Creating a Wallabies’ backrow of authority and cohesion may just have begun with the union of Harry Wilson, Rob Valetini and Michael Hooper.
Wallabies coach Dave Rennie admirably resisted the temptation to make a raft of changes for Tuesday night’s second Test against the French in Melbourne.
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The players can cop a bit of extra fatigue if they play three Tests in 11 days because, more than anything, key partnerships need that time together to click.
You only forge that on the field which is why having the entire backrow back-up just six days after the first Test is a positive move.
“What I like about this backrow, playing with Harry and Bobby, is their go-forward,” Wallabies skipper Michael Hooper said.
“What has impressed me watching them from afar this year and now in camp is that they have presence on both sides of the ball.
“Not one-dimensional...that’s nice to be a part of.
“They can have a presence on ‘D’, then there’s a hell of a ball carry and they can have subtle touches too.
“Isi (Naisarani) brings another piece off the bench.
“The backrow is pretty hotly contested in our squad at the moment. We are leaving out guys who could come in and do a really good job too.”
Backrowers like Lachie Swinton, Michael Wells, Rob Leota and Fraser McReight will have to cool their heels for now because Rennie has given a strong signal that he has identified his top backrow trio.
Basic profiling of the Wallabies’ new backrow shortchanges all three players if you just consider Wilson as a forceful ball-carter/offloader, Valetini as a hammer-time runner and thumper and Hooper as a “workrate” performer in multiple areas.
Valetini added in a few offloads, earned turnovers and his eight ruck cleanouts topped the team. Wilson topped the tackle count for the Wallabies. For breakdown arrivals, Hooper (30 times) clearly led the team based on the first three players arriving at the scene.
Hopefully, you’ll see more ball-carrying metres from the two 112kg-plus units in the backrow and bigger results from their skills in Melbourne too. Wilson looming up out wide in support and Valetini getting two or three strong touches in quick succession to soften up the French is just what the pack needs.
Hooper is an openside flanker. The knack to stand firm over the ball, get his hands in there and wrestle a not-releasing penalty to turn the momentum of a game must always be a big part of his game or he’s not fulfilling his role.
Hooper won three turnovers in Brisbane.
That skill is one of the most influential traits to McReight’s game so the Wallabies have a quality breakdown disrupter to promote when they need one.
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The first Test was just a start for the Wilson-Valetini-Hooper backrow and the trio will only get better with time in the saddle.
Hooper has now played 106 Tests. When he made his debut off the bench against Scotland in Newcastle in 2002, Dave Dennis, David Pocock and Scott Higginbotham made up the starting backrow for the Wallabies.
Nearly 20 players have featured since in Wallabies’ backrows beside Hooper.
It’s a measure of his remarkable longevity but the turnover also reflects the never-ending search for the perfect backrow which former Wallabies coach Michael Cheika made too many changes to find.
Cheika became a master of the pick-and-flick at backrow time with players like Caleb Timu and Richard Hardwick plus slightly longer experiments in Lopeti Timani.
Should Wilson, Valetini and Hooper all get into top gear in this second Test, we may well be confident about bigger pay-offs down the track.
One thing is certain. There hasn’t been a world-beating Wallabies side in history without a world-beating backrow.
