Justin Marshall's Chalkboard: The mystery of Will Genia

Will Genia. Photo / Getty Images

My Chalkboard column for today could just as easily be renamed: "What's going on with Will Genia?"

I'm bemused as to why he is not being given an opportunity, particularly with all that is going on with Australian rugby at the moment.

As the graphic shows, my reason for picking Genia would not merely be a PR exercise after a shambolic week across the Tasman, but because he genuinely offers more edge to the Wallaby attack structures.

His running game asks so many more questions of defences than either of the incumbents, Nick Phipps and Nic White. Those two guys are adequate and don't do a lot wrong, but neither do they exactly put the fear of god into their opponents.

I spoke to Will when our paths crossed in Argentina recently and he is fit and raring to go. He just wants to play.

I asked him what the issue was and he told me he was not being told anything by the selectors so he's not sure what he needs to improve to get back in green and gold.

Yes, he has suffered form issues, but everyone suffers from that at some point during their career. The best remedy is to get back out on the field. It's not as if the Wallabies have anything to lose by picking him.

I would have thought that a dead-rubber test in Brisbane, Will's home patch, against their biggest foe, the All Blacks, would have been the perfect launching pad for the next stage of a career that has already seen him play 55 tests.

Right, so that's my argument on an emotional level. Look at the graphic and it will give you a simple indication on why he should play on a strategic or tactical level.

When someone with Genia's dynamic running game is at the base of the breakdown, it holds defenders attention.

I've drawn this up as a scenario in the middle of the field, where you have defenders fanned out on both sides of the ruck.

In the top drawing you will see the arrowheads angling in. This is because Genia commands what I call eye-attention. The defenders in close have to be alert to the possibility he might snipe around the inside channels. That immediately opens up more space on his outside, as the defenders can't start fanning wide until a half step later.

All Genia then has to do is take one or two steps with the ball in hand - either laterally or slightly forward - and he has held the close defenders. They have to consider him a running threat. When he knows the defenders are holding, he has two choices: hit his forward runners to try to break the advantage line and continue with front-foot ball; or miss them and ignite the backs.

It's the second option that should excite Australian fans. In Israel Folau they have one of rugby's big weapons, but at the moment he is not getting any room to wind up.

The Wallabies numbers 9 and 10 are simply not holding enough traffic in their channels to afford him the space he needs to be near unstoppable.

That's why Genia's continued exclusion makes no sense to me.