Wallabies win comfortably over weakened Gloucester
By Darren Walton, 4 Nov 2009 Darren Walton is a Roar Pro
- Tagged:
- Gloucester, Grand Slam tour, Quade Cooper, Rugby Union, wallabies
The Wallabies have opened their grand slam tour of the UK and Ireland with a comfortable 36-5 win over English Premiership battlers Gloucester.
Quade Cooper clearly outpointed 34-year-old former All Black Carlos Spencer in an intriguing five-eighth duel to set up the second-string Wallabies’ victory in front of a sellout Kingsholm crowd of some 16,500 ardent supporters.
Cooper had a hand or boot in all five of Australia’s tries, scoring the last one himself, and also landed five goals from six attempts for a 16-point personal haul.
With a testing preparation, highlighted by an 11-hour flight from Tokyo to London on Sunday and then a three-hour bus trip to the south-west of England for Tuesday night’s match, the Wallabies put in a mixed and, at times, haphazard performance.
As it was in Australia’s Bledisloe Cup loss to New Zealand on Saturday, the Wallabies’s dysfunctional lineout was again a major cause for concern, while no player really commanded a starting berth for Saturday’s Twickenham Test against England.
Gloucester were hardly a major scalp, the understrength side struggling in third-last position in the English Premiership with just two wins from nine games this season.
But a win’s a win and the mid-week fixture at least presented Wallabies coach Robbie Deans with an opportunity to blood some new talent.
Fullback Kurtley Beale, centre Tyrone Smith, flanker Mitchell Chapman, prop Salesi Ma’afu all made their debuts for the Wallabies.
The Wallabies opened the scoring in bizarre fashion in the fifth minute when Cooper was credited with a penalty goal that seemingly everyone at the ground bar the two touch judges thought he had missed.
There was no doubt about Cooper’s crossfield kick eight minutes later that landed flush in the arms of Ryan Cross, who strolled over untouched for the first try of the game.
The centre’s five-pointer was a fitting reward for Cross’s dedicated father Paul, who, at the cost of hundreds of pounds, took a two-hour cab ride from London to the south-west of England to watch his son play.
Cooper’s conversion gave the Wallabies a 10-0 lead before Spencer replied with his own crossfield kick in the 25th minute for Gloucester’s only try, scored by winger Freddie Burns.
Smith finished off Australia’s second try on the half hour after a scrum win and well-executed set play featuring some nice combination from Cooper and Cross.
Cooper’s conversion gave the Wallabies a 17-5 halftime advantage.
The Wallabies needed 25 minutes to add their first of the second half, but finished with a flurry with a tryscoring double to winger Drew Mitchell before Cooper fittingly had the final say with the last try in the 79th minute.
The match was played 101 years after the Gloucester club hosted Australia’s first-ever travelling national rugby team – initially dubbed the “Rabbits” before finishing the tour as the Wallabies.
Australia won that historic encounter 16-0 before the trailblazing Wallabies further etched their names into Australian sporting folklore by winning, during the tour, the Olympic gold medal for rugby at the 1908 London Games.
© AAP 2012WALLABIES 36 (Drew Mitchell 2, Quade Cooper, Ryan Cross, Tyrone Smith tries; Quade Cooper 5 cons, 1 pen) bt GLOUCESTER 5 (Freddie Burns try) at Kingsholm, Gloucester. Crowd: about 16,500. Referee: Andrew Small (Nzl).
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- Explore:
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Dave said | November 4th 2009 @ 9:15am | Report comment
What else does Cooper need to do to get a start? He takes the ball to the line, his throws beautiful long passes, he gives short passes, and can step through tackles himself. From all reports, his defence is also improving.
Gits either shifts the ball wide 10 metres from the defensive line, or runs full steam at the line… Then we wonder why our attack is so predicatble.
Get Cooper into No.10, and have Gits go to his natural position at 12. We might have something to cheer as Wallaby supporters then
Jameswm said | November 4th 2009 @ 9:29am | Report comment
I still think Cooper is suspect under pressure but I can’t see why you wouldn’t give him a go and as Dave said, it would allow Gits to move to 12. He has had some good cameos for the Wallabies.
What a shame we never got to see it!
TommyM said | November 4th 2009 @ 4:42pm | Report comment
There’s highlight on rugby.com.au
Hoy said | November 4th 2009 @ 9:40am | Report comment
Cooper has an even better long pass than Barnes. I think he is a lot less erratic playing for the Wallabies than he is when he plays for the Reds.
I can’t see Deans moving Gits now, which annoys me no end. If Gits wasn’t good enough for 10 before, he still isn’t good enough now.
Cooper would give us a dynamic 5/8 that we haven’t had for a while. As for defense, I would say he is a bit light, but he puts his body behind his hits, which is more than Beale does, plus he showed last year he isn’t going to take a backward step to anyone.
Blinky Bill of Bellingen said | November 4th 2009 @ 10:03am | Report comment
Sticks out like dog’s balls that Mat Giteau plays his best Rugby at 12 and not at 10. I can see it and the fans can see it. So why is Robbie being so damn stubborn?
Sure Gits can play 10 (if push comes to shove) and may even fancy himself a 10 but so what? This is our chance to start something fresh & exciting, so for God’s sake please Robbie make the decision in the best interest of the team, give Cooper a fair go at 10 and just let Gits sulk and get over it. His ego will soon recover when he scores from 12 and plays a hand in setting-up others to score.
Harry said | November 4th 2009 @ 10:21am | Report comment
Hear hear for Quade at 10 and Gits at 12. Reality is they would do a lot of interchanging anyway. A real worry defensively but we have to trust …
Also allows AAC to play at either 15 or 13 … the players who had those numbers on their backs at the weekend are not up to test rugby at the moment, but AAC is in either of those positions.
My backline for the weekend Genia, Cooper, Hynes, Gits, AAC, Ioane, Turner (yes Turner at 15). Burgess, O’Conner and Beale on the bench. Fingers crossed.
PastHisBest said | November 4th 2009 @ 10:23am | Report comment
Not going to happen against england. Let’s put this in perspective, while a promising display this was against one of the poorest sides in the GP.
Harry said | November 4th 2009 @ 10:29am | Report comment
Regardless of the score, performance and oppo standard, enourmous benefit in giving these youngstas a run in these conditions. Hopefully they all copped plenty from the genreally partisan Gloucester crowd and streetwise forwards. Give them some confidence to run in some tries as well.
Greg Russell said | November 4th 2009 @ 10:39am | Report comment
Assuming this was a Gloucester side at least close to full strength, then this was an excellent win. I don’t care if they are coming third last in the GP: they are an English premiership side playing at home on a winter evening, and they were up against a scratch, reserve strength Australian side just a few days off a flight from Tokyo. Maybe after 7 straight losses to NZ my expectations have become rather low, but I would have taken any win in these circumstances, let alone a win as convincing as this … and achieved with a midget second-row! (Dennis 192 cm, Mumm 196 cm).
Re Cooper, I do indeed like the irony of him being up against Spencer. As someone near and dear to me wrote in an article earlier this year:
“I like to say that Cooper is a reincarnation of Carlos Spencer, except that where King Carlos was inconsistent from match to match, Cooper seems to be inconsistent from moment to moment within the one match. Quite literally, he can be dazzlingly brilliant one instant and then awful the next.”
This in a nutshell must be why Deans is reluctant to start Cooper in a big match, as someone asked above.
However I can see merit in James’s “I can’t see why you wouldn’t give him a go” (especially given the absence of Barnes) and I also agree with Hoy’s “I think he is a lot less erratic playing for the Wallabies than he is when he plays for the Reds.”
I also agree with the various favorable comments about Cooper’s passing. Indeed, he is acknowledged as being the best passer in the Wallaby squad. This led to the suggestion, while Burgess was struggling mid-year, that perhaps Cooper should be converted into a HB. But then along came Genia …
pothale said | November 4th 2009 @ 11:15am | Report comment
Greg – one of the points the article makes is that it wasn’t a full-strength side from Gloucester.
They’ve a GP home game on Friday against Leicester and they weren’t going to risk their many of their senior players in a friendly match – even though there was a minor dust-up towards the end.
Here’s there line-up for their last GP match against Sale, missing three of their regular players through injury:
15 Tom Voyce, 14 James Simpson-Daniel, 13 Mike Tindall, 12 Tim Molenaar, 11 Lesley Vainikolo, 10 Nicky Robinson, 9 Rory Lawson, 1 Paul Doran-Jones, 2 Scott Lawson, 3 Greg Somerville, 4 Will James, 5 Dave Attwood, 6 Alasdair Strokosch, 7 Andrew Hazell, 8 Gareth Delve.
Replacements: 16 Darren Dawiduik, 17 Pierre Capdevielle, 18 Yann Thomas, 19 Adam Eustace, 20 Akapusi Qera, 21 Dave Lewis, 22 Carlos Spencer, 23 Charlie Sharples.
And here’s the line-up for the Wallabies:
15 Freddie Burns, 14 Charlie Sharples, 13 Henry Trinder, 12 Tim Molenaar, 11 Tom Voyce, 10 Carlos Spencer, 9 Dave Lewis, 8 Dan Williams, 7 Akapusi Qera, 6 Jake Boer (c), 5 Adam Eustace, 4 Will James, 3 Pierre Capdevielle, 2 Darren Dawiduik, 1 Paul Doran-Jones.
Replacements: 16 Ben Phillips, 17 Rupert Harden, 18 Dave Attwood, 19 Apo Satala, 20 Jordi Pasqualin, 21 Jonny May, 22 James Simpson-Daniel.
There’s 5 players common to both starting XVs including James and Voyce who both scored in their last game against Sale. I don’t know how much the subs were used in the game. Doran-Jones is a stand-in prop for regular starter, Alisdair Dickinson, who’s injured.
pothale said | November 4th 2009 @ 11:28pm | Report comment
An error on my part. Gloucester play their next game on 20th Nov against Leicester, not this Friday. So Glaws coach changed the line-up for other reasons.
Greg Russell said | November 5th 2009 @ 1:13pm | Report comment
PH & CN – thanks for this important contextual information.
Colin N said | November 4th 2009 @ 11:20am | Report comment
“ssuming this was a Gloucester side at least close to full strength, then this was an excellent win”
No way near full-strength I’m affraid. Nevertheless a very good win for the Australia youngsters.
Freddy Burns is the third choice fly-half playing at full back (England under 20). Sharples has been in and out of the side, but hasn’t been on form. Trinder is third choice (both played U-20′s for England last year). Molenaar has generally been on the bench, but is highly rated. Voyce has played much of his rugby at full back this year, but is a better winger it has to be said.Spencer has generally played second fiddle and Lewis has been rotated with Lawson.
In the forwards, Doran-Jones is a fairly new name, but he performed very well last week against Sale. The other front-rowers are second string. Will James has been ever present, but the excellent Dae Attwood has been prefered over Eustace all season. Jake Boer was making his first appearance after signing to cover for injuries. Qera is first choice, but Gareth Delve will play 8 in the majority of matches, instead of Dan Williams.
OldManEmu said | November 4th 2009 @ 12:45pm | Report comment
Okay – so if that be the case, what on earth was the point of the game?
stuff happens said | November 4th 2009 @ 5:05pm | Report comment
‘What was the point of the game?’ Well I think it’s a case of ‘ yes but,no but.’
But a win’s a win, as the incomparable Buck Shelford used to remind us, after the AB’s had blathered some unfortunates.
Slightly off topic, there’s an interesting interview with Lote Tuquiri on http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/rugby_union/8341133.stm
He says he’s investigating the possibility of being eligible to play for Fiji in the RWC’011 since the Australians have sacked him.
Good on you mate! I can see it now,10 mins to go in a 1/4 final Australia and Fiji and……… well, you know the rest.
Go_the_Wannabe's said | November 4th 2009 @ 10:41am | Report comment
Yes, it was a poor team and Gits would have had field day against them as well.
BUT when is Dingo going to bow to popular opinion and play Gits at 12, huh? How long do we have to wait????
Cooper at 10 is the next man in line for the job and the logical choice.
Genia is going great guns at half.
2 Dads at FB is logical as well. He will get more attacking opportunities there (witness Crossy’s opportunities last week – none). I don’t care that he can’t kick. He shouldn’t be allowed to anyway.
Ionae has to be at OC because he is a little live wire, and boy don’t we need a couple of them.
Hynes on one wing is fine. Lachie Turner on the other for mine.
OK, who’s left? Doesn’t matter, the rest can sit on the bench and wait for an opportunity until Hell freezes over for all I care……they’ve had their chance, now they can wait.
So my Wannbe backline to eventually appear on this tour sometime is:
9. Genia
10. Cooper
11. Turner
12. Gits
13. Ionae
14. Hynes
15. 2 Dads
Just wait until Cam Shepherd is fit…….he’ll be an automatic selection amongst this sorry lot.
NickF said | November 4th 2009 @ 12:55pm | Report comment
Hey GTW, you have 4 Queenslanders in your backline. Now don’t get me wrong, I like this backline, but what the hell has Queensland been doing this year with all this talent, then throw in Barnes as well.
reds fan said | November 4th 2009 @ 1:02pm | Report comment
NickF. We scored points and made breaks. But our forwards were abysmal, and our defensive patterns and discipline woeful. Thats why we got Link. If we get a forward pack that can do the basics at the set piece and tackle, we could scare some teams.
Go_the_Wannabe's said | November 4th 2009 @ 3:37pm | Report comment
I select without fear or favour………I don’t care if they’re from Tanzania or Tasmania……which they aren’t (but has anyone checked their rugby stocks for backs lately?…….could be onto something here).
If I wanted to be parochial I would have selected a Farce backline. But the only one I have in is Gits.
Sadly, it looks like Dingo will stick with Gits at 10 until they start winning……just to prove all us Roarers wrong. The only thing wrong with that is that the RWC in 2011 will be over. Maybe we’ll have a change in time for the next RWC?
The game against the English Petals is a 50/50 call. The Old Dart has recalled Wilko in the hope he can cast a spell similar to Carter.
The only good thing about losing to the Eng-rish is that Dingo would surely have to make some positional changes including shifting Gits to 12.
Maybe we should be praying for an Eng-rish win? Not as crazy as it sounds really……………
John allyne said | November 4th 2009 @ 6:14pm | Report comment
Turner on the wing you have to be kidding, would be the worst winger in Australia and on par with one of Deans protected species Scott Hamilton, it pays to be the coaches pet.
Working Class Rugger said | November 4th 2009 @ 6:34pm | Report comment
John
Let’s not go saying things we might regret. Have you forgotten Rod Davies. He is easily the worst winger in Australia. Turner isn’t as bad as some like to think. He’s a winger and needs some space to do his job. Something he hasn’t had all year in either the Waratah or Wallaby set ups.
PastHisBest said | November 4th 2009 @ 10:57am | Report comment
Greg & GTW – I’ll repeat – it ain’t going to happen against England. Deans will take a safety first approach to selection (as would I), to try and get the GS attempt off on the right foot.
“they are an English premiership side playing at home on a winter evening, and they were up against a scratch, reserve strength Australian side just a few days off a flight from Tokyo.”
Oh the poor wee wallaby dears…it must have been terribly hard for them. Come on Greg, these are hardened rugby players – I would argue a number of S14 sides (including Australian) would put Gloucester away.
Who Needs Melon said | November 4th 2009 @ 12:21pm | Report comment
Surely every player on the tour should feel that they have and in reality have a chance at making the weekend games. If Cooper plays as well as he evidently has and STILL doesn’t make the weekend squad, what is that saying?
I’ve been a member of the Cooper-bashing club myself at times but I join the chorus asking for Cooper at 10 and Gits at 12.