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The Wallabies have sent a warning. After completing their Spring Tour, they have shown a lot of improvement – perhaps even enough to compete with the big guns.
I am sure the All Blacks’ and Springboks’ respective coaching teams have taken note and in the coming months will be reviewing the Wallabies’ tactics.
A lot of positives have come from the tour, the foremost being that Ewan McKenzie has weaved his magic on the Wallabies. He has introduced a style of play that is attractive to fans but also appears to get the wins.
The real tests are obviously the Boks and All Blacks, but hopefully we can compete with them by the time of the World Cup.
The backline is particularly pleasing and I think we have enough depth to keep it relatively competitive for the incumbents to keep their positions.
Israel Folau goes from strength to strength and I am looking forward to him trying his hand at outside centre at the Waratahs.
We have seen how Tevita Kurindrani, a big, strong outside centre, runs into holes off Matt Toomua and Quade Cooper. Folau is more skilled and faster than Kurindrani so it will be interesting to watch.
The Wallabies backline have improved greatly since the Lions series and the greatest change was moving Toomua to inside centre.
Toomua has done a great job and takes the pressure off Quade Cooper by giving him another option. He also has a good boot and growing combination with Kurindrani.
Another player in the backline who has starred is Nick Cummins. Despite his one indiscretion, he has had a great year and is improving rapidly.
His hard running could also be complemented by a few good steps and some accurate kicking to add to the repertoire. Personally, I love his hard, direct running and I am sure it motivates those around him.
In the forwards there is still a lot of improvement needed, but they can be proud of how they finished the year. The scrum in particular came under heavy scrutiny, but appeared to improve as they faced fierce Northern Hemisphere packs.
Stephen Moore has been phenomenal and Scott Fardy has become a real leader around the park. James Horwill was just regaining his good form in the last few weeks, while Michael Hooper took on the dirty work against Wales.
It will be interesting to see what happens to the back row with the return of David Pocock and Scott Higginbotham.
The forwards also need to run lower to the ground – they shouldn’t immediately go to ground but keep their stance low and legs pumping. I think too often you see someone run in high and get held up or just going to ground once they reach contact and not breaking the advantage line.
In the end, I think the Wallabies should be proud of their tour and believe that exciting things are ahead for the men in gold.
Join The Roar rugby editor Christy Doran, former Wallaby Matt Toomua and a cast of regular and special guests as they look at the biggest issues in the game on The Roar Rugby Podcast. If you’re looking for great odds on the next game check out Aussie bookmaker PlayUp. Chances are you’re about to lose. Set a deposit limit.