The Australian's Wayne Smith believes that Quade Cooper and Will Genia are fast becoming as important and influential to Australia as Dan Carter and Richie McCaw are to the All Blacks.
"It is often said on this side of the Tasman that we'll only know how good the All Blacks are when they have to play without Dan Carter and Richie McCaw.
"Still bloody good, would be my response, but it is a pertinent observation nonetheless, especially so in the case of Carter. At a pinch, the All Blacks could cover the loss of McCaw who, having passed the dreaded 30 barrier, is starting to show the first signs of all the punishment his body has absorbed over the years. But against a major rival, there is no way Graham Henry would willingly send his team out without Carter.
"It's now time to pose the question of how good the Wallabies would be without halves Will Genia and Quade Cooper. It has now become almost obligatory to preface any description of them as "world class" and it is to be hoped that repetition doesn't dilute the impact of those words because they truly are the best 9-10 combination in the game at present."
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