The evidence that the Wallabies hadn’t forgotten about Brumbies No.8 Charlie Cale during his long injury layoff was discreetly placed at the bottom of every Rugby Australia squad update last year.
There he was, listed as “unavailable for selection” alongside Tom Wright, Tate McDermott, Noah Lolesio, Tom Lynagh and Langi Gleeson when the Wallabies announced their squad for the end-of-season tour last October.
Charlie Cale runs into Wales’ defence in 2024.Credit: Getty Images
Bear in mind that Cale has only made two Wallabies appearances, both against Wales in 2024.
For someone with only fleeting exposure to Test rugby, it seemed odd that he was deemed important enough to be included in the “unavailable” list. But four months later, he is Super Rugby’s in-form No.8 and the Wallabies’ subtle messaging – “You’re still in our thinking, mate” – has been vindicated.
And what an athlete Cale is: tall, fast and with a great vertical leap.
His statistics against the Crusaders during the Brumbies’ impressive 50-24 win were incredible: 16 tackles from 16 attempts, with 73 running metres from 15 carries, with two defenders beaten, one offload and one clean break.
Charlie Cale playing for the Brumbies earlier this month.Credit: Getty Images
It was the sort of performance that will have Wallabies fans dreaming about Cale rampaging down the sidelines against Ireland, Italy and France in July.
But an even better examination of his Test readiness will occur when the Brumbies face the Blues in Canberra on Saturday night because their Queensland-bound coach “Stern” Vern Cotter has built a set of forwards who pride themselves on physical confrontation.
Of all the New Zealand teams, the Blues play a brand of rugby that is closest to the brutality of Test rugby.
It’s narrow – too narrow for the taste of the Blues’ critics – and effectively a “stop us if you can” challenge to defending teams.
[Cale] is the competition’s in-form No.8 and the Wallabies’ subtle messaging … has been vindicated.
The Western Force knew the tactic was coming last weekend and picked Jeremy Williams at No.6 to combat it, but they still could do little to halt the Blues.
When the Aucklanders are at their best, their carry-clean-repeat formula is too much for Super Rugby teams to handle.
Colloquially, they like to bully teams.
Arguably their most powerful player, captain Patrick Tuipulotu, is missing due to injury, but that has not changed their modus operandi.
In his absence, lock Josh Beehre, prop Ofa Tu’ungafasi, No.7 Dalton Papali’i, No.8 Hoskins Sotutu and new bench weapon Torian Barnes are Cotter’s go-to enforcers. Big midfielders AJ Lam and Pita Ahki are also more than happy to lend their frames for some tough carries up the middle.
Even fullback Zarn Sullivan has the physical presence of a loose forward.
It’s an approach that contrasts completely with the Crusaders’ desire to chase width and offloads in Christchurch last Sunday – especially playing into the wind in the first half – and that tighter game will ask a different set of questions of Cale, particularly in defence.
Schmidt won’t mind that one bit, because if the Wallabies coach considers a change at No.8 this year, he’ll first need to accumulate a lot of strong evidence to replace Harry Wilson.
The Reds No.8’s toughness is one of his defining characteristics, and while he might not have Cale’s natural athleticism, he is happy in the trenches in Test rugby.
This doesn’t imply scepticism that Cale can’t adapt to Test rugby, but it takes time for players to reach full maturity.
Cale’s Brumbies back-row colleague Rory Scott – do the Brumbies have the best No.6-No.7-No.8 combo in the comp? – is a good example of this.
Scott has been around for a few years, but only now does he look like he has fully filled out his frame. This will improve his Wallabies’ chances as they are clearly keen on beefing up their opensides.
The Blues game will expand Cale’s capacity to absorb and deliver punishment. It’s a great contest for him, another building block and another chance for him to show that he can be something out of the ordinary.
If Cale can show Kieran Read-style toughness to go with his Pierre Spies-esque athleticism, the Wallabies will have a Rugby World Cup star on their hands.
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