Ex-Wallaby questions Joe Schmidt’s decision to rest ‘best attacking seven since George Smith’
Former Wallabies back-row Stephen Hoiles and current openside flanker Fraser McReight.
Former Wallabies loose forward Stephen Hoiles believes Australia’s head coach Joe Schmidt made a mistake to rest star openside flanker Fraser McReight for their Test with Scotland at Murrayfield on Saturday.
McReight was in the Wallabies’ starting line-up for their opening Autumn Nations Series Tests and delivered impressive performances as Schmidt’s troops registered back-to-back victories on their Grand Slam tour.
However, Schmidt opted to rest McReight and second-rower Nick Frost with up-and-coming tearaway Carlo Tizzano starting on the openside against Scotland.
“They both played 80 minutes (against Wales) and accumulated quite a bit of fatigue and a few knocks,” said Schmidt of McReight and Frost when making his team announcement for the Scotland clash.
Backed rookie flanker to shine
He was confident that Tizzano could step up and shine against Scotland after impressing earlier in the season during Australia‘s Rugby Championship campaign.
“They’re both OK. Carlo played both South African games and the two games in Argentina, he made 66 out of 67 tackles, got half a dozen turnovers and added value… I think it’s a vote of confidence for how Carlo went.”
But Hoiles, who made 16 Test appearances for the Wallabies between 2004 and 2008, feels Schmidt should have played his first-choice players, particularly with the Wallabies’ Grand Slam dreams at stake against the Scots.
“Did we rotate any players? Were they all genuinely injured?” Hoiles asked on Stan Sport’s Between Two Posts show.
“I think the fans want to know because when you’re playing for a Grand Slam… two more games to go – as a Wallabies fan, if Fraser McReight was fit to play or even touch and go, mate, he’s as good as any seven in the world at the moment, we needed him.”
While the match against Scotland is a thing of the past now, Hoiles feels Schmidt should’ve gone into that match with his strongest matchday squad especially as there was so much to play for in the grander scheme of things.
“If we beat Scotland we’re about to play Ireland for a Grand Slam and it means so much to everyone,” he said.
‘The best attacking seven since George Smith’
“I wonder if we were sticking to the plan of making sure certain players would get game time on tour and trying to see what the future looks like. He’s (McReight) the best attacking seven since George Smith. That’s how good he is. Like, I’m not saying he’s better.
“His attacking style – we’ve been blessed with number sevens. Like Hoops (Michael Hooper) is a Hall of Famer. And Hoops is a way more balanced player and Fraser’s got a lot to achieve before he gets to that level, but his attacking ability and he keeps the play alive.
“He sets up, he’s got an offload, he’s got support play. We’ve had Poey (David Pocock), we’ve had Waughy (Phil Waugh), we’ve had so many good number sevens, but none of them have been able to attack like George Smith, except Fraser.
“Tizzano has been a really good performer this year but McReight is clearly one of the most attacking, intelligent, best support players at number seven we’ve got in world rugby and we’re just lucky he’s a Wallaby.”
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