Former Wallaby Morgan Turinui has questioned the wisdom of the Rebels benching rising five-eighth Carter Gordon after just one match of the Super Rugby season.
The Melbourne club were beaten 23-5 by the Australian champion Reds last weekend as Gordon endured an unhappy night in his home town of Brisbane.
Rebels coach Kevin Foote reacted by dropping Gordon to the bench for Saturday’s clash with the Force and shifting veteran Wallaby Matt To’omua from inside centre into the chief playmaking role.
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“It’s a really strange one,” Turinui, a former Rebels assistant coach, said on Stan Sport’s Rugby Heaven.
“The Rebels have backed him all the way through the preseason and they’ve picked him for round one. You look at Reece Hodge’s performance in round one – as accomplished a Super Rugby player as Reece Hodge is, he was probably similar in performance to Carter Gordon.
“You’ve backed this kid all the way through – for me it says more about the selection and the coaching staff than it does the player. He’s a young kid, one round, just stick with him. You’ve got Matt To’omua next to him, it’s not like To’omua’s replacing him from the team. It’s a little bit panicky for mine. Are we plan B after one week?”
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The 21-year-old Gordon was impressive in his opportunities late last season and is viewed as a future Wallabies No.10.
Commentator Sean Maloney said he had been made the scapegoat for the loss.
“I think he was the lightning rod for the result going against them,” Maloney said.
“He should have been given the tactical rein to plug the corners, play the conditions. He would have been way better for the run, he would have been good this week.”
But former Wallabies lock Justin Harrison offered a defence for the Rebels, who have never made the finals of an international Super Rugby competition.
“Coaches are obligated to design a gameplan and then pick a team around that gameplan,” Harrison said.
“Having watched the Western Force dismantle the Brumbies in some ways physically – Pup To’omua may be a bit more robust in that centre field defence pairing. One thing I do know with the regime at the Melbourne Rebels – there’s a plan.
“For a long time that was a criticism of the Rebels, they weren’t able to react and adjust accordingly.”
Turinui admitted that the outside world only sees “the tip of the iceberg” when watching players perform on game day.
“Kevin Foote – maybe we put our trust in him because he’s seeing them day in and day out.”
REBELS (15-1): Reece Hodge, Lachie Anderson, Stacey Ili, Raymond Nu’u, Glen Vaihu, Matt To’omua, Joe Powell, Michael Wells (c), Brad Wilkin, Sam Wallis, Ross Haylett-Petty, Matt Philip, Cabous Eloff, Jordan Uelese, Cameron Orr
Reserves: James Hanson, Matt Gibbon, Sef Fa’agase, Thomas Nowlan, Tamati Ioane, James Tuttle, Carter Gordon, Young Tonumaipea
FORCE (15-1): Jake Strachan, Toni Pulu, Kyle Godwin, Richard Kahui, Manasa Mataele, Reesjan Pasitoa, Ian Prior, Tim Anstee, Kane Koteka, Brynard Stander, Izack Rodda, Fergus Lee-Warner, Santiago Medrano, Feleti Kaitu’u (c), Tom Roberston
Reserves: Andrew Ready, Harry Lloyd, Greg Holmes, Ryan McCauley, Ollie Callan, Issak Fines-Leleiwasa, Jake McIntyre, Byron Ralston
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