THE MAN TRULY IN THE KNOW
Ever since Australia made him carry the can for their last World Cup, it can hardly have crossed Bernard Foley's mind that they might give him a shot at making the next one.
He has not been seen on the Test stage since the Wallabies took umbrage over his solitary appearance in Japan three years ago. Having put Foley in for the critical pool match against Wales, they could hardly wait to pull him out of it, hence his embarrassingly early second half substitution.
Wales' 29-25 win sent Michael Cheika's deficient team colliding into England in the quarterfinals, hence their disappearance shortly after Foley's. How ironic that the volatile Cheika should have had a hand in paving the way for his former fly-half 's return.
The Aussies chose James O'Connor last week “to guide the ship” against Cheika's Argentina. Instead O'Connor, like Foley before him, took it onto the rocks and ended up walking the same plank.
Dave Rennie, Cheika's successor, cast O'Connor aside and brought Foley back into a 35-man squad against South Africa in Adelaide on Saturday. Rennie pronounced himself “extremely pleased to welcome a few men back into the mob” after the 30- point blitzing in San Juan.
Since his unceremonious demobbing, Foley has been earning a nice living in the less rarified atmosphere of the Japanese League One where his club, Kubota Spears, reached the play-offs. What really makes Foley's recall smack of desperation is not that he will be 33 in a couple of weeks but that he hasn't played since the Japanese season closed three months ago.
With Quade Cooper nursing a long-term injury, O'Connor shown the door and Noah Lolesio sidelined, Foley will be the fourth Wallaby stand-off in as many Tests, if Rennie thinks he's fit for the job.
