Michael Cheika had a plan for everything in Argentina, including telling his players to sing the national anthem as loudly as possible just in case the local performer once again forgot the words, as happened on a regrettable evening here last year.
Now he must plan for his biggest test since becoming Wallabies coach as he re-selects a squad to meet the All Blacks in Sydney in just under a fortnight, a match that will do far more than decide the winner of this year’s Rugby Championship.
Australia’s four-try, bonus-point victory over Los Pumas means the winner will take home the silverware. Both sides are undefeated, with the All Blacks producing a superb finish to overhaul South Africa in a high-quality affair in Johannesburg.
On a broader scale, it’s the ultimate test of how far the Wallabies have progressed under Cheika’s stewardship, as well as a clear pointer to any ambitions at the Rugby World Cup later in the year.
That the All Blacks remained the No.1 team in the game was put beyond any doubt in South Africa. They were mauled by a brilliant Springboks back-row early before surging back, winning with a piece of line-out trickery that saw the old master, Richie McCaw, walk over untouched.
The Wallabies, too, are undefeated in the tournament, with a comeback win over the Springboks in Brisbane the preface to what would end up being a decisive victory over the Pumas despite a number of key injuries, like the early loss of centre Matt Toomua, who was sent straight back to the hotel after the game to recover from a head knock.
Cheika knows the imperfections of both performances but can feel the confidence building within his group, as well as a gentle surge of enthusiasm from Wallabies fans who’ve done it tough over recent years.
But he said there must be a quantum leap between what the Wallabies have dished up thus far and what they must do to conquer the All Blacks, who haven’t lost to Australia since being beaten in 2011 at Suncorp Stadium.
“It’s very obvious that New Zealand are the best team in the world … and I mean by a long way at this stage. To beat South Africa like they did, I think they did it pretty easy in the end,” Cheika said.
“They’ve been so consistent over so many years, so just having a couple of wins in the Rugby Championship, you’re not going to guarantee anything. We’ve got to work really hard over the next couple of weeks, plan well and really make sure that [when] we run out at ANZ Stadium in a couple of weeks’ time we’re ready to make Australian rugby people proud of how we play.
“I don’t know how that will end up, but I know we’ll be ready to do that bit at least.”
After tinkering a touch over the first two games, Cheika will now begin to show his hand in terms of the World Cup. Playing the All Blacks is no place for lab experiments and he will re-select the entire squad for the match in Sydney and away in Auckland.
There’s bound to be some disappointed faces and Cheika said he was also looking to new faces not available for the opening rounds of the tournament.
“I’ve seen guys in practice over the last three or four weeks now and we’ve got a few guys who will be back available now, Wycliff Palu will become available now as will Henry Speight,” Cheika said. “I’m not sure where Sam Carter is right now but we might start including him down the track somewhere. We might add someone in, still move it around a little bit and see how we go.”
Lock Kane Douglas, on the way back from Ireland, could also expect a phone call although Cheika wasn’t promising the family farm to the former Waratah, with Will Skelton strong in a much-improved 80-minute outing in Mendoza and Dean Mumm and James Horwill both taking their chances over the past fortnight.
“I will have to have a see officially where he’s at. Has he actually signed yet … if he has we’ll have a look but what I need to do is to see him training and fit,” Cheika said. “James Horwill, for example, didn’t play tonight [against the Pumas] and played really well last week. He’s been a real positive influence around the team. It just doesn’t mean he [Douglas] will come straight back in.”
Kurtley Beale seems certain to feature as he makes his way back to fitness, while the ideal make-up of the scrum remains to be seen. Scott Sio would be the one man pushing for a start after scrummaging strongly in both his appearances from the bench. What Cheika wants more than anything is for Wallabies fans to have a glimmer of hope once again and turn out in big numbers for the Australians’ final appearance on home soil before leaving for the World Cup.
“We want as many as we can to go there and watch it. We know where the All Blacks are and it’s a long stretch for us to get up there but we want our people to be proud of us,” he said.
