has performed so well to date on tour - Al Baxter, Stephen Moore and Benn Robinson.
In their place comes 20 year-old Reds flyhalf Quade Cooper, starting his first ever game for the Wallabies and 18-year-old Force centre-come-fullback James O’Connor, the second youngest ever Wallaby of all time.
They are joined by scrumhalf Brett Sheehan, getting his first action of the tour as well as prop Sekope Kepu, also starting his first ever match at this level.
The young Wallabies will lack nothing in enthusiasm but give their opponents quite a bit in terms of experience.
In one big plus, Lote Tuqiri returns from injury to start his first match on tour and his presence will do much to settle the younger stars in the Wallabies line up.
Perhaps the most intriguing thing is how both teams will approach the match.
Barbarians matches are traditionally free-flowing affairs with both teams tossing the ball around but Wallabies captain George Smith has already suggested that the Wallabies will approach it more as a Test match and stick to their structures.
Also the last thing Jake White coached teams are known for is free-flowing Rugby. Often when his teams have tried that in the past it has led to near disaster.
Such as when the Springboks tried to match Fiji in the running Rugby stakes in last year’s Rugby World Cup Quarter Final and almost found themselves exiting at the Quarter Final stage as well.
Only the calm head of Smit, bringing the Boks back to a more structured game plan, saw the eventual winners home.
At flyhalf for the Barbarians is the mercurial Francois Steyn, a wonder with long range drop goals but not highly regarded for getting his backline away – so that could also prove problematic for the Barbarians in trying to release their incredibly talented backline.
White will be determined to win – very determined – and he may sacrifice opening up the game for a prized victory over the Men of Gold.
Don’t be surprised if this develops into a tight tussle with both teams kicking for position, keeping it close to the forwards and only spreading it wide when they are in their opponents 22. The match could easily develop into a very tight “Test”.
But one of the thrills for spectators and those of us watching on TV will be the scramble between the backrows.
Smith versus McCaw is always a clash worth seeing. The Kiwi skipper has shaded the Wallabies hero on the previous occasions they have met this year and “Horhay” will be determined to finish on top in this one.
But when you add Collins and Burger to the mix it’s clear Smith is about to face one of the toughest days of his brilliant career and his backrow partners, Richard Brown and Dean Mumm, will need to have the games of their lives.
The Wallabies claimed the gold medal a century ago by beating a Cornwall XV, representing Great Britain. The Barbarians will prove slightly tougher opposition for the Men of Gold to repeat that victory.
For a friendly match played to celebrate that anniversary there is a bit of edge to this game.
But in the end the result may not be that important to the Wallabies.
Cooper has already far exceeded expectations on tour, winning the Test in Italy with a superb solo try and playing a solid 78 minutes in Cardiff following Mortlock’s injury.
If some other young Wallabies like O’Connor and Kepu can have big games – and others like hooker Tatafu Polota-Nau can start to realise their potential in such august company, Deans (and Men of Gold fans) may not be that concerned if the Wallabies end up on the wrong side of the scoreboard.
The match kicks off at 6.45am, Thursday 4th December, AEDT and is broadcast on Channel Ten across Australia. To check telecast times in your area visit our Broadcast Details page.
Qantas Wallabies
15. James O’Connor (Western Force), 14. Lote Tuqiri (NSW Waratahs), 13. Ryan Cross (Western Force), 12. Adam Ashley-Cooper (Brumbies), 11. Digby Ioane (Queensland Reds), 10. Quade Cooper (Queensland Reds), 9. Brett Sheehan (NSW Waratahs), 8. Richard Brown (Western Force), 7. George Smith (Brumbies, captain)
6. Dean Mumm (NSW Waratahs), 5. Hugh McMeniman (Queensland Reds), 4. Mark Chisholm (Brumbies), 3. Matt Dunning (NSW Waratahs), 2. Tatafu Polota-Nau (NSW Waratahs), 1. Sekope Kepu (NSW Waratahs)
Run on reserves:
16. Adam Freier (NSW Waratahs), 17. Ben Alexander (Brumbies), 18. Peter Kimlin (Brumbies), 19. David Pocock (Western Force), 20. Luke Burgess (NSW Waratahs), 21. Lachie Turner (NSW Waratahs), 22. Drew Mitchell (Western Force)
Barbarians
15 Percy Montgomery, 14 Joe Rokocoko, 13 Rico Gear, 12 Jean de Villiers, 11 Bryan Habana, 10 Francois Steyn, 9 Fourie du Preez, 8 Jerry Collins, 7 Richie McCaw, 6 Schalk Burger, 5 Johan Muller, 4 Bakkies Botha, 3 Census Johnston, 2 John Smit (c), 1 Federico Pucciariello.
Replacements: 16 Mark Regan, 17 Rodney Blake, 18 Chris Jack, 19 Nick Koster, 20 George Gregan, 21 Ollie Smith, 22 Shane Williams.
Date: Wednesday, 3 December
Venue: Wembley Stadium
Kick-off: 19:30 GMT
Referee: Chris White (England)
Touch judges: Wayne Barnes (England), Steve Terheege (England)
TMO: Geoff Warren (England)
