The Wallabies have ensured they possess the kicking artillery to counter Ireland on Saturday night by including Dane Haylett-Petty and rewarded good form by including Izack Rodda, Caleb Timu and Samu Kerevi in a quibble-free Test line-up.
And is it a team good enough to defeat the Six Nations champions?
Most definitely.
Haylett-Petty is probably the only unexpected selection, considering his recent return from injury, but the logic behind his inclusion on the wing is understandable. In spite of his Greater Western Sydney AFL background, Wallaby fullback Israel Folau is not the most reliable kicker going around. So he needs support, as Ireland are bound to rely on its kicking game via Johnny Sexton and Conor Murray to try to put Folau and co under pressure. That pressure can be relieved, even rebounded by hoofing the ball out of the danger zone as quickly as possible.
While Haylett-Petty kicks accurately and with considerable distance, he is also as safe as Folau under the high ball. So it is a wise selection- as is Rodda in the second row, Timu at No 8 and Kerevi at No 13.
They have all been the form performers in those positions this season, with Kerevi in particular making the outside centre position his for the Queensland Reds. In spite of past doubts about his defence, Kerevi has genuinely been strong in that department this season, easily out-performing the usual Test No 13 Tevita Kuridrani.
There are also crucial selections on the bench. It is a smart move to bring Pete Samu straight into the Test squad. Apart from the knowledge gained from his years playing with the Canterbury Crusaders, Samu importantly provides backrow options. There is a distinct lack of quality blindside flankers in Australia, and Samu could easily fill the void. He is bound to get plenty of game-time, as will the dynamic back-up prop Taniela Tupou, who if developed right could turn into one of the truly great front-rowers.
Adding Tolu Latu to the bench also provides some experience in the hooking ranks, enabling Australia to take advantage of Rory Best not being with the Irish tourists.
Although the Wallabies are outsiders, this looks a solid, resourceful line-up - and one which can generate an early series lead.
This Test selection is also a marked improvement for the Wallaby management, compared to Cheika's recent haphazard organisational skills when he unnecessarily destabilising the ACT Brumbies before their last Super Rugby match.
New Zealand have for years shown off all the benefits of a finely tuned centralised system, with All Blacks coach Steve Hansen some time ago calling on their Super Rugby provinces to rest players for a few games before the start of the international season.
It was all well planned and executed - because it had been properly organised. The provinces had plenty of time to prepare accordingly.
Imagine the Brumbies consternation when before last Sunday's match they were asked by Cheika to rest David Pocock, Scott Sio and Allan Alaalatoa against the Sunwolves because of the six-day turnaround before the first Irish Test.
It was terrible timing all round. This was something that should have been asked of months, not days before. After all Cheika and co have known exactly what the Super Rugby draw was for a long time, and had been well aware of the limited time between the domestic season break and the start of the Irish series.
And the Brumbies can also feel as if they had been victimised, because the other provinces, who had played on Friday and Saturday, had not been asked to stand down their main Wallabies, and so no qualms of playing them. Despite the Australian provinces playing on different days, the stand down had to be all-in, not one-in.
The Brumbies had many reasons to keep the Wallabies head coach at bay, most particularly that the request came when the actual existence of the province was under serious threat. The Brumbies home crowds have dropped off alarmingly. Canberra Stadium, which once was overrun by rabid Brumbies acolytes, is now a windy, bleak, almost empty haven for the lonely and lost. The diehards have even found the Brumbies turgid standard of play impossible to cop, and so have stayed away. A province which once boasted up to 20,000 on game night is now only attracting a quarter-of-that.
This prompted an SOS call by the Brumbies management, calling on the heartland to show some faith and support their lads in the final home games, including the Sunwolves fixture. To then lose three of their best would have been too much of a face-slapper. The crowd rose to 9,521 for the Sunwolves fixture -- which is still disconcerting -- but a lot better than the miserable 5,283 attendance figure they recorded earlier in the season for the Rebels match. So good on the Brumbies for standing up to Cheika, and saying no.
This late request makes you seriously wonder what exactly have the large Cheika coaching/managerial entourage been doing all year. Taking turns holding Israel Folau's hand, maybe?