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Ominous signs in Wallabies midweek silence

Roar Guru
21st August, 2014
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Israel Folau gets caught up in some heavy defence (Photo: Paul Barkley/LookPro)
Roar Guru
21st August, 2014
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2274 Reads

Game one of the Bledisloe Cup for 2014 has, undeniably, been marred by controversy and a bifurcation of opinion concerning who was more fortunate finish with a draw.

While the Wallabies failed to convert long periods of promising attack into tries the All Blacks failed to string together consistent phases at all, frequently dropping the ball in contact and uncontested alike.

Then there was the rain. Irrespective of their status as professional athletes, on the wettest day in Sydney this year the weather played a material role in slowing the game and disadvantaging both sides.

As of Jaco Peyper, I will refrain from ref bashing. I think that says enough.

Young captain Michael Hooper, however, didn’t help the Gold cause with his decision-making, and was exposed as a captain at international level.

An old adage rings true in Test rugby: ‘you always take the points’, had Hooper taken an easy penalty the Wallabies may have come through three points ahead. Well, quite possibly.

Oh, the joy of mid-week hypotheticals.

Unusually, the All Blacks management has been more vocal than their trans-Tasman counterparts. Head coach Steve Hansen fired a shot at the Wallabies this week indicating that “I don’t know how much they’ve [the Wallabies] got left to lift”.

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Some have likened this to a sign of Hansen’s insecurities regarding an emerging Wallabies team, but if you have followed the coach you would know that is just his manner. It might be cheap, but it is all part of his pre-game preparation.

The characteristically outspoken coach did, however, concede that “Our skills and our game structures were basically non-existent to where we want them to be… We just didn’t play well enough”.

In contrast, there have been few words from the Wallabies camp, and no response to Hansen’s latest jab.

This is a good sign of maturation from a Wallabies side that, not too long ago, was riddled with egotistical player seeking the limelight both on and off the field – cue the Quade Cooper ‘toxic environment’ saga.

The Wallabies, however, will still go into the Eden Park comparably as written-off as they were in Sydney, and justifiably so.

The side have typically enjoyed underdog status in the Rugby Championship, but almost always they play their best rugby with their back to the wall and the fans writing them off. That was the way they went into Bledisloe, but not the way they came out.

Australia looked dominant in most facets but none more than ball retention.

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At full time possession the split was 65 to 35 per cent in favour of Australia, and while the All Blacks frequently win game with below 50 per cent possession winning with 35 per cent is almost unheard of.

It is decidedly ‘Cheika ball’ – starve your opponent of possession, and tire them with countless phases on the back foot. The Waratahs contingent have brought this to the Wallabies and with it a reduction is basic errors, particularly around the ruck.

While this was one of the few positives, the side still underperformed by international standards and most importantly, they did not look like a world beating team.

Moreover, Wallabies failed to score a try despite the favourable two-thirds possession statistic, an even more favourable penalty count and 20 minutes against 14 men.

With the likes of Israel Folau and Adam Ashley-Cooper finally playing in his preferred position, this shouldn’t have been a problem – at least on paper.

Folau rode a wave of hype into this international series, frequently being cited as the best fullback in the world. Like some I believe that Folau still has a lot to do against top tier sides, and he was exposed on Saturday.

Weak positioning and poor tactical kicking appears to have let him down according to the rugby astute but such weakness begs a simple question:

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‘Does Folau possess a tactical kicking and long passing game, and has he learned to position himself at fullback?’ At this point, against high-quality opposition, it is difficult to say.

In fairness, his wings, Rob Horne and Pat McCabe, did very little to assist in a game where Izzy was well below his high standard.

But Folau wasn’t the only high-profile player to go missing. The 2013 IRB Player of the Year, Kieran Read, also had a rare off game and subsequently, the All Blacks looked stagnant.

It’s unusual to see Read off the mark, and with Jerome Kaino injured out for game two, his performance will be even more critical. If he fails to step up again the All Blacks will be down two genuine international players as well as key defensive figures.

For mind though, the Wallabies will have to be mentally strong this week.

A draw is an odd result against the World Champions – is it positive, is it negative? They side was supposed to be thrashed at ANZ Stadium, and while they weren’t, they still didn’t win. Rising for a game away from home would be undeniably difficult, but particularly in New Zealand.

Not only that, but they will be constantly reminded of the Eden Park hoodoo by the New Zealand press and fans.

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The All Blacks have been a slow starting side for the past five years and will be down an attacking asset with Ma’a Nonu succumbing to a shoulder injury – the return of Conrad Smith, however, should compensate somewhat.

Australia, staying with the same side is worrying, and if you believe in ‘if it’s not broken, don’t fix it’ this should be concern you too.

Simply, the side did not perform well enough to warrant staying the same. This is not to say that McKenzie should reinvent the wheel mind you, but changes at halfback lock and/or wing come immediately to mind.

McKenzie has inherited a good side from Deans (an argument that cannot be made for the previous transition) and his tactics are refreshing, but selecting an unchanged team maybe a gamble if only because the All Blacks will not have to tinker with game plans and strategy.

Bledisloe Tests are always fantastic affairs and this new chapter will, of course, be the same. There are however, ominous signs occurring heading into the final few days.

The Wallabies should expect a much better game from ‘The Darkness’ this time around, but how they cope with increased pressure on a fast pitch is yet to be seen

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