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Wallaby coach Michael Cheika will have mixed feelings about the 24-20 Rugby Championship win in injury time over the Boks at Suncorp last night.
The pluses
The Wallabies had a courageous captain in Stephen Moore, who chose to go for the win rather than the easy cop-out of a penalty in front for a draw.
With seven minutes to go the Wallabies were down 20-10, but converted tries to Michael Hooper and Tevita Kuridrani saw the men in gold home.
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David Pocock made a huge difference off the bench, while Michael Hooper enjoyed an 80-minute blinder. Cheika must play them both all the time. Meanwhile Matt Giteau successfully returned to international rugby, despite a four-year absence.
The Wallaby scrum also held up against the powerful Bok pack.
The downsides
Halfback Will Genia limped off the field at half-time with a remedial ligament injury, and didn’t return.
Quade Cooper was unconvincing in his return to No.10, and missed three penalties from four. Goal-kicking is a genuine problem, which brings overlooked Bernard Foley back in contention with his reliable boot, and Matt Toomua for straightening the attack.
Add the three tries the Wallabies bombed and a possible 30 points were left on the paddock. Somehow, the Wallabies got away with it, but they won’t against the All Blacks.
Importantly, let’s have no more ‘no look’ passes, Cooper to Adam Ashley-Cooper worked, but Giteau’s to Israel Folau with the line wide open at 20-10 was bombed.
Behemoth lock Will Skleton was a bitter disappointment. With his 204-centimetre, 148-kilogram frame, he was expected to create carnage. It never happened.
To be fair, the big physical difference between Skelton and lock partner Rob Simmons is a disadvantage to both. It would be far more equitable if Rory Arnold, at 208 centimetres and 127 kilograms, was paired with Skelton.
The 37,633 crowd was also a disappointment, especially as 50,000-plus packed Suncorp for the Liverpool-Brisbane Roar clash the night before.
But for Cheika, his first game at home, and the Wallabies, it was a gutsy win against a team that was in command for most of the journey led by Schalk Burger, who was my man of the match.
Today the Wallabies fly out to Mendoza for the clash with the Pumas.
At the time of writing, the fitness of Genia and Giteau, who appeared to sustain a rib injury in the second half, are unknown.
Both are vital, and if they are lost against the Pumas the three-tries to two win over the strong Boks defence pattern will have lost a lot of the gloss.
But as Michael Cheika will tell you, adversity is there to overcome.