Chris Rattue: All Blacks coach Ian Foster paid the price for nonsense selections

OPINION:

Australian rugby has desperately tried to land a decent shot on New Zealand throughout the 2020 rugby season.

They finally did it, having already gone oh so close during the first Bledisloe Cup contest in Wellington.

Congratulations to Dave Rennie, the hugely impressive captain Michael Hooper and their Wallaby side. They showed great resolve and belief to emerge from the shame of Sydney to win a fascinatingly shambolic battle at Suncorp Stadium.

It was a poor-quality test high on stunning drama and tension. And the good guys won if you believe the health of the Wallabies is vital to the health of world rugby, and want the Bledisloe Cup to regain its former significance.

The Wallabies had a lot of help.

The arrogance which initially gripped New Zealand Rugby this year, in its international dealings, took hold around the All Blacks' selection table last week.

Referee Nick Berry, right, awards a try to Australia during the Bledisloe rugby test between Australia and New Zealand at Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane. Photo / AP

And Ian Foster paid the price, suffering his first defeat as All Black head coach. He deserved it.

From the heights of Sydney, and the securing of the Bledisloe Cup yet again, the All Black bosses had a brain fade this week.

Rather than tweak a highly successful side allowing promising combinations to build while rewarding star performers, they threw all of the pieces in the air and went with wherever they landed.

The "resting" of Richie Mo'unga was a disgrace, after his brilliant performance in Sydney. All Blacks greatness was not built on this sort of nonsense.

I'm starting to wonder if player power, the pressure to keep star players in this country, is having an unhealthy influence under Foster's stewardship.

Referee Nick Berry shows a red card to New Zealand's Ofa Tuungafasi, right, for a dangerous tackle during the Bledisloe rugby test between Australia and New Zealand. Photo / AP

Rieko Ioane's selection in the first test, starting in the centres ahead of Anton Lienert-Brown, was ridiculous. The high profile Ioane makes it clear he wants to be a centre, even though he isn't good enough for the test No 13 jersey.

And rather than let the Mo'unga-Beauden Barrett axis develop further after the Sydney triumph, Foster broke it up and allowed superstar Barrett to reclaim the No 10 jersey he prizes.

The backline didn't get a makeover. It was rebuilt, including on the bench. This doesn't do the players any favour at all.

Ngani Laumape's prospects probably nosedived. Yappy TJ Perenara was found wanting again. Sevu Reece made one horrible error. Jordie Barrett faded. Most importantly, Beauden Barrett failed to orchestrate a discernible game plan or change the flow, and did nothing to further the idea that he is a better No 10 than fullback.

Instead of being carefully slotted into a working engine, players were forced to suddenly reacquaint themselves with systems and new team mates. It showed.

In just four tests, Ioane, Beauden and Jordie Barrett have each played two positions. I say this as an older viewer, but the unabated All Black obsession with versatility borders on insanity.

New Zealand's Sevu Reece, left, looks to run past Australia's Reece Hodge during the Bledisloe rugby test between Australia and New Zealand at Suncorp Stadium. Photo / AP

The selection for Bledisloe Four looked more like something from an end-of-year piss trip than preparing for a major test at an opponent's favourite stadium.

If anything hurt the final days of the great Steve Hansen regime it was the selection twists which survived all the way to a disastrous World Cup semifinal performance against a perfectly planned England ambush.

One area benefits the most from stable selection. The All Blacks have always flourished with an iconic first five-eighth - surely Mo'unga should be given the chance to be that man - and a great centre combination.

There are a lot of things to celebrate about the narrow Australian victory, although at the highest level of international sport winning a dead rubber is not the name of the game.

And it was a dead rubber, with the Bledisloe Cup contest already over. The Wallabies still need to win against the All Blacks when it matters most. But it was still a great night for Australian rugby.

Hits and misses from the test:

1) Under the rules, referee Nic Berry probably got the red cards right. It's up to players and coaches to get tackle heights right and stay away from grey areas. But rugby needs to work on keeping matches at 15 v 15.

2) The way rugby deals with frontrowers who are red carded is kind of immoral. In this case, Akira Ioane should not have had to leave the field because of another player's indiscretion. It's almost an employment issue - Ioane's own career may be unfairly affected.

3) Scott Barrett, and the All Blacks, deserved everything they got when he was yellow carded for illegally interfering with a pass while on the ground. But I'm not sure the decision really fits the rules. Sir John Kirwan should be applauded for blasting Barrett on Sky's post-match show. Such strident analysis is something former All Blacks often struggled with. A big tick for the dapper Sir John.

4) Centre Jordan Petaia is a great in the making for the Wallabies. But he appeared to run out of gas.

5) Rennie is pulling masterstrokes at pivot, with James O'Connor and now Reece Hodge having fantastic games.

6) Ardie Savea had a fantastic test match. He is a dynamo. I wonder if he is still considering a league career? Time is probably running out, but his signature would be a tremendous coup for the NRL.