The Wallabies had been searching for a tall, aggressive, go-all-day lock for sometime until coach Michael Cheika decided on the 2.04m Coleman for a Test debut in June last year.
Head to South Africa or Europe and the refrain has always been similar…great backs but we’ll bash the Wallabies out of it in the forwards.
“Even our own ball, around our ruck stuff … (we need to be) a bit more violent in that area. Not just looking to get the ball back, but getting into it,” Cheika said before a Test against the All Blacks this year.
Cheika’s coaching philosophy has always been to find the forwards to deliver that statement without a shortcut and he has uncovered a beauty in Coleman.
“This is only Adam’s second tour to this part of the world so he hasn’t a lot of experience in Europe,” Cheika said.
“Adam is certainly up for the battle because he’s going to get a real taste against an outstanding talisman in the dark arts of forward play and technique.”
The contrast in experience is marked. Coleman, 26, is kitting up for just his 20th Test. Jones has Test No.120 in his sights with the inclusion of his performances for the British and Irish Lions.
The Wallabies have produced some superb locks through the years and none better than John Eales, the two-time Rugby World Cup winner who held aloft the Webb Ellis Cup after the World Cup final triumph in Cardiff in 1999.
Coleman has been learning quickly on the job. A yellow card for a late charge in just his second Test against the All Blacks in Wellington last year taught him early that being a jolting, physical presence was only of value if you were on the field.
Coleman had only been a Wallaby for three months but had already experienced hitouts against All Blacks Brodie Retallick and Sam Whitelock plus South African pair Lood de Jager and Eben Etzebeth,all among the elite of his position.
“Testing myself against the best is something I’ve always liked,” Coleman said. “I’ve always enjoyed the physicality of my position and I’m lucky enough to be doing it in green and gold.
“One of my things is never fearing failure. I try not to doubt myself as much as possible. As soon as I go on the field I don’t want to be doubting myself. I want to go out there and play my own game.”
His mind is impressively wired like a forward several years more senior and the Wallabies have needed such a big dog.
He also has that inner drive to keep pushing because he doesn’t want his first taste of victory over the All Blacks in Brisbane in October to be his last.
“It’s very important for us to not get carried away with it. Yes, we did get the win but we’ve still got a long way to go as a team if we want to keep moving up the rankings and be making sure we play consistent footy,” Coleman said.
His workrate is a calling card. He cranked out 18 tackles in an early Test effort against Argentina, he can be explosive as a ball-carrier over 10 yards and he’s already been given the duties of running the lineout.
Being on the scene for just two Test seasons doesn’t amount to a full career and Coleman tackled the question of what makes a “great” player in Cardiff this week.
“That’s a hard question. A lot of great players have been in the game and I don’t think you can put a mark on a certain amount of Test caps or a certain amount of games,” Coleman said.
“For mine, it comes down to the imprint you leave on the game and what you leave behind, I suppose, as a legacy of who you are as a person on and off the field.”
It’s a legacy that Jones has already established. Like Coleman said, who better to measure yourself against but one of Test rugby’s best in the position.
