Wallabies are on right path but not there yet

 

Roar Guru

By LeftArmSpinner, 19 Nov 2009 LeftArmSpinner is a Roar Guru

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 Rugby Union, wallabies

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The Wallabies are building momentum but still coming up short. At this stage, two years into International Rugby’s four year cycle, I look past the results on the score board.

I examine the players’ commitment, courage, technique and development. I am also assessing the coaches’ decisions at the selection table and choice of tactics.

Three factors are constraining this team’s ability to overcome the benchmark teams against whom they will be competing in 2011 for the ultimate prize in rugby, the RWC.

1. The back line tactics, nay strategy, needs, to be further tweaked so that they kick less and kick better and use more complex plays.

Genia, Giteau, Cooper, Ioane, Hynes and AAC can all beat a man one on one. Together as a unit, with Giteau at 12 and some clinical back line moves, they can be devastating.

As for Mitchell, I would not have even selected him for the tour. While he is running straighter than earlier in the season, his kick and kick chase is poor. Against the Irish when he pretended to jump for the catch (like the “scaredycats” in the U10′s), he only succeeded in demonstrating his lack of real commitment to the cause.

This backline, and several of the backs waiting in the wings, (no pun intended) have the potential to set rugby alight. The space was there against the Irish. The Wallabies either didn’t see it or were mentally lazy in exploiting it.

So, it is logical to keep the ball and use it through the backs once the momentum has been established.

2. The Grand Slam tourists lack a lineout leader and two specialist locks, one for the the starting team to replace Chisholm and one for the bench.

Untimely injuries have been unkind to the tourists. Sharpe is not the answer. I hope that Vickerman will return, but I doubt it and if he does, will he still be able to play at the intensity required. Why does a player walk out of a career prematurely when they have such short careers anyway??

In the meantime, Kimlin, Hocking or Caldwell need to be given lots of game time once they have completed their respective recoveries. And other locks such as Thompson need to be tested so that there is sufficient depth to cover the predicted injuries.

The successful candidate/s needs to be able to organise and win lineouts, provide the grunt at scrum and breakdown time and carry the ball straight and hard from a deep running position rather than a standing start.

3. The squad is young. The team is young. The oldest Wallabies player last weekend was Chisholm at 28.

It takes time for even the best young players to produce their best rugby at international level. The exception is Adam Ashley Cooper.

Pocock hadn’t impressed me that much with his play in his first 13 games for the Wallabies. But, against Ireland, he was outstanding and, I suspect, will get better. I won’t give any other examples of young Wallabies players coming of age because it would be easier to just “cut and paste” the current team and delete Giteau, Chisholm and Smith.

Brisbane was a one off that did nothing else but show that “there is gold in them there hills.”

Tokyo, with a new squad, and some ring rust, was an improvement but poor discipline and Carter’s boot sealed the Wallabies fate.

Twickenham was another improvement on Tokyo and may have been the turning point for this campaign.

Croke Park was a a very good performance against the best in Europe.

I wait with baited breath to see if the Wallabies can continue to build their momentum. Their brothers in the ’84 team did exactly this, culminating in a massive win with great, open rugby at Murrayfield.