Dave Rennie will start with "a clean slate" in his second year in charge of the Wallabies, adamant gold jerseys will be earned through performance rather than reputation.
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The national team mentor will join Wallabies coaching staff at the end of each round of Super Rugby AU to pick a Test XV based on form ahead of the end of season internationals.
Rennie says it will give him a starting point when the time comes to pick a Wallabies squad with last year's performances now serving as little more than a distant memory.
It mirrors the method Rennie's staff used last year and serves as a warning shot to players chasing a Wallabies berth after 10 players earned Test caps last year to usher in a new era.
Rennie's first season in charge of the Wallabies left rugby fans with a hollow feeling. There were glimpses of promise like a win over the All Blacks and a draw in New Zealand.
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But they were countered by Australia's heaviest defeat against the All Blacks in 117 years of trans-Tasman Test rugby and frustrating draws against Argentina which kept the Wallabies from winning the Tri Nations.
"We're starting with a clean slate," Rennie said.
"We're well aware of the guys who played for us last year, there are players who we hope come through this year, there are good young kids. Everyone starts with a clean slate.
"The thing is, you've got to earn the right to be a Wallaby and it's going to be through performance rather than reputation.
"The rivalry within the Aussie comp, they're almost trials every week. You're playing against guys you're competing with for a Wallaby jersey. They're great match-ups from our perspective.
"We're excited, we generally will get together and discuss what we've seen on the weekend, and we'll pick a Test XV, a bit of a form XV, just to give us a bit of an understanding of where guys are at and how they're going.
"We look forward to doing that after a good couple of games this weekend."
The Super Rugby AU competition launches with the NSW Waratahs' clash with the Queensland Reds in Brisbane before the ACT Brumbies meet the Western Force in Perth on Friday night.
The pursuit of domestic glory runs alongside Super Rugby Aotearoa across the ditch, with the domestic competitions a pre-cursor to Super Rugby Trans-Tasman.
It is a major leap towards normality as officials from both sides of the Tasman set their sights on a unified competition for 2022 and beyond.
"Playing the Kiwi sides, we know they've got a lot of powerful athletes who are generally highly skilled and play a real fast high skill, high speed game, that's a really good challenge for our guys," Rennie said.
"It's important because it's good for both games. Teams are slightly different, they have different skill sets. If all teams defend the same, for example, and we come up in a Test match against someone who attacks completely differently, it becomes tough to deal with.
"We look forward to it. Hopefully from a COVID perspective the borders are open and it's easy to travel between the two countries. It's great to see how our boys measure up.
"There is amazing depth in New Zealand rugby, so it's a great opportunity for our clubs to test themselves against the Kiwis."
Caden Helmers
Caden Helmers is a sports writer for The Canberra Times.
Caden Helmers is a sports writer for The Canberra Times.
