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sanzar
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Robbie Deans doesn't seem so sure
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Why? Because he's giving Phil Waugh a run this week?
I think it was always known that Waugh would get a starting chance at some stage before the Tri Nations begin.
However, if Deans has any sense he'll NEED to start with Smith against New Zealand and South Africa. You can't go with second choice players against those kinds of teams. And Smith has a good history of upsetting New Zealand teams. [/b][/quote]
You know I don't necessarily think that he needs to start Smith to be honest. In fact I think there's a fair argument that it might be smarter to start Waugh. Waugh is a workhorse, and he's good for stabilising the team and adding that extra bit of venom in defence, whereas Smith is a more dynamic/attacking player that will be more likely to put the wallabies in a positive position. That being the case I think that there's actually a lot to be said for bringing Smith on half way through when Waugh has done the ground work and the opposition teams are running out of puff. Of course, as we saw against the Irish bringing Waugh on late can be just as effective with his aggressive defence that can really rattle attacking teams (esp when they're knackered).