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Should Wallaby coach Michael Cheika be concerned Wales scored eight tries and England seven in the final round of the Six Nations at the weekend?
Wales, England and Australia are drawn in the same ‘Group of Death’ at the World Cup with Fiji and Uruguay, where only two can qualify for the quarters.
In the first four rounds of the Six Nations Wales scored five tries, but they tallied up eight in the last round. England crossed for 11 tries in their first four rounds, and seven in the last, but neither could stop Ireland claiming their second successive championship on points difference.
The scorelines were extraordinary.
Wales thumped Italy 61-0, Ireland accounted for Scotland 40-10, while England, needing to beat France by 26 points, fell agonisingly short with their 55-35 success.
Overall, 221 points were scored in the round, by far an all-time Six Nations record, so too the 27 tries.
It’s hard to believe such a points-fest will ever be repeated in the Six Nations. And you can count on Wales and England reverting to their usual safety-first forwards driven, backline kicking game come World Cup time.
Cheika has far more worries at home with his Waratahs, and potential Wallabies.
Despite the 28-13 win over arch-rival Brumbies at Allianz Stadium on Sunday night, Cheika’s troops should have won the war by at least 30 points. The Waratahs enjoyed 75 per cent possession in the first half, but only led 20-13.
In the 80 minutes, the Waratahs had 61 per cent possession, kept the Brumbies scoreless in the second half, but only added eight points themselves with just three tries, failing to claim the bonus point.
So why should Cheika be worried?
His Wallaby line-up in this vital year will be predominately Waratahs and Brumbies, and on Sunday night, which promised so much for the 27,243 faithful, fell well short.
Both half-backs, Waratah Nick Phipps and Brumby Nic White, need a rocket. Both are keen to yap, both keen to tell the referee how to control the game, but both are not keen to deliver swift service from set and broken play.
Referee Craig Joubert’s “use it” command to both halves said it all, with the ball just lying there and begging to be picked up and passed. Even then their passing was slow, too high, too low, or behind supports, jolting two very talented backlines, and killing the game as a spectacle.
There’s a serious side issue to Phipps’ slowness, thwarting any chance of Bernard Foley, Kurtley Beale and Israel Folau bouncing off one another, one of rugby’s great delights.
But there were four major pluses on Sunday night, too.
Folau is almost back to his best, scoring his first try in six games and setting up another. The Folau try was made by replacement outside centre Matt Carraro as Folau loomed up inside.
Had Adam Ashley-Cooper been on duty, he would have died with the ball, as usual, and butchered seven points.
The return of David Pocock was most welcome, even though the injury-prone flanker copped a bloodied eyebrow. The battle between Pocock and Michael Hooper for the Wallaby number seven jersey will be a season highlight.
The superb Hooper’s diving crash tackle on winger Henry Speight stopped a certain Brumbies try in the corner at a critical time, and Brumby hooker Stephen Moore is right back to his best and odds-on to regain the Wallaby captaincy he proudly owned for just five minutes last year before he sustained a season-ending knee injury
So where to from here?
The Brumbies still lead the Waratahs in the Australian Conference by six points, but they have played six games to the Waratahs’ five. The Brumbies have a bye this week, while the Waratahs take on the Blues at Allianz next Saturday.