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The Roar

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The Wallabies' World Cup begins this weekend

4th August, 2015
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Matt Giteau (AAP Image/Dave Hunt)
Expert
4th August, 2015
241
6304 Reads

The Wallabies need to treat this weekend’s Bledisloe Cup match like the first round of their outsider’s tilt at winning the World Cup.

If, on October 31, the Wallabies are going to celebrate having won ‘Bill’ at Twickenham there aren’t many more opportunities to really get into top gear.

The Rugby Championship in 2011 had the feeling of a warm up; this year’s edition has had a similar feel because of the resting and changing of run-on teams. However, the passion and commitment of the players once they get on the field can’t be questioned.

The Wallabies have two Bledisloe Cup matches and one exciting marketing stunt in Chicago between now and the first pool match at Millennium Stadium, Cardiff. The temptation to continue to rotate and try new things against New Zealand in Sydney should be eschewed in favour of getting into the biggest gear they can and peddling hard, seeing just how fast and fierce they can go.

For a team like the Wallabies to win the World Cup – they are and will be outsiders in this pursuit – it is essential they get a run on. Squad management, trialling plays and the like should be put on hold in the few remaining big matches.

The second Bledisloe will probably see a below-strength All Blacks team, while the USA game is a fun, evangelistic exercise; now is the time to throw punches against a real opponent, not a punching bag.

Four areas I’ll be watching this week to weigh up our World Cup chances:

Scrum
The Wallabies scrum has been variously shaky and dominant during the Rugby Championship this season. That could be put down to the range of players in the pack across just two matches, and the injury to James Slipper making one side a little less powerful than usual.

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The All Blacks weren’t at their scrimmaging best against South Africa but rarely make the same mistakes twice. Expect a simple, eight-man shove that has been drilled hard in the two weeks since Johannesburg.

The Wallabies are going to come up against an improved unit – creating a solid platform and disrupting the All Blacks’ possession will be a strong showing.

Ball security
The Wallabies improved their accuracy at the breakdown in support of their own runners against Argentina after a poor showing against South Africa. But there was still a long way to go and they still lost the ball too often.

This week the Wallabies will have to play a little tighter than the previous two matches because the All Blacks will slide and eat up any lateral movement. But if the Wallabies adjust properly, playing tighter should also lead to a solid up-tick in safe attacking rucks that allow bulky players to bend the line around the first and second tackler.

If they can’t do this, playing against the very strong defensive units at the World Cup will be a step too far. We’ll look great but won’t make enough ground or score enough points.

Playmakers
Michael Cheika should get Matt Toomua back into the side as soon as he can. Pair him with either Matt Giteau or Quade Cooper.

What we need is a better balance between lateral movement and holding an extra defender with the threat of running. Right now Cooper’s running game isn’t quite there. Giteau showed a few flashes in Brisbane and Toomua’s running game is a strength.

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If Cheika can’t put Toomua back in yet, either one of the smaller playmakers has to, for the sake of team shape, sacrifice their own game (and body) and continue to straighten the line. On second phase, someone has to run into Dan Carter and Sonny Bill Williams to make the outside defenders think twice about sliding.

Kill shot
Bledisloe Cups – let alone World Cups – are won by the team that takes a few chances and does the most with them.

The Wallabies haven’t been overly wasteful this year, but the All Blacks never are.

But missing from the Wallabies, despite their pretty play and attempts to use the width of the field, are long-range tries and breaks. The last try against an Argentina side waiting for the siren is the exception that proves the rule.

One simple solution to this is Kurtley Beale on that very try. Watch him support the man closely. Israel Folau – the Wallabies obvious main line-break threat – has made a couple of other breaks but had to bob and weave, looking for space instead of looking for teammates. They were all too far behind.

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