At a time when Australia are clearly struggling for a win in Test rugby, it is important that the solution is an Australian approach.
Australia need to look at their situation through Australian eyes not what the All Blacks or anyone else have been doing because it's a different beast in itself. It's just too easy to look at what New Zealand are doing and try to replicate that.
They've got probably four reasonably strong franchises with Melbourne joining the Brumbies, Waratahs and Reds, and they need to look to build from those four key areas. I don't think ditching one of the franchises would be a bad thing for them, as I have written previously, because with five they have diluted their playing pool. I think the more they can get their best players playing in closer vicinities, and against each other, the better they are going to be.
Not knowing what they are doing at the development and grassroots side of their game, it is difficult to assess that, but you can assume they have got their traditional clubs who are trying their best. But I acknowledge that in competing with other sports it makes things extremely difficult.
The policy of allowing players to be included from overseas probably helped them at last year's Rugby World Cup but possibly they need to look at using that rule in a World Cup year only. But if you really want to keep your players you have to dangle that World Cup carrot. Ideally, you want to have players in Australia building up to the event perhaps from two years beforehand.
What you are really talking about is the value of the jersey and being part of history by playing a World Cup against the value of the dollar. Everyone's got their own motivations, and there are circumstances surrounding what position they play in and what competition they have to guarantee a starting spot.
For Michael Cheika, all he can do is look to have the biggest possible pool of talent to select from; but having players overseas means that talent pool is not at his fingertips and he can't have control over them. If you rely on overseas players there are no guarantees they will return better players.
What we have seen recently with players who have come back from overseas is that they are not the same players who left; especially the backs. If they lose half a yard of pace and a sense of space, they start playing a different game and that's not conducive to getting the best out of the team overall.
There are a number of different instances of that in New Zealand. Australia need to have a seriously hard look at that rule and whether they keep it or ditch it.
At any time, you only have a specific number of aces up your sleeve; by allowing them to play overseas, you are giving one or two of your aces away - and that puts the Australian game in a weaker position long term.
New Zealand have committed themselves to their ruling regarding overseas players and they are going to stay very staunch on that rule because, as we have seen, there will always be somebody to replace you no matter how good you are. And you can see that right through to the grassroots and secondary school level. The next level of players coming through in New Zealand is pretty phenomenal.
I guess it comes back down to the loyalty to the jersey and the pride of playing for your country.
In terms of how you play when you are down on quality it is simple, you play to what strengths you have. And you always have to have a rock solid defensive system. With that in mind, I think David Pocock and Michael Hooper are clearly part of Australian rugby's strengths and getting those pilfering, scavenging players like sevens on the ball and over the breakdown should be a focus. They really want to play an expansive game, but I think the more they can isolate the opposition the better they are going to be with the likes of those scavengers.
And with whatever areas you look at and then come up with a plan, it is one thing doing that; but if you have other weak areas, like second five-eighths, where Australia have two first-fives picked to play in that area, Australia don't really have the choice of selection that New Zealand has.
If you look at the midfield, the wealth of talent New Zealand has to choose from at the moment highlights the difference between the two countries. It really comes down to how Australia can fill their bucket with talented players they can develop over the next three years.
Do they look at league, or at players coming through? They probably are looking at what is coming through their own talent pool and giving long-term development contracts to give those guys as much development as possible.
Next year they lose Pocock to a sabbatical and that is a chance to get a player in there and develop him at the top level. They know how good Pocock is. Richie McCaw and Dan Carter took six months out, and they came back better; Pocock is likely to be the same. Australia need him for the next World Cup and he will still be a class player when he comes back.
It is interesting, looking ahead to this weekend with the All Blacks vs. Argentina game that it is almost the flipside of the Australian situation. The talented players that Argentina do have are in the right environment, and what they have done with just one Super Rugby team and being able to develop players for their national side will make them stronger; we are already starting to see that with what they did against South Africa last week.
Their motivation is obvious. At some point they are going to tip the All Blacks over; by playing New Zealand twice a year now, history says there will be a day when that happens. The Argentine motivation is that they want to be part of that team that finally does beat the All Blacks for the first time.
Every time the All Blacks play Argentina now, they have got to be on top of their game and have an understanding that Argentina have the same sort of flair and mentality as the French. You don't know what you are going to get on any given day; they can just turn up and be absolutely sublime or sometimes they can be clumsy and let themselves down. But they always have the passion and the intent.
So it is going to be physical and tough and it is going to be a Test match.
