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The Wallabies' woes are far from over

Roar Guru
8th September, 2014
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Where have all the collars gone? (AAP Image/Joosep Martinson)
Roar Guru
8th September, 2014
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1917 Reads

The Wallabies’ 24-23 victory over the Springboks in Perth last Saturday felt a little retro. There was something very ‘classic’ about it, snatching victory from the jaws of defeat in the dying seconds.

It was enough to leave a loyal fan a little nostalgic.

And, since it was the number two team in the world from whom Rob Horne pinched the win, you may find yourself tempted to dismiss the results against the All Blacks as a valiant effort against the best in the business, and believe that the Wallabies are getting back on track.

But don’t. Not yet. Not even for a second.

The new look Wallabies turned in a solid performance. Bernard Foley’s night was mixed, as was Nick Phipps’. That was at least somewhat owed to the wet conditions.

Some basic errors aside, the impact of their attacking style was clear. Foley stands shallow and attacks the line. What’s more, he and Phipps force the players around them to do so with the placement of their passes.

Strangely enough, when backline runners are on the front foot and across the advantage line, it makes life easier for the pack because forwards running in support are able approach the gate at the ruck straight-on, with momentum, instead of from the side.

Not only does this give a positional advantage, but it uses less energy than running around to get to the gate then wrestling from a flat footed position. And so, despite a relatively poor set-piece performance, the Wallabies held the notoriously difficult ‘Boks pack at bay.

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At the end of the 80, it was Australia who were responsible for majority of the enterprising play. This earned them 61 per cent possession and more than double the running metres (710m to 320m) and yet, with home-crowd advantage and a helpful yellow card to Brian Habana, they only managed to win by one point.

Why?

Well, we are getting closer but the headache that is selecting Wallabies is not over. There has been much talk of the selection of Toomua over Beale at 12. And despite having been in camp Beale throughout, even I admit that Toomua was one of the better Wallabies on the night.

However, herein lies the problem. Not one, but two of the Wallabies best players from Saturday should be in the coach’s sights.

Toomua’s individual effort aside, when Beale stepped onto the field the attack found another gear. And while dropping Toomua now would not be popular, Ewen McKenzie seems to have a penchant for such things and the Waratahs 9-10-12 combination has again made an emphatic argument being reunited.

Tevita Kurindrani too turned in a class performance, he looked unstoppable throughout and in a perfect world we would have a place for him. However, the fact is that his selection has displaced Adam Ashley-Cooper, when what we should be doing is picking one of the two.

For years, the Wallabies have had a nasty habit of trying to play stars out of position. Remember the George Smith and Phil Waugh debacle? Something like that.

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Notice too that the All Blacks never do this? In Super Rugby, yes. But once you reach Test level you need specialist players in specialist positions.

The forwards too present a conundrum. James Slipper has been one of the best forwards in the broken play. He also left the field having anchored a scrum which did not once win its own feed.

This changed with inclusion of Pek Cowan. And perhaps if McKenzie replaced Fardy with either Higginbotham or Hodgson and used Palu the way Cheika did in Super Rugby, Slipper’s contribution in broken play may not be necessary.

The answer is not clear, but I would guess that if Australia are to find success in the remainder of 2014, McKenzie must give his backs a chance to form combinations and make changes sparingly.

Kurtley Beale in for Matt Toomua at 12. When Joe Tomane or Henry Speight become available, reconsider the situation with Adam Ashley-Cooper and Kurindrani, then give Adam Ashley-Cooper the nod. The team needs his experience.

Like the players themselves, forwards’ combinations tend to be a little less sensitive. McKenzie can make changes and make the tough decisions necessary to build the pack to the top level. However, just how one does that with no standout enforcer and an absence of core-players who are safe in their positions is hard to say.

One thing is for sure, the Puma’s are not the easy beats of the Rugby Championship that they once were, and the coaching staff need to put in some time at the drawing board if they are to progress through the next round unscathed.

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