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The Wallabies have won a Test series! Although there was some of the obligatory angst we supporters of the Wallabies secretly love so much, 2014 has held more highlights than lowlights for the national side.
Here are my thoughts about the Test window.
1. We seem to have consolidated and are now moving forward
After Ewen McKenzie took over a very dejected Wallabies side in the wake of the Lions defeat he wanted the Wallabies to revert to basics and learn to win again. That breakthrough happened against Argentina and was consolidated on the Spring Tour (despite one blip there).
As the wins piled up the Wallabies started building a more discernable game plan – a unique blend of speed and physicality to create space.
That size and speed plan came through against the French in Brisbane and Sydney.
In Melbourne, McKenzie was heard telling his side to batten down the hatches and thrash the leather, in order to protect a slim lead against a much more determined opposition.
The difference between the two types of performances (the first and third Tests as opposed to the second), is the speed and size of the forward pack.
In Brisbane and Sydney the Wallabies deployed Wycliff Palu, Will Skelton, James Slipper, Sam Carter, Sekope Kepu, Tatafu Polota Nau and Scott Sio to good effect.
All of those forwards and a few more provided a level of physicality that meant the ball was moved quickly and powerfully around the field, often through forward’s hands which was important.
In the second Test that plan didn’t work as well without the grunt available. Putting James Horwill in the second row and Ben McCalman at the back of the pack as well as Scott Higginbotham couldn’t provide the same blend of physicality and speed.
So, the Wallabies have found a game plan that does work for them – using the speed and ferocity in the forwards to create space. The next step is to work out a less-risky plan than hanging on for a 6-0 win when that isn’t working.
2. The backline needs to straighten the line more often
I’ve talked about the forwards mostly, because they are the real engine room of a rugby side. However the backline could use some adjustment too – the main issue is the tendency of the Wallabies to shuffle the ball without purpose.
There are occasions to move the ball to space quickly, like an overlap or forwards defending too wide, however when the opposition is set the use of angles and deception is vitally important.
On Saturday I saw behind the posts and got a clear view of how sideways the Wallabies ball movement was. Too often people were drifting and angled toward the sideline even before receiving a pass. I was hoping to see some more inside runs that cut against drifting defence.
The first time that really occurred was actually Skelton’s offload to Israel Folau. The fullback’s line was superb, and just a few degrees against the run of play. It was enough to see him through untouched.
The Wallabies need to use their back three like this more often, perhaps of Toomua because he seems to be the one actually running the most of the phase plays at the moment.
3. Scrum still needs work
We have a fair few good front row forwards who play well around the park right now. But our scrum is still wobbly at times and rarely strong enough to run a great set play.
The likes of Kepu, Slipper – who is turning into an Andrew Hore-like extra back rower around the park – Pek Cowan and Laurie Weeks aren’t world class scrummagers and I’m not sure they ever will be.
We conceded a penalty try, were pushed apart other times and were the more penalised outfit at the set piece.
That’s why I believe it’s necessary to find a way to use Sio as a starting prop. He isn’t a world class scrummager yet either, but is by far the most consistent we have and the best prospect in Australia that could develop into one. I thought maybe he was injured or unwell when he wasn’t selected earlier (I’m fairly sure I saw him vomit on the field during the last Brumbies match before the break) but it seems he had a clean bill of health.
If that’s the case I find it hard to understand how come McKenzie waited so long to give him a piece of the action. We need to get Tests into his legs now.
4. The other Southern Hemisphere heavy-weights are very good but possibly beatable
In the wake of an enjoyable series victory – where despite only scoring six points in Melbourne, the Wallabies averaged 32 points per game – it is easy to forget the sterner challenges ahead. The All Blacks and Springboks will be a completely new level of competition.
In truth, the French were completely unprepared for the first Test, fielding a new side because of injuries and players returning from club duty late. And they were probably looking longingly at whatever beach-side location they had teed up for a long-awaited holiday once the Wallabies scored early in the third Test.
In contrast, All Blacks are gunning for a ridiculous number of consecutive wins; they’re probably up to 485 now. That’s been very well publicised. But not to be forgotten is just how good the Springboks were last year.
The best two games of 2014 were epic clashes between the top two in the world at Eden Park and Ellis Park. Both sides played at a level well above anything the Wallabies could touch.
After how they’ve both played in the June Test the All Blacks and Springboks aren’t quite in the kind of form they showed last year, but have time to fine tune.
The Springboks will prepare for the Rugby Championship by trying to marry the more expansive attack of 2013 with some reversion to a more physical brutal plan this year. The All Blacks will try to bottle the 20 minutes after halftime in the second Test against England and coax that work rate and speed from older legs more often. (I’m not giving as much weight to game three of that series, the England players were probably booking flights to Ibiza in warm ups.)
5. Day time Bledisloe Cup in Sydney?
Having an afternoon Test in Sydney certainly was a treat. As we hit winter solstice the match to be bathed in sunlight at the start and finish in the dusk with a happy home crowd.
A packed house at the SFS was a sign some of the recent wooing of Sydney crowd worked. The crowd was bigger than either of the preceding Tests at Brisbane or Melbourne, and you’d have to say the timeslot helped that. Not to mention the Waratahs current success helping in contrast to the smaller than usual turnout in Brisbane after a poor Super Rugby season so far.
After the game there were calls for a Bledisloe Cup match to be held on an arvo at the SFS. And certainly that would be an amazing atmosphere. But Stadium Australia has the rights to those matches for years, so the plan is dead on arrival. However, an arvo Bledisloe Cup there would be an interesting proposition.
The kicker is the ratings – the rugby business is a business afterall – and the Saturday afternoon ratings weren’t great. Network 10 had 245k viewers Fox Sports had 254k.
The Melbourne match shown in television prime time ratings were 383k for Network 10 and 247k for Fox Sports.
A 63% reduction in viewers week-on-week for Network 10 – which needs those raw numbers to sell to ad buyers, unlike Fox Sports with a subscriber base – means too many more afternoon Tests might be a hard sell.
It would take some sort of long term commitment to the idea of a “Saturday Arvo Rugby” tradition to build the needed audience to pull it off. Not likely when rugby needs to keep broadcasters in the good books right now.
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.