Rugby: Weakened Aussies too good

Adam Ashley-Cooper scored two of Australia's five tries. Photo / Getty Images

TEST RUGBY
Australia 34
Italy 12

That dark and unpopular art - rotation - was brazenly practised in public last night as Wallaby coach Robbie Deans explored his depth and his options against a doomed Italy.

Rotation and its effect on combinations was the element most criticised after the All Blacks' ill-fated 2007 World Cup campaign.

Graham Henry and fellow coaches, while not totally excluding the tactic, have dabbled far less with it than in previous seasons.

Truth to tell, with a burgeoning injury and absence list, the All Blacks would be well pleased simply to have enough people to rotate.

The Australians, however, are looking closely at building their depth but Deans' rotated team may not have added much to the sum total of Australian rugby knowledge.

One clear finding was that the new prop Pek Cowan, of the Force, is not yet the answer if Deans' prop stocks take a plunge. Unless, of course, he needs him as a back-up for the much-criticised scrummager Al Baxter.

Cowan's close inspection of the grain of the grass at Etihad Stadium was eerily reminiscent of some of Baxter's worse moments examining the sod.

A more positive finding, however, was that his propping mate, Ben Alexander, went passingly well at tighthead and also popped up round the field as a genuinely penetrative ball-carrier - as he was all Super 14 - and that will have pleased Deans.

As will a competent outing by normal second-five eighth Berrick Barnes at 10 - although he was put under little pressure.

Barnes is a clever director and organiser and his play will have satisfied Deans that he has adequate back-up should Matt Giteau be lost to him during the Tri Nations or beyond.

It wasn't quite so pleasing in the loose forwards. Peter Kimlin made a good impact as a thrusting, mobile lock for the Brumbies in the Super 14 - often bursting on to passes or crashing through half-gaps with good timing; scoring a handful of tries.

But the life of a blindside flanker is quite different. There is a creative element too and Kimlin looked deficient there at this level at this stage - and had some trouble with his hands as well.

Ryan Cross looked a smooth and skilled operator in the centres but Deans already knew that.

Cross started and finished a fine try after Australia won turnover ball early on but it was his combination with Queensland's New Zealand-born first-five eighth Quade Cooper - playing in the centres for this match - that most interested Deans.

In the end, Quade was pretty Quiet and the pairing would have been a question as yet unanswered, although Cooper did come into first receiver from time to time and did well enough, again under little pressure.

There were some confirmations as well - Luke Burgess can have some off days but he is also a powerful runner and defender from halfback.

Lachie Turner is maturing into a wing not only of pace but some craft on the field.

His option-taking and execution is such that he is now making tries for other people as well and he figured in two of the Wallabies' first three tries and scored the fourth.

George Smith remains a burglar of deft skills and young James O'Connor seems to have an as-yet-unfulfilled-but-major talent and playing him more will only help fulfil it.

There was no Stirling Mortlock, Drew Mitchell, Giteau, Richard Brown, Nathan Sharpe, Baxter and Benn Robinson so the main function of this match was always going to be a team-building exercise.

The same was true of the Italians, who also rotated so they're not blown to bits against the All Blacks this week. So the result was about as useful as a plastic lasagne and, bizarrely, no Italian scored - goalkicker Luke McLean is actually a Brisbane boy.

Australia 34 (T. Polota-Nau, R. Cross, A. Ashley-Cooper 2, L. Turner tries, J. O'Connor 3 con, pen) Italy 12 (L. McLean 4 pen). Halftime: 20-6.