Wallabies Roll the Dice on Selection Policy

With the Wallabies head coach Dave Rennie selecting mostly players plying their trade in Australia, there has been plenty of debate regarding the selection policy of the national side.

There are two schools of thought on the subject, but it looks like the Wallabies have decided the direction they want to go in as they build towards the 2023 World Cup in France.

Tournament Hosts Provide Good Acid Test

All but two of Rennie’s squad for the July Test series against France are players playing overseas. Even then, both Michael Hooper and Matt Philip are on short-term deals abroad and will be back playing in Australia for the 2022 Super Rugby campaign.

With 36 of the 38-man squad playing in Australia, the likes of Kurtley Beale, Adam Coleman, Samu Kerevi, Sean McMahon, and Will Skelton all missed out on Rennie’s squad. The Wallabies have an option called the ‘Giteau Law’, which would allow players overseas to be selected if they have 60 caps or more. However, it looks like Rennie, who is 12/1 in the rugby union betting to guide Australia to the 2023 World Cup title, is not interested in the option. With a three-Test series against a dangerous French side this summer, there will be even more focus applied to Australia’s selection policy, as they build towards the major tournament.

If It’s Good Enough For the All Blacks

Those backing the current selection policy will emphasize the benefits of keeping Australia’s best players at home, as they help attendances and grow the game Down Under. Of course, New Zealand has adopted the policy for a number of years, and it has done the All Blacks no harm. The question of selection is never raised when a team is winning, and the fact New Zealand, despite missing out on the last World Cup, is still one of the most feared teams means questions of policy are rarely highlighted.

On the flip side, reigning world champions, the Springboks, have a host of their star players playing outside of South Africa. Australia has been forced to pick a side when it comes to going about selection, and Rennie looks to have made his bed and is ready to sleep in it during his tenure as the Wallabies coach.

2023 World Cup Will Reveal All

Ultimately the decision to select players playing in Australia will only be seen as a success or a failure following the next World Cup in France. The Wallabies have a tricky group for the major tournament, as they prepare to face 2021 Six Nations champions Wales and an entertaining Fiji side in Pool C.

There are always expectations of the two-time champions going into the competition, and all involved at Rugby Australia will be hoping the selection path they chose leads them to a third world title in 2023.