Wallabies feeling pressure as Kiss cooks up Cup ‘pie’
Murray Wenzel |
Fraser McReight has detailed the Wallabies’ selection heat and desire to frank their form in Argentina as players try to fit into Les Kiss’s World Cup “pie”.
The Wallabies are 2-0 under Kiss and have won their last three Tests, twice scoring more than 50 points after thumping Italy and then toppling Japan in back-to-back weeks.
They head to Argentina on Sunday ahead of games in San Salvador de Jujuy and Mendoza before returning to Perth to face South Africa, and attempting to win the Bledisloe Cup for the first time since 2002.
Kiss made the most of the match-up with Eddie Jones’s side who had sunk from No.10 to No.12 in the world rankings, challenging contenders in the pack and midfield to stake their claims for next year’s home World Cup.
It meant McReight, arguably the world’s best No.7, came off the bench in last week’s Townsville win while star backrowers Rob Valetini and Tom Hooper were left out altogether.
Charlie Cale, Harry Wilson and Carlo Tizzano started in that game, with McReight and Tizzano combining as a pilfering pair for the final 15 minutes of the clash.
Isaac Henry’s impressive starting debut at No.13 also raised eyebrows, given regular midfield pair Len Ikitau and Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii were both missing from that clash but will be available in Argentina.
“There’s a lot of depth and competition drives performance; it’s not even just at the back row,” McReight said.
“Kissy’s doing a good job of keeping it all together.
“He’s just come in and he understands that his job is to win a World Cup, and he has a short runway.
“So he has to figure out who is the best 32, 34, players are. You’ve got to figure out who fits in that pie.”
McReight thinks his partnership with Tizzano, coined McZzano, can work but admits Kiss has kept his cards close to his chest since replacing former coach Joe Schmidt.
“I don’t know what Les has planned. (Having extra pilferers on the park) takes a bit of the pressure off, but it means someone’s missing out,” he said.
“And it’s only going to get tougher, right?
“The goal is to win a World Cup and to win the Bledisloe and to do that you’re going to have to have depth.
“(Before becoming coach) you can be watching and understanding who Joe’s been playing and picking and using.
“But once you’re in it, that’s when you kind of figure out who people are, how they tick. He’s done a great job of that so far.”
Australia sit narrowly behind world No.7 Argentina in the world rankings and, since back-to-back draws in 2020 and three-straight Wallabies wins, have lost four of their last six encounters.
“All the work we’re doing is paying off, but if we’re honest look at the teams we did that against,” McReight said of the relieving three-game streak.
“We’re where we are in the world rankings for a reason and we have to start performing and beating those best sides.”
AAP