Cheika looks to Euro exiles’ return to lift Wallabies
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MICHAEL Cheika is expecting critics to “put the boot in” after the Wallabies were swept 0-3 by England in their June series but expects a handful of experienced European exiles to boost Australia’s Rugby Championship campaign.
The 40-44 third-test defeat in Sydney on Saturday was a fourth straight loss for the Wallabies going back to last year’s World Cup final and their next two matches could not be harder — back-to-back tests against New Zealand in August.
Cheika said there would be no compromise over the attacking tactics that saw Australia outscore England 10 tries to 9 over the series but lose all three tests.
“I want us to be able to play that type of footy and we can do it without as many errors and that means working harder, being fitter, being more accurate and getting guys to fulfill their potential more,” he said. “I will always accept full consequences from that style of game.”
Injuries to loose forward David Pocock in the first test and lineout caller Rob Simmons in the first and third tests did not help Australia’s cause and left the side on the pitch at the end of the series very different to that which started the World Cup final.
Cheika said part of his plan for the series was to try and create more depth in some positions and he felt the performances of the likes of center Samu Kerevi and lock Rory Arnold had given him that.
He was still, though, looking forward to welcoming back European-based stalwarts like center Matt Giteau, scrumhalf Will Genia and outside backs Adam Ashley-Cooper and Drew Mitchell for the Rugby Championship. “The plan was always to bring back the guys from Europe,” he added. “I saw them all in January and asked them who wanted to keep playing and they all put their hand up to play.
“We gave those guys a break, you can’t play rugby for 12 months of the year and in that came the opportunity to blood some new blokes in this series.”
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