Springboks inflict Wallabies’ worst Test loss ever
By David Beniuk, 31 Aug 2008 David Beniuk is a Roar Pro
- Tagged:
- Australia, robbie deans, Rugby Union, South Africa, Tri Nations, wallabies
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An embarrassing Wallabies outfit suffered their worst Test loss of all time in the Tri-Nations clash at Ellis Park today, a rampant South Africa running in eight tries to thrash Australia 53-8.
The 45-point difference surpassed Australia’s previous worst losing margin of 39 points, also suffered at the hands of South Africa, in Pretoria in 1997.
Winger Jongi Nokwe scored four tries as the backs-to-the-wall Boks, fiercely criticised all week by the local media after straight losses at home, outgunned the Australians in all departments to have their 34,291 fans partying by halftime.
A hat-trick before the break from the flying winger had all but ended the Wallabies’ dream of making history in the Republic with back-to-back wins for the first time in 45 years and helped the Boks go to the sheds up 27-3.
Any thoughts of a spirited Australian turnaround in the second half were soon extinguished when Adrian Jacobs went on a blistering run to the line five minutes after the break to make it 34-3.
And when Nokwe finished a grubber to score his fourth in the 50th minute, the only history that looked like being made by Australia was in the area of biggest losses.
Coach Robbie Deans began hooking players, with high profile run-on debutant Timana Tahu pulled in the 52nd minute.
A Drew Mitchell consolation try in the 57th minute brought it back to 39-8 but Australia’s case of the dropsies continued against a Boks side full of running and Ruan Pienaar scored a classy individual try in the 69th minute for 46-8 before Odwa Ndungane iced the cake a minute from time.
A big, altitude-enhanced kicking game from the Boks, and fumbles, soft defence in the centre and poor lineout throwing from Australia had helped South Africa to early dominance.
The Boks came up with points after their first period of sustained pressure when fullback Conrad Jantjes showed his classy footwork before sending giant No.4 Andries Bekker over out wide, the conversion making it 7-3 after eight minutes.
It took the Boks only four more minutes to get their second, a quick tap from Fourie du Preez sending Nokwe diving into the left corner for 12-3.
Australia tried to play catch-up but the Boks’ stiff defence, crunching work at the breakdown and massive kicks snuffed out anything the visitors had to offer.
The South Africans seemed to be able to create overlaps on the left at will and Nokwe crossed in the 26th and 36th minutes to complete his first 40 hat-trick.
The Wallabies will need a massive improvement to be any chance of wresting the Tri-Nations title from New Zealand when they meet in Brisbane on September 13.
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Read Spiro Zavos’s analysis of the match on The Roar, first thing Monday morning.
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Frank O'Keeffe said | August 31st 2008 @ 1:42am | Report comment
Horrible, horrible defence by Australia. For all those years when Australia was stuck in a funk from 2003-2007, they were always either the best or second best defensive side in the world. Today it all came unstuck.
Honestly, Robbie Deans would have been better off playing the same side from last week.
I thought the inclusion of Tahu would be OK, but there were some serious problems between Giteau and Tahu, and then Tahu didn’t trust Mortlock in defence allowing an easy try. Terrible.
After the Sydney Test I thought the Wallabies found a way to use the ELV’s to their advantage, that being kicking the ball just outside the 22, and then pressuring the other side. But it doesn’t work if there’s no kick chase. Tiquri and Ashley-Cooper chased hard in Sydney, but for the second week in a row the kick-chase was poor. This week the Aussies paid for it.
I was screaming for Drew Mitchell to come off the bench because Ashley-Coopers poor kicking was crushing the Aussies.
Taking George Smith off perhaps wasn’t a great idea. He’s been in red-hot form and Waugh was pretty ineffective. The forwards were running across the field for some reason as well.
I think worst of all was Polota-Nau’s throwing. We now know when the Wallabies are in trouble, because their confidence drops during line-out time. Polota-Nau’s a fine scrummagger, but his throw is terrible. By the time Moore came on (and admittedly his first throw was bad) the Wallabies were gone in the line-out.
Truth be told though, I don’t put a lot of stock into how Australia went in South Africa in terms of how they’ll go against New Zealand. They’ll have to improve in certain areas – defence especially. But neither last week’s win or this week’s loss is much of an indication of how the Wallabies will go against New Zealand.
Hopefully they wont ponder on the fact that in over 100 years of Australian rugby, that was their worst loss…
Frank O'Keeffe said | August 31st 2008 @ 1:46am | Report comment
I’d just like to add that it feels weird saying that was Australia’s worst loss ever. This is a side which scored a terrific win over New Zealand in Sydney and won their first game in South Africa in eight years. It’s far removed from the horrid mess of a side that Greg Smith brought to South Africa in 1997. I hope the Wallabies know they can be much better than the score indicated. It might be tough to rebound from this, but the Wallabies are a shot to beat New Zealand if they play to their potential.
gavin said | August 31st 2008 @ 1:57am | Report comment
the whole thing was a disaster. What did Deans give them re instructions ? They were down and kept kicking the ball when we needed to carry the ball.
That private school girl front row needs to be replaced by harder tougher types. We may need to go to league to find hard props who’ll take no prisoners. A couple of years at lower level to help adjust to the game.
Slode defence bad, wild passes.
Deans really doesn’t know what he’s gotten himself into
A Jones would have been a better bet as coach
All they have to do is get the basics right and play them. I don’t think these ELVs are as good as they make out either
Foley as assistant forwards coach is a joke
Sam Taulelei said | August 31st 2008 @ 2:13am | Report comment
Frank
I agree with you that as a pointer for the game in Brisbane, this test won’t tell us much as it will be a brand new game, different venue and possibly different players and attitudes.
There will be much dissection and vivisection of the Wallabies effort (is it too lenient to call it a performance) over the coming days and consternation about their chances in a fortnights time but if a lot can happen in a week, just imagine what can transform over two!!!
PS – After all the clamouring for Tahu time I hope that he’s not kicked from pillar to post for his efforts. Deans thought he was ready for test rugby and it wasn’t his fault they lost. The kid has talent but I believe he needs more time to adjust.
gavin said | August 31st 2008 @ 2:27am | Report comment
In Tahu’s case, my guess is they overcoach and instead should let him go out and do his stuff. They have a tendency to aquire very talented people and then say “Oh, we don’t do that here” which defeats the purpose of aquiring the person in the first place
We have to rid ourselves of these round, cherubic pink faced nancy boys in the headgear in thefront row. Even the back rower of some talent, Dean Mumm looks very soft faced.
Our lads are not athletic enough and we should look for other talent from the CHS schools and even other sports like league and AFL and nurture them through lower grades
The ELVs are a hinder not a help. We are in trouble and it starts with the selectors and where they find the talent from
Frank O'Keeffe said | August 31st 2008 @ 2:57am | Report comment
By the way, plenty of credit should go to South Africa! That was a better performance than in Dunedin. People might dispute that, and the Dunedin Test looks better because the All Blacks played OK while Australia played poorly, but South Africa were incredible.
gavin said | August 31st 2008 @ 3:06am | Report comment
yep-nothing wrong with the Boks
Mick Gold Coast QLD said | August 31st 2008 @ 3:36am | Report comment
Well played Springboks – committed forwards, fast forward progress down the field, good kicking to space from all the various kickers coupled with good chasing (they gave us a lesson in what it looks like when it is done well – we did not pay attention), the support was ever present, the passes stuck and they looked like they were enjoying themselves. I am happy for their players that they have seized the opportunity to demonstrate their worth.
The Wallabies are so predictably fragile and flaky. They too swiftly fall apart under pressure, reverting to long established patterns – of going one out League style (that is the only form of attack Mitchell knows these days), of running away from their support (Sheehan was dreadful when he came on), of failing at the basics (Polota-Nau has never been up to scratch throwing), of failure to organise craftily at first five, of wandering away from their positions – Lot$a is so often man of the match at this one; and of kicking with absolutely no purpose – wonder boy Giteau has a very ordinary kicking game at the best of times. Ashley Two Fathers is not up to national level as a full back, and the ex Parramatta Leaguie spent most of his time trying to find the lost children desk.
The front row continues to benefit from Protected Species status from the refs because it is so poor and needs protection – the Springboks have developed yet another formidable combination here in such a short time and still we persevere with our time serving failed candidates. Only Robinson qualifies at this level, as barely adequate. Horwill is on a mission to show how dumb he really is – you’d target him (and Baxter of the Fierce Glare) for a retaliation penalty or two every time your side took the field. Seven or eight lineout losses on their own throw is unforgiveable at international level.
And tonight the Wallabies failed at the only thing they are consistently good at – their defence. In my view it is about the only thing that has kept them in touch with their opponents over the past 6 or 7 years, no matter how much our media commentators talk this mob up for their imaginary international competitiveness. I wish it were not so, and that we had carefully maintained the momentum of past years.
Other national teams have good succession plans – witness the SAFFA’s clutch of wingers that continually appear and their fiercely competitive queue of tough young back rowers; and the All Blacks number of top class loosies over the years. We badly need to bring on some new blood in a planned manner over time – not in the “we’ve suddenly discovered the new messiah to rescue us” terms we so often employ with the likes of Barnes, Rodney Blake, and the young aboriginal kid from Joeys. We throw ‘em to the lions too early and too green and they struggle. Strike me Rome – we feted Larkham as the wizard even as his star waned but did precious little to find a successor (apart from keeping on trying Medicare Mat away from the wing to justify the stupid amount he was paid).
These other sides, when they are on their game, have worked out how to nullify George Smith, one dimensional Mortlock and lone ranger Elsom over the years, because these are all they see from us, year in year out. Compare our locks with those of the Springboks and the All Blacks – they are simply not in the same class.
I do hope this marvellous coach we now have is enabled, under his contract, to tell the ARU “I’ve now tried the second rate players you handed me – now I’m going to develop my own real rugby players”.
No, I am not happy with the Wallabies because they are like public servants, drawing bloody good salaries every week whether they work well or do not much at all.
Benjamin said | August 31st 2008 @ 5:40am | Report comment
Gavin, people’s faces have nothing whatsoever to do with their toughness or mental strength. Hatton looks twice as rough as Mayweather and look who ended up on the deck there.
Re Tahu: instead of blaming over coaching it is probably more accurate to say that in no way was Tahu ready. Furthermore it wouldn’t have mattered if King Kong was at 12 given the quality of ball.
tarpo said | August 31st 2008 @ 8:40am | Report comment
or what school KIng Kong went either!