By David Pocock
November 20th 2009 @ 5:42am
Related coverage
Ouch! Croke Park was a real kick in the guts
Wallabies v Ireland, Croke Park November 16, 2009. Wallabies drew with Ireland 20 all. Photo by Pothale
What an empty feeling it was after the game at Croke Park. The most disappointing thing about the game was probably not the draw, it was the fact that we were only seven points ahead with ten minutes to go.
We missed too many opportunities to score and it’s something that we’ll have to work on in our last three tour matches.
We put ourselves in a lot of scoring positions and then got impatient and turned the ball over at the breakdown or knocked on, or something, and against a team with the experience of the Irish, and leadership of the likes of O’Driscoll (playing in his 100th test), that’s always going to come back to bite you.
Ireland are probably saying the same thing – they missed a few scoring opportunities, too.
There’s never too much time to wallow in the “what could’ve been’s” in rugby. We’re now in Edinburgh and I’m certain that we’ll learn from the experience at Croke and build on that performance this weekend against Scotland.
Croke Park at near capacity was an opportunity that not many people get to experience and I loved it. It’s the first time I have ever seen a crowd fall silent for an opposition kicker, and “shhhhh” anyone who tried to jeer.
And then they even applauded after Gits knocked a penalty or conversion over. It’s great to see that in sport and sadly it doesn’t seem to happen anywhere else.
If I was a kicker, I think the silence would probably throw me off more than having the stadium booing. But I guess I’ll never know.
The Irish anthems were great, too. They really get into it and the crowd just had the big band and drums to back them – no anthem singers or microphones required.
It’s a kick in the guts to be out of the hunt for a grand slam, but we still have the chance to finish the tour undefeated, which is obviously now our goal.
Despite the result against Ireland, there are a lot of positives to come out of the game.
Our frontrow did very well and dominated in the scrums – they have been working hard under the watchful eye of Patricio ‘Pato’ Noriega and are starting to reap the rewards of all the extra scrum sessions.
It makes such a difference as a backrower in terms of running lines (in attack and defence) off the scrum when it’s going forward. It gives you a tiny jump on your opposite number and you can get to the first breakdown that bit quicker.
So hopefully that can be the standard we maintain for the rest of the tour.
The lineout is obviously an area that we have to keep working on and we’ve already started working on it at training this week.
I thought the intensity at the breakdown was right up there. It was obviously a focus area for both teams. From watching their games in the Six Nations earlier in the year, we knew this was definitely an area that they would contest really hard – especially with the inside-knowledge of Les Kiss, who is on the Irish coaching team, having coached a lot of us either at the Waratahs or with Australia A and other programs.
I guess that is another challenge with the way rugby is going, with players and coaches changing clubs more frequently all over the world. There’s a lot more knowledge and analysis done on players and teams leading into games.
There is definitely no shortage of quality Aussie coaches over here: Michael Cheika at Leinster, Tony McGahan with Munster, the list goes on.
But back to the breakdown.
I thought Kaplan did a good job there as he was consistent. As a loose-forward, you can change the way you play at the breakdown as long as the refs are consistent with their interpretations of the laws.
So I think the problem is not so much how they interpret the laws, but rather that they go by this for the whole game. And I thought Kaplan did well.
Onto the game this weekend …
Scotland are now being coached by former England coach Andy Robinson, so I think they’ll definitely be a tougher outfit (he’s come out in the papers this week saying so much and we are in no way underestimating them this weekend).
They’ve gone with the same team that beat Fiji and they’ll be happy with nothing short of another win.
==
Scotland v Wallabies Test Rugby Kick Off Time: 17:15 GMT (Edinburgh)
TV Times Scotland v Wallabies: Ten Network
SYDNEY 04:00 – 06:00 (Sun – 22/11/09)
MELBOURNE 04:00 – 06:00 (Sun – 22/11/09)
BRISBANE 03:00 – 05:00 (Sun – 22/11/09)
PERTH 01:00 – 03:00 (Sun – 22/11/09)
ADELAIDE 03:30 – 05:30 (Sun – 22/11/09)
Scotland v Qantas Wallabies (Replay – ONE HD only)
SYDNEY 20:00 – Sun 22/11/09
BRISBANE 20:00 – Sun 22/11/09
TV Times Scotland v Wallabies: FOX SPORTS
SYDNEY 04:15 – 06:00 (Sun – 22/11/09)
MELBOURNE 04:15 – 06:00 (Sun – 22/11/09)
BRISBANE 03:15 – 05:00 (Sun – 22/11/09)
PERTH 01:15 – 03:00 (Sun – 22/11/09)
ADELAIDE 03:45 – 05:30 (Sun – 22/11/09)
David Pocock is a current Wallaby and new columnist for The Roar. The ex-Zimbabwean plays for the Western Force in the Super 14 competition. He is the founder of the charity Eightytwenty Vision.
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Knives Out said | November 20th 2009 @ 5:55am | Report comment
Nice of you to take the time, David, and nice to see such a gracious and balanced attitude in response to the match. Good luck on the weekend but I’m hoping for a Scottish win to put some pride back in their test side (I hope that doesn’t sound patronising?).
Pete said | November 20th 2009 @ 6:59am | Report comment
KO, can the Scots wait just one more week before putting some pride back into their test side?
Knives Out said | November 20th 2009 @ 7:54am | Report comment
I don’t think this Englishman would be too upset were Scotland/Andy Robinson to catch a big one this weekend.
Mr cheese said | November 20th 2009 @ 10:34am | Report comment
It does sound patronising, Knife, but not to worry.
The bigger question is: why are there so few players in Scotland after about 150 years ???
Is it the same as tennis in Britain i.e. the people who own the clubs don’t want kids from the estates to come along and play ???
Surely Scotland should not be such overwhelming underdogs. The only way to change it would be to force Scotland to do something about its rugby.
There is no price for failure: if they do badly, they’ll still be in the next 6 nations and the next world cup.
Why are Scotland so rubbish ????
Dan said | November 20th 2009 @ 12:28pm | Report comment
The same could be asked of England really…
Knives Out said | November 20th 2009 @ 9:30pm | Report comment
Very witty, Dan, but I suppose the same couldn’t be asked of England. This decade England has been incredibly successful.
–
Rugby in England isn’t actually that middle class, Mr cheese. Obviously middle and upper class people play it but most clubs I have played with and been involved with are full of builders and policemen etc, not solicitors and professors. I cannot speak for Scotland for obvious reasons but my perception is that rugby in Scotland is middle class as it is in Argentina but that may just be a stereotype. Even if Scottish rugby is predominantly class-driven the same problem applies to Scottish soccer, so I would suggest that national apathy is the key issue.
In the professional era Scotland should be doing better. The claim that the removal of rucking has seriously affected the Scottish game because their forwards are naturally smaller is piffle. Every professional player has top gym facilities etc Plus the Scottish ML sides exist in a league that is geared toward European competition. However, there is the issue of style v pragmatism. As a weaker nation Scotland cannot afford to drop any results and so when Frank Hadden introduced a running brand and Scotland lost to Italy the media and public went berserk and so Hadden had to revert back to kick, kick and kick some more. Maybe this time next year Andy Robinson will have achieved something?
Mr cheese said | November 21st 2009 @ 1:51am | Report comment
Football in Scotland has problems in part because the sport is so competitive. THe same cannot be said of rugby.
If people in Scotland wanted RU to be popular, they would go out of their way to get kids involved. They won’t because they want to preserve its status.
A good friend of mine from Glasgow is unusual in being a Rangers fan who also likes Rugby. But then he went to a private school, so that explains it.
C’est logique, hein ?
Knives Out said | November 21st 2009 @ 2:29am | Report comment
The football attendances in Scotland are pretty poor, and Scotland has produced no sporting heroes of note over the past decade beyond Sir Chris Hoy or Andy Murray. It just isn’t a sporting nation as far as I’m concerned. What sport is the country passionate about in the way that rugby dominates NZ, Wales and the Pacific, and football dominates England, Germany and Italy? That said, I have never heard of people purposefully not getting kids involved in rugby. Scotland has always had reasonably high playing figures in proprtion to their population.
Mr cheese said | November 21st 2009 @ 1:49am | Report comment
I’m not too bothered about England. I didn’t go to a public ( i.e. private ) school, so the whole thing passes me by a lot of the time.
Anyway, I think it’s a fair question to ask about Scottish rugby: what is the price of failure ? They will still be in the 6 Nations.
Rugby players in Scotland are like novelists or painters in Australia: because there’s no competition, the really terrible ones are treated with undue deference. In the land of the blind, the one-eyed man is King.
Knives Out said | November 21st 2009 @ 2:31am | Report comment
The same question must apply to all of the nations involved in the 3N or the 6N, or the S14 or the ML. Personally I don’t think it’s a bad idea that there is relegation and promotion between the 6N and the 6N ‘A’ competition but that is a very broad point of debate. There’s too many factors involved.
There are novelists and painters in Australia?
Mr cheese said | November 21st 2009 @ 5:10am | Report comment
Ah yes, there’s a dude who ripped off Seurat. Can’t remember his name. One of his paintings hangs in the Pompidou.
An Australian painting in Paris…
Anyways, there will never be relegation from the 6N. They sell zillions of tickets. The point stands, however: Scotland have no incentive, really. It’s a non=Rugby country with a guarantee of 5 big matches each year. They’re only likely to beat Italy but so what ?
Bizarre.
As for Chris Hoy, not even he could be considered a great sportsman. Track cycling is not proper cycling.
The Scots’ best cyclist was Robert Millar.
Miguel Indurain was a great cyclist.
Chris Hoy is NOT a great cyclist.
Viscount Crouchback said | November 21st 2009 @ 3:32am | Report comment
I think it’s fair to say the SRU is one of the worst run organisations in world rugby. Ireland and Scotland have swapped places since the advent of professionalism because the IRFU put in place a fantastic structure whilst the SRU ran around in circles. Ian McGeechan had some very harsh things to say in his autobiography.
That said, it’s fair to observe that the Irish were very fortunate in that they had a well-established provincial system which fit perfectly into the new era. The Welsh and especially the Scottish were left with structures of enormous sentimental appeal to fans but which were simply unfit for purpose in the professional game. The traditional heartland of Scottish rugby is the Border region, but it has been unable to sustain a professional team.
This is the problem of professionalism. Everything becomes a question of demographics and market size rather than tradition and sentiment.
Knives Out said | November 21st 2009 @ 3:49am | Report comment
Very interesting perception as usual, VC. Irish rugby is extremely well run and would probably attain even more success if Connacht wasn’t treated as a feeder club. In contrast to the SRU at least David Moffett attempted to professionalise Welsh rugby but was undermined by a barrage of sentimentality. English fans haven’t really had to experience the loss of tradition bar the reduction of clubs like Orrell, Richmond and London Welsh so I suppose it’s all too easy for me to sit here and judge the antiquated attitude of various Welshmen.
I find it stunning that Scotland couldn’t manage to support three franchises and I do recall that a lot of fans purposefully rejected the Border club. Perhaps with continued ML improvement from Edinburgh and Glasgow and a national improvement under Robinson the 3rd side could be resurrected? If the Italian clubs don’t prove to be total lampoons then I don’t see why Scotland shouldn’t get another side and the ML should simply remove the home and away format and play out like the S14. There’s certainly enough Scottish expats and let’s not forget that players like Ford and Cusiter emerged from the Border effort.
Cattledog said | November 21st 2009 @ 3:53am | Report comment
Thanks VC, I’m learning a great deal about NH unions by reading posts such as yours. Good point about professionalism changing the tradition and sentiment to one of demographics and market size…aligned no doubt to the sponorship dollar or pound!
Pete said | November 21st 2009 @ 7:38pm | Report comment
Agreed Cattledog.
VC, KO and Mr Cheese is great to read something tha isn’t Australian centric. Its gets a bit tiring hearing which of the football codes in Australia will rule the Universe. Its great to read this stuff.
I’ve just found the French Top 14 games on Eurosport (on Fox). I record them because they’re on in the wee hours of the morning. There are some cracking games. It would be brilliant if we got a few of the UK games as well.
Mr cheese said | November 21st 2009 @ 5:05am | Report comment
Tradition and sentiment are great, but why haven’t the Scots tried to promote the game more ???
They could have taken it into schools, couldn’t they ?
Perhaps they’re too scared that the ( squeamish people, look away now ) proletarian jocks will take an interest.
They’d probably rather lose than see rugby played in the Gorbals, si j’ai bien compris.
It’s a shame. Un dommage.
Scotty iin Devon said | November 20th 2009 @ 6:44am | Report comment
Great hear from you David and your performance on Sunday was amazing! KO is right, well said about the game and the crowd – Australia vs Ireland is always special I think, in a very good way.
All the best for the weekend!
Scott the Aussie in Devon
Pete said | November 20th 2009 @ 6:58am | Report comment
Nice article David. You had a phenomenal game! Congratulations!
As gut rentching as the final moments of the Croke Park test were, I am happier that these hard lessons are being learnt from now rather than in the RWC. I’m excited about the future of the Wallabies. Its looking good.
I wish the team the best of luck on the weekend!
Parisien said | November 20th 2009 @ 7:08am | Report comment
Thanks for the article, we are very lucky to get a player’s viewpoint of the ground, the game, the ref and the anthems. its almost like being there. Make the most of it, continue to enjoy it, and all the best against Scotland!
ohtani's jacket said | November 20th 2009 @ 7:11am | Report comment
Yeah, you played well David. Congrats.
fox said | November 20th 2009 @ 7:22am | Report comment
Excellent article David and and even better effort last weekend. Just keep doing what you’re doing.
MM Fike said | November 20th 2009 @ 8:55am | Report comment
Well written David. You are a sportsman in every sense of the word.
I’m sure this Wallabies side is going to give us all a lot of pleasure over the next few years.
albatross said | November 20th 2009 @ 10:28am | Report comment
>>Ouch! Croke Park was a real kick in the guts
I don’t get it.
Wasn’t the second leg played in Paris?
Mr cheese said | November 20th 2009 @ 10:35am | Report comment
Nah,
Croke Park WAS a kick in the guts.
If Ireland had played as well in Ireland as they did in France, they would be going to SA next summer.
With or without “La Main de Dieu”.
Rin said | November 20th 2009 @ 10:48am | Report comment
Well played David, you are definately a captain in the making, its just a matter of time now. Its a pity about the result on Sunday, you guys should have put 14 more past them, but on the bright side as they used to say back in Zim “a draw away from home is a win”.
PastHisBest said | November 20th 2009 @ 11:33am | Report comment
“you are definately a captain in the making”
Perceptive of you Rin…
ThelmaWrites said | November 20th 2009 @ 11:40am | Report comment
I join the rest in giving you my congratulations, David. But don’t let it get into your head, stay focused.
Bay35Pablo said | November 20th 2009 @ 12:01pm | Report comment
Nice to see you being kind to Mr Kaplan, David. A fair few of us have a little more constructive criticism on his work at the breakdown, scrum, etc.
Here’s hoping Scotland don’t lift too much, and our boys keep the intensity up.
Blinky Bill of Bellingen said | November 20th 2009 @ 12:04pm | Report comment
Thanks David for your view on things. A know a lot of us are watching you and a few others as things develop for the better. Keep up the good work.
Really appreciated your comments on the Irish crowd too. Nice!
johnny-boy said | November 20th 2009 @ 4:32pm | Report comment
Great performance David. Keep that up and you’ll be giving McCaw a run for his money. I hope the team keeps growing and going forward. Dont look back ! 85 minutes and 16 opponents …
ps can you tell gits we’d love to see him at 12 all the time so he can cut loose to weave his magic – please …..
and tell dingo we’re sick of the conservative kiwi kick for position strategies – give us some good old wallaby freak em out ave a go at them all the time sort of stuff. You might surprise yourselves.
Cattledog said | November 20th 2009 @ 4:39pm | Report comment
Good on you David. Well written, tempered, not ruffling any feathers. Bet you called Kaplan a knob out of print, though. And you wouldn’t be wrong!
Dublin Dave said | November 20th 2009 @ 8:22pm | Report comment
A most gracious article, David. But then the Irish commentators did make you man of the match last Sunday.
Let me just pick you up on one item which clearly impressed you: the national anthems. I think that is one small detail that the Irish sporting authorites have got right. The best way to perform them before the match is to have a military brass band (or in this case a combined military/police band) play the tune and no need for a solo singer or small group of pop stars to get in the way. Then the massed choirs in the crowd can sing each of their anthems and help builid up the atmosphere, as they did on Sunday and indeed the day before for La Marseillaise when the French soccer team played at the same venue (but we won’t dwell on that open wound)
This is the way it was always done in the past but in recent years most places have imported the American style of getting a solo singer, often some X factor type who is not particularly good at singing at all, to “interpret” the national anthem in their own idosyncratic way. This is tiresome at best and downright awful at worst. On youtube you can see an example of some bunch of sheilas called Bardot butchering the Australian anthem before a match a few years back, and you can also see what the French got some African reggae singer to do to the South African anthems before their recent test in Toulouse. That last effort was so cringemaking that they subsequently apologised to the South Africans, and rightly so.
Even a bona fide soprano like Kathryn Jenkins, who is a genuine rugby fan from a real rugby town like Neath, shouldn’t have to sing Mae Hen Wlad Fy Nadhau before a game. It’s a choral piece. Let the band and the choir that is the crowd take care of it.
ThelmaWrites said | November 20th 2009 @ 9:02pm | Report comment
Whew, it’s nice to shelter in a thread where civility prevails.
My two rugby daughters and I tape all the anthems at World Cups, and we sing those whose words we know. We also buy the CDs of the anthems as they are rendered and sing to them in the car. One of the delights of rugby.
We have fond memories of the Irish well-wishes for the Wallabies before the RWC 1991 semi-final against the All Blacks at Lansdowne Road. The ABC crew went around Dublin asking the locals who they would support. They invariably said: “We don’t mind losing to you, provided you beat the All Blacks”.
tarpo said | November 20th 2009 @ 9:59pm | Report comment
Thelma, you are forever a delight & you & the family’s devotion to the finer points in life is truly refreshing, thank you.
Cattledog said | November 20th 2009 @ 11:00pm | Report comment
DD, I haven’t always agreed with your posts but you’re spot on with this one. I too would like to see a military/police band play the anthems and let the players and the crowd do their thing.
It’s annoying when some hired individual / group use the occasion to provide their interpretation of a particular anthem. The recent butchery of the SA anthem, which I think is a great anthem, was disgusting and the team had every right to feel blighted.
I’m sure these people are paid a fee for their services…better put toward the development of junior rugby. I’m sure the governments of most if not all military / police bands would be happy to donate their services.
Working Class Rugger said | November 20th 2009 @ 8:40pm | Report comment
David
The idea of a Grand Slam may be important to some but not all. Going undefeated and developing as a squad rates higher in my mind. The confidnece gained in touring in the North a leaving without conceding a game means alot more than a Grand Slam. By the way, good game. I don’t believe rotating you a George Smith is the best policy but hey, Deans obviously has a plan. Keep you fresh for the important games.
Damo said | November 20th 2009 @ 8:51pm | Report comment
Great news about the Irish crowds . They must be the best in the rugby world. I am a self confessed loud-mouth at a game but booing kickers seems to be the dumbest low rent attempt to help your team. Fans don’t help by booing opposition. They help by yelling support when their team;s efforts need to be encouraged. If the Irish fans can lead the way for the rest of us out of this brain-dead behaviour then they’ll be helping the whole game. They must be as polite as Paddy’s pigs.
tarpo said | November 20th 2009 @ 10:03pm | Report comment
David, great game, thank you for your contribution here at the roar, we really do appreciate it.
Enjoy the wonderful experience that is touring & keep your focus, the future is bright.
Ian Noble said | November 20th 2009 @ 10:51pm | Report comment
David
Excellent piece, it always a privilege to hear from a test player. Very few write columns although Wilko has a regular column in the Times which can be interesting although a little wierd on occasions when he become too cerebal.
Thelma
The French and the Irsh anthems are up there, but for my money I would say that the Italian anthem is the best. If you get a moment look at their performance on youtube before the AB’s game, simply wonderful, 80K+ singing their heart out with all the Azzuri singing with real emotion. Pity RWC2015 or 2019 isn’t in Italy, perhaps 2023.
Rockin Rod said | November 21st 2009 @ 5:31am | Report comment
David, what an insight. As roar readers we are so stoked to get the news staright from a player rather than all these Experts we call ourselves from the couch.Especially the MAN OF THE MATCH. Thankyou again and shows what Robbie Deans thinks of you by resting you against the weaker teams in England and Scotland and playing you against NZ, Ireland and Wales. Find of the tour, i can only imagine where your game along with QC, Occonner and Genia will be in another 2 years, just in time for that tournament accross the ditch. Good times for Australian Rugby ahead.
Knives Out said | November 21st 2009 @ 6:36am | Report comment
‘Anyways, there will never be relegation from the 6N. They sell zillions of tickets. The point stands, however: Scotland have no incentive, really. It’s a non=Rugby country with a guarantee of 5 big matches each year. They’re only likely to beat Italy but so what ?
Bizarre.’
That hasn’t always been the case, however. Scotland has always had the potential to knock off one of the bigger teams: England in 07-08, Wales in 06-07, France & England in 05-06 etc. What Scotland needs is a coach to improve their consistency and broaden their playing depth by exposing more players to test rugby. You could reverse that attitude and wonder what the point is behind the 3N when NZ has won it so regularly? That doesn’t mean matches involving NZ are not worth watching, and the same applies to Scotland. Part of the significane of the 6N is tradition, and Scotland adds to that.
Mr cheese said | November 21st 2009 @ 8:25am | Report comment
You’re right that tradition is central to the 6 NAtions.
However, none of that changes the fact that Scotland and Italy are a bit of a joke.
THe 3 NAtions is different: Australia and SA have both won the World Cup. They have both had great players. They can beat anyone in the world ( apart, naturally, from themselves ). Not all of that could be said about the Scots.
France v Scotland earlier this year was probably the worst afternoon of my 27 years.
Best wishes
Knives Out said | November 21st 2009 @ 8:34am | Report comment
‘THe 3 NAtions is different: Australia and SA have both won the World Cup. They have both had great players. They can beat anyone in the world ( apart, naturally, from themselves ). Not all of that could be said about the Scots.’
That’s true, but you were referring to the competitiveness of the Scots, and thus the 6N as a whole. Logically the same consideration must apply to a tournament where one side has dominated to such a huge scale and has only lost at home a few times this decade, i.e. the 3N and NZ. At times this decade SA has been a joke which made their 1995 WC win pretty irrelevant. Scotland is poor, it’s a small nation with little resources. The same scenario would not doubt unfold were The 3N to become the 6N with Tonga, Fiji and Samoa being included.
It’s probably not particularly fair to include Italy in the debate. The gap between the haves and have nots has been widened since professionalism and, after all, it took France decades to win their first 5N title following their inclusion.
Pothale said | November 21st 2009 @ 9:17am | Report comment
You tell him, KO. So are you still in Egypt? I’m here in London havin a ball. Wonder if I cud get tix for the England match tomorrow?
ThelmaWrites said | November 22nd 2009 @ 11:37pm | Report comment
Tarpo and Ian Noble
Thanks for the kind words and suggestions.
David Pocock
I write this with a heavy heart, as the Wallabies have lost to Scotland. May I say something about the singing of anthems by national teams/players?
My daughters and I were very touched to see Michael Brial (who was playing his first test as a Wallaby in Paris in, I think, 1993) looking deeply moved by the Australian national anthem. A tear clearly glittered in his eye.
And so were the Ireland squad when the Irish rugby anthem was sung for the first time at the 1995 Rugby World Cup in South Africa.
Perhaps these men sensed that they were playing for the honor of their country above all.
We send you and the rest of the squad our best wishes for the Wales test, and hope that the Australian national anthem stirs the fire in your hearts.
Rockin Rod said | November 29th 2009 @ 3:58am | Report comment
David , that first half v wales was just amazing from you.You have come so far in such a short time, congratulations. Enjoy your break
Stephen F. Moon said | November 30th 2009 @ 9:20pm | Report comment
Fair go Rockin Rod. We all enjoyed Davids play over the tour but anyone would think you were his manager or something. Do you have a photo of him up in your bedroom? Your shameless promotion of the same 3 or 4 players over and over on this site is a joke…. In between you and “Roy Kneebone” – fair go.