That ain't right.

The Brumbies are the most consistent Australian team in Super Rugby over the past three years, having reached the final and the semi-finals on the other two occasions.

Meanwhile, the Reds have stumbled from one disaster to the next, the playing group having as much spark as the benign pitch served up at Lord's for the second Ashes Test.

Yet we find ourselves with the Reds having four players in the Wallabies' starting XV compared to three for the Brumbies for Saturday night's opening Rugby Championship game against South Africa at Brisbane.

Fair enough James Slipper and Rob Simmons are in the side, but the selection of Will Genia and Quade Cooper is a throwback to 2010.

The three Brumbies in the team – Wallabies captain Stephen Moore, lock Scott Fardy and outside centre Tevita Kuridrani – are as straight forward as they come.

It's the players who missed out that are baffling.

Matt Toomua can consider himself desperately unlucky to be on the bench, but it was always going to be a toss of the coin with the returning Matt Giteau.

The same can be said with the destructive David Pocock, who will start on the pine behind incumbent openside flanker Michael Hooper.

How the consistent Christian Lealiifano, veteran prop Ben Alexander and feisty scrumhalf Nic White aren't somewhere in the 31-man squad, let alone the game-day 23, is beyond belief.

The Brumbies are the victims of their own success. Their return to relevance over the past four seasons has been on the back of a team-first ethos.

Sometimes their style of play has been ugly. Sometimes it's not what brings crowds through the gates.

But guess what? It's effective. It's successful. It's built for winning.

Results are what the Wallabies desperately need to win back the affections of a nation which is more spoilt for choice than ever.

A crowd of around 35,000 is expected to see the Wallabies take on the Springboks when a sell-out is usually the norm.

Wallabies coach Michael Cheika has gone with six Waratahs players in the starting side.

It's fair enough, too, given their record in the past two seasons and the brilliant individuals at their disposal.

The Wallabies need to regain the confidence of the Australian public.

There's no better way of doing that than winning the World Cup for the first time in 16 years. Of course, several of the Brumbies contingent will be firmly in the mix with still four Tests before the World Cup.

Pocock could force his way past Hooper, Toomua could push out Giteau and Lealiifano could be given another crack in a crowded back line.

Then there's powerful winger Henry Speight to come back from suspension, while Joe Tomane is also waiting for his opportunity.

It's up to Cheika to get the mix right, mould the side into the way he wants to play so they can bring "Bill" back where he belongs.

AUSTIN POWERS INTO BLUES JERSEY

As a Queenslander, the last thing I want to see in next year's Origin series is the electric Blake Austin tearing apart the Maroons.

The Canberra Raiders five-eighth has undoubtedly been the buy of the season. It's like investing in Apple before the release of the Mac.

This talk that Austin hasn't held this form for long enough to be considered for NSW is absolute garbage.

Look at David Klemmer. Look at Will Hopoate. Both of those guys have far less NRL experience than Austin, yet they were catapulted into the Origin spotlight.

Austin gives the Blues something different. He's instinctive. He plays what's in front of him. He's a natural footballer.

Raiders halfback Sam Williams needs to be given plenty of credit for Austin's red-hot form.

Williams does the organising, getting the backs in place, pushing the front-rowers around ... basically all the boring stuff.

It allows Austin to do what he does best – run.

Kurt Gidley is still wondering where he went after Austin produced a brilliant left-foot step to leave the Knights fullback gasping at thin air.

Austin was never seriously in the conversation for this year's series. It was too soon.

The Blues were never going to change a winning formula.

The steady Trent Hodkinson had done the job for them last year, while Mitchell Pearce was the next best option after Josh Reynolds dropped out of contention.

But it's clear to see that the Blues need to change their approach.

Conservative won't cut it against Queensland.

The Maroons are simply too disciplined, too experienced and too good for that.

The Blues need an X-factor. They need a game changer.

They need Blake Austin.