Breaking Down Australia's Best Back Line for 2016

The World Cup runners-up have some surgery to do on their back line for the 2016 arrival of England and their three-match series in June 2016.

Coach Michael Cheika has waved farewell to the experience of Will Genia, Matt Giteau and Drew Mitchell following the tournament, and he can also no longer select Quade Cooper or James O’Connor as both men have gone to Toulon without the required 60 caps that would enable them to remain in the coach’s plans.

Matt Giteau	102 caps
Drew Mitchell	70 caps
Adam Ashley-Cooper	114 caps
Matt Toomua	31 caps
Will Genia	66 caps
Henry Speight	5 caps
Quade Cooper	58 caps
James O'Connor	44 caps

Add to those names that of Matt Toomua, who has signed a three-year deal with Leicester and will head to the east Midlands after the next Super Rugby season.

There are also strong rumours that wing Joe Tomane will also be unavailable after being linked with a move to the Top 14 following the end of the Brumbies' next campaign, per the Sydney Morning Herald.

The season breaks at the end of May for the international window before concluding in July, so Tomane may well figure before leaving for pastures new, but it is more likely that Cheika will be looking for players staying put to gain valuable Test match experience.

Regardless, the loss of that many players from his selection pool will force Cheika to assess a new batch of players for several positions.

The half-backs

Bernard Foley had the game of his life when Australia knocked England out of the World Cup, and grew into a genuine world-class No. 10 during the competition.

The shirt will take some wrenching off the Waratahs man’s back, unless he decides to have a genuine crack at a place in the Australian sevens side for the Rio Olympics.

Foley cut his international teeth in the short format, but a return to that environment for Rio seems unlikely given his importance to the 15-man team and the likelihood that Cooper will take his mercurial talents to Brazil.

Inside him, scrum-half Nick Phipps was a regular entrant from the bench during the World Cup, injecting a higher tempo to the Wallabies' game whenever he came on. Phipps must be in pole position for the No. 9 jersey.

Centres

The No. 12 shirt looks wide open with Giteau’s retirement and Toomua’s impending move to England. Another candidate is Christian Lealiifano, who has not declared his intentions beyond the 2016 Super Rugby campaign, but he was not picked in Cheika's original World Cup squad.

There are some young men on the periphery of the squad who could convince Cheika they are worth a look when England come calling.

Rugby.com.au's Beth Newman highlighted Western Force's Kyle Godwin and Queensland Reds powerful youngster Samu Kerevi:

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The 22-year-old was a standout for the Reds during Super Rugby, with his powerful runs. The centre led the team in tackles busts, line breaks, run metres and tries in 2015.

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Then there is Kurtley Beale, who was used as back-up No. 15 by Cheika during the World Cup but can equally play in the midfield.

Whoever fills the inside-centre role is sure to be partnered by Tevita Kuridrani as the mainstay of the midfield with 31 caps. He is 31 now but has enough left in the tank for this season at least.

Back three 

Christophe Ena/Associated Press

The fate of the No. 15 shirt is squarely in Israel Folau’s hands. The full-back is due to decide in January if he will aim for a seat on the plane to the Olympics, per Fox Sports.

And that could offer another opportunity to Beale to take the jersey, although the 26-year-old is good enough to be a potential star of what would be a frightening Australian Olympic dream team.

With Drew Mitchell and Adam Ashley-Cooper both gone, Tomane tipped for a move abroad and Henry Speight committed to the Olympics, per ESPN, both wing spots are up for grabs in 2016.

A return to form for the Western Force in the coming Super Rugby season could see Nick Cummins close to a recall, while Rob Horne, a starter for Australia against England until injury curtailed his tournament, must now be back near the top of the pecking order.

The lineup

It is undoubtedly a time of transition for this Australian team, and it must be tempting for Cheika to keep his French-based veterans' numbers on speed dial, but he has a 2016 Super Rugby season ahead of him in which to identify their replacements.

Retaining as many caps as possible while blooding a sensible number of less experienced men would seem the best strategy, which should leave Cheika hoping both Folau and Beale resist the lure of the sevens circuit.

Australia's best back line for 2016

15. Israel Folau

14. Rob Horne

13. Tevita Kuridrani

12. Kurtley Beale

11. Nick Cummins

10. Bernard Foley

9. Nick Phipps