Opinion: Wallabies MUST capitalise on scrapped policy and embrace new era
Wallabies lock Will Skelton and an inset of Joe Schmidt and Les Kiss.
It’s finally happened. Giteau Law has been binned, and the Wallabies head coach now has ‘freedom’ to select overseas-based players without restrictions.
The controversial policy introduced as a ploy to get the then-Toulon-based Matt Giteau in the Wallabies set-up for the 2015 Rugby World Cup has been tinkered, tampered and now, finally, trashed as Rugby Australia accepts its position in the rugby landscape.
Following Springboks’ lead
In 2017, the Springboks hit their lowest of lows in the world rankings and part of their plan to return to the top was not only to bring back mastermind Rassie Erasmus but also to give him carte blanche to select any player, from anywhere in the world, regardless of their cap tally.
The weak Rand meant that many of South Africa’s best and brightest stars simply couldn’t turn down the lucrative offers from clubs abroad despite the lure of donning the Green and Gold jersey, which clearly hamstrung the Springboks. But once the ropes around the head coach’s hands were untied and those based abroad were recalled to the Test set-up and results improved.
A more well-rounded Faf de Klerk became a pivotal member of the squad that went on to win the 2019 Rugby World Cup, while players like Vincent Koch, Willie le Roux, Cobus Reinach, Frans Steyn and Francois Louw added serious depth and firepower to the squad.
That sextet had all been capped by the Boks before heading abroad, but Erasmus broke new ground with Cheslin Kolbe, who became just the second overseas-based Springboks debutant, and would go on to hammer home the final nail in England’s coffin in the 2019 Rugby World Cup final.
The removal of the outdated selection policy worked absolute wonders for the Springboks, and the same can be true for the Wallabies, but only if Joe Schmidt and later Les Kiss embrace the value that overseas-based players bring.
On Tuesday, Rugby Australia CEO Phil Waugh and director of high performance Peter Horne confirmed that the Giteau Law had been made redundant and that Schmidt had no impediment over selection. They added that this had largely been the case since his appointment as head coach.
However, the Wallabies boss has reluctantly selected stars based abroad because of the restrictions around availability to the players, the desire to give local talents the spotlight and the regulations over player releases from their clubs. Additionally, those who have committed their futures to Rugby Australia have been given preference, a policy South Africa has implemented too.
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Building country-club relationships
While the selection policy has been somewhat redundant, this is the first time that it has been publicly confirmed in such a manner, suggesting that perhaps efforts will be ramped up to get overseas players involved.
There are clear negatives to selecting overseas-based players, but they can be quickly offset by building good relationships with clubs, as the Boks have illustrated by the fact that Thomas du Toit was omitted from the Rugby Championship squad for the opening two rounds of the competition. Du Toit does have mandatory rest periods that must be adhered to by Bath, but an agreement struck out of good faith meant that the break has come during the Test season – De Klerk missed Tests for the same reasons when he was contracted to Sale Sharks too.
Similar agreements with La Rochelle could see more access to Will Skelton and other France and England-based Wallabies going forward. But the sticking point is whether the graft will be put in to achieve that.
Of course, 50/50 selection calls should go the way of the locally-based players, but the Wallabies can use the newfound freedom to not only widen their player pool but add depth too.
That will certainly help with Nic White and Dave Porecki announcing their retirements after the British and Irish Lions series, while a player like James Slipper enters the extended twilight of his career.
While many will view the ditching of the policy as a negative, it certainly cannot be worse than losing the likes of Langi Gleeson, Taniela Tupou, Tom Hooper, Rob Leota and Noah Lolesio from the Test team for the foreseeable future over a restriction that has far past its sell-by date and ultimately only weakens the Wallabies’ squad.
There is bound to be a bigger exodus of talent from Australia if the coaches embrace the policy, as players will also chase bigger paychecks if they are being offered. South Africa endured that too. However, experiencing new environments, learning from fresh voices and playing different oppositions can be pivotal in a player’s development, as shown from the likes of Kolbe and De Klerk and even Skelton. Just look at how Jordie Barrett has taken his game to another level after a brief stint with Leinster, and he was world-class before his move.
Better Test preparations
There is also a case to be made that Super Rugby is currently a massive step up to Test rugby, a fact that All Blacks forwards coach Jason Ryan has conceded recently. While veteran internationals are able to make that shift rather seamlessly, the same cannot be said of the more inexperienced members of the squad.
Perhaps the most telling example of how overseas stints can better prepare players for Test rugby lies with the latest Wallabies debutant Nick Champion De Crespigny, who was fantastic on his debut against the British and Irish Lions after three years playing the French Top 14 with Castres. Again, Barrett was clearly one of the best-prepared and Test-sharp All Blacks in July.
Schmidt is a huge believer in player-to-player coaching, but right now, Australia lacks some of that ‘been there, done that’ experience, who have been overlooked due to reluctance to call up players based abroad. A mind shift in getting those kinds of players in the mix and adding Test match animals like Skelton and Tupou, who quite clearly make the Wallabies a better outfit and subsequently improve results.
But if Schmidt’s current reluctance to call in players from abroad remains the status quo, then the relaxation of the policy will mean nought. Capitalising on the IP picked up, particularly in the north and experience that comes with it, can turn the Wallabies into a force again, but it’s not being exploited just yet.
The likes of Len Ikitau and Joseph Suaalii can gain so much from training and learning from a Samu Kerevi, while the same is true for Tom Lynagh, Ben Donaldson and even Lolesio with Bernard Foley and James O’Connor.
With Porecki retiring, the Wallabies could turn to someone like Jordan Uelese, a 28-year-old hooker who Australia invested 18 Test caps into, again to bolster their hooker stocks or even Tolu Latu, though the latter does come with some baggage.
Josh Kemeny has been tearing down trees at Northampton Saints, and while the back-row stocks are overflowing, he just deepens the selection pool. Hooper has hit his 2023 form again, and previously, his move to Exeter would effectively block further involvement with the Wallabies, but that might not be the case this time around. The elephant in the room though, is the BIG if… IF the Wallabies embrace selecting those abroad.
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More suitable destinations
While loosening the selection policy will result in players leaving Australian shores, it does also make them less attractive targets to French Top 14 clubs who prefer signing stars who they will have access to throughout the season. This is proven by the limited number of Springboks players plying their trade in France, as Jean-Luc du Preez is the only member of Erasmus’ squad who is currently contracted to a Top 14 team.
The French clubs are generally speaking far less flexible than URC and Japanese sides over player releases, with the latter not overlapping with the international season at all, which is a major bonus.
Scrapping the Giteau Law is an acceptance from Rugby Australia that times have changed and that the bigwigs’ heads aren’t buried in the sand anymore, unlike their trans-Tasman neighbours and Bledisloe rivals. But accepting that fact and acting on it are two different decisions entirely.
Test match rugby has become a 23-man effort, but as the Lions series proved again, squad depth is crucial too, as one never knows when injuries will hit the crucial positions. Rugby Australia have turned their kiddies splash pool into an Olympic-sized one, which is a massive step, but only if it is utilised.
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