RUGBY UNION-WORLD/AUSTRALIA-PREVIEW 2015 Rugby Union World Cup - Australia profile

Record ID: 141674

  • Title: RUGBY UNION-WORLD/AUSTRALIA-PREVIEW 2015 Rugby Union World Cup - Australia profile
  • Date: 7th September 2015
  • Summary: SYDNEY, NEW SOUTH WALES, AUSTRALIA (AUGUST 21, 2015) (REUTERS) WALLABIES SQUAD STANDING ON STEPS OF AIRCRAFT WALLABIES COACH, MICHAEL CHEIKA AND CAPTAIN STEPHEN MOORE WALLABIES PLAYERS ON STAGE CHEIKA AND MOORE FLYHALF QUADE COOPER (SOUNDBITE) (English) AUSTRALIA COACH, MICHAEL CHEIKA, SAYING: "I don't know why people are quizzing that selection. He has been a long-term player for Australia and I think he has done well for us. He can obviously improve like all our players can. I think he did well last week, I think it is an easy stereotype to have a crack at him and as a coach I evaluate what is in the game not what is written or tweeted, or whatever, you know what I mean. So I just analyse what's in the game, what can this player can do for us in our system, we see some improvements we can make in him over the next few weeks that will get him playing better in our system there, but eh, I'm really comfortable with selecting him, I don't think there was a question for me in that." PLAYERS ON STAGE IN FRONT OF AIRCRAFT (SOUNDBITE) (English) AUSTRALIA COACH, MICHAEL CHEIKA, SAYING: "Well, the selection was based on all the four matches plus what we've seen in Super Rugby plus a bit of history. You know, you sort of weight everything according to what you need and the balance you need of some guys in form, some guys still with improvements to make and try to get that balance right too so we looked over the four games in the [Rugby] Championship backed into the Super Rugby and the Spring Tour of last year as well and we made the decisions that we feel give us the best balanced team for the draw that we have going forward." AUSTRALIAN RUGBY UNION CEO BILL PULVER ON STAGE (SOUNDBITE) (English) AUSTRALIA CAPTAIN, STEPHEN MOORE, SAYING: "Look, I think, the World Cup's obviously the pinnacle of our game and it requires you to play seven games in a row at your absolute best and that's something we're really going to have to do right from the start. You know, Fiji are playing really well at the moment so that's a good start for us, we're going to have to be right on our game right from the start so, I think, ultimately the best team will win the World Cup so if we go over there and show that we'll get what we want." WALLABIES SQUAD ON STAGE CHEIKA AND MOORE WALKING OFF STAGE
  • Embargoed: 22nd September 2015 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: United Kingdom
  • Country: United Kingdom
  • Topics: General
  • Reuters ID: LVA413Q063X5673U9363CAEMA98Y
  • Aspect Ratio: 16:9
  • Story Text: Australia have undergone quite a revival since Michael Cheika took the reins last year but it remains to be seen if 10 months is really enough time to put together a Wallabies side capable of delivering a third World Cup.
    Although victories over Argentina, South Africa and New Zealand to win this year's Rugby Championship were evidence that Australia can beat anyone on their day, a 41-13 loss to the All Blacks was a reminder that consistency is still lacking.
    Faced with the toughest pool in the history of the World Cup, which also features hosts England and Wales, Australia know that even qualifying second means they would probably have to beat the Springboks and All Blacks to get to the final.
    Their prospects look a lot better, however, than they did when Ewen McKenzie stunned Australia by resigning following disappointing results on the pitch and controversy off it.
    Charismatic former Leinster and New South Wales Waratahs boss Cheika took over as the third coach in 13 months and showed no inclination to manage existing resources and hope that something of quality would evolve.
    He was the driving force behind Australia's decision to allow players based abroad to represent the Wallabies if they had won 60 caps and welcomed back Toulon centre Matt Giteau and winger Drew Mitchell.
    While McKenzie would not pick players heading abroad, Cheika virtually dragged tighthead lock Kane Douglas off the plane on his arrival back in Australia after he cut short his stay in Ireland.
    Faced with having two of his best players, and leaders, playing in the same position, he took a shot at playing both David Pocock and Michael Hooper in the same back row and came away with a first win over the All Blacks in four years.
    He spoke on his first day in the job about needing to fix the weaknesses, both real and perceived, in the scrum and brought Argentine great Mario Ledesma over to help.
    In his playing days Cheika was a combative number eight at the Randwick club where he would help set the platform for the likes of Mark Ella and David Campese.
    He has always shown a belief that teams must establish their right to play expansive rugby in the early collisions of the big men.
    So although Australia boast a potentially potent backline, Cheika tried to cram as much forward muscle into his squad as possible, eventually settling for a 17-14 split.
    An acknowledgement of the need to "bring something different" and test his combinations in the heat of international rugby led him to chop and change his team over the Rugby Championship.
    The downside to that was uncertainty, and there can be few in Australia who would predict with confidence who will be wearing the key number nine and 10 shirts when the Wallabies play their first Pool A match against Fiji in Cardiff on Sept. 23.
    Cheika, however, has shown scant regard for shirt numbers in his commitment to 23-man rugby, with the eight men on his bench long branded "finishers" rather than replacements.
    Despite Ledesma's work, question marks will always remain about Australia's tight five and Cheika's decision to take captain Stephen Moore and the injury prone Tatafu Polota-Nau as his only hookers could come back to haunt him.
    While both England and Wales will fancy their chances of putting pressure on Australia up front, a backline featuring fullback Israel Folau, centre Tevita Kuridrani and mavericks Kurtley Beale and Quade Cooper will always give them a chance.
    And if the forwards can gain parity at least in each match, then winning a third World Cup on British soil after 1991 and 1999 might not be the pipe dream it looked last year.
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