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Ben McCalman, Sean McMahon and Drew Mitchell scored two tries each as the Wallabies thrashed Rugby World Cup minnows Uruguay 65-3 in their second pool match for the tournament.
The Wallabies ran in 11 tries on a Sunday afternoon in Birmingham to record the biggest win of the tournament so far, and will now prepare for their match against England in a week.
Uruguay were brave and combative, but in the end the Wallabies were superior in too many areas for the South Americans.
Enjoying the majority of the support of the crowd at Villa Park, there were few highlights for the Uruguay team, as Australia spent most of the game in complete control of the contest.
It was looking ominous from the very early moments of the match, as Kurtley Beale made a long break from a quick lineout, only for Drew Mitchell to bomb the try by knocking the ball on with an open tryline beckoning.
The Wallabies’ revenge from the mistake would be swift, with a lineout drive seeing man of the match Sean McMahon, the Wallabies’ new openside flanker, take a vacant blindside on to score from the maul.
Quade Cooper was always going to the under pressure to show what he could do with his goal kicking, and his night got off to a bad start from the sideline, missing his first attempt.
Cooper ended up with five from 11 from the tee, although many of his attempts were from the sideline.
It got even worst about seven minutes later, when after setting up a try with a beautiful out-the-back pass to Joe Tomane, he was given a yellow card for a high tackle.
No doubt there will be plenty of arguments after the game about whether it was earned or not.
Referee Pascal Gauzere was making the Wallabies play a disciplined match, and along with Cooper’s yellow card, Australia conceded seven penalties in the first half alone.
Michael Cheika will no doubt take a long look at his side’s discipline on video.
A tough ten minutes was on the cards after Cooper was sent for a sitdown, but once he was back on the field, the expectations of the Wallabies’ fans resumed, with the new skipper Dean Mumm crossing for a try in the 26th minute, and Henry Speight in the 30th.
The second half opened for the Wallabies with two tries for Drew Mitchell.
Tries continued to come for Australia, with McCalman getting his second, and Matt Toomua dotting down after some terrific back interplay.
Tevita Kuridrani iced the game with a five-pointer in the corner in injury time, after replacing Matt Toomua with two minutes to play.
Highlights for the Wallabies included the scrum, which was dominant all night long, and some sparkling back play. The maul also continued to be a strength, with Sean McMahon the beneficiary with his two tries.
Long passing was a particular highlight, with Cooper and Kurtley Beale both showing how to throw gems to their fellow backs, with Mitchell’s second try and Matt Toomua’s late try both coming from spectacular arcing balls from Quade Cooper.
Lineouts would be a slight cause for concern for Michael Cheika, with a couple of early throws going awry. After they settled into the game, however, Dean Mumm got the forwards working in harmony.
So too would be the fact that the Wallabies pushed the pass in the tackle on plenty of occasions, and paid the price for it.
There were also plenty of basic skill errors from the Wallabies, with Drew Mitchell in particular having a horror start to the game. He wasn’t the only one, however, with plenty of Wallabies conceding unforced mistakes.
Behemoth lock Will Skelton has to be a concern for Australia, appearing to hurt his shoulder in the second half. Former captain James Horwill is in the UK playing for Harlequins, and is available to be called into the squad if Skelton’s injury is serious.
Join The Roar rugby editor Christy Doran, former Wallaby Matt Toomua and a cast of regular and special guests as they look at the biggest issues in the game on The Roar Rugby Podcast. If you’re looking for great odds on the next game check out Aussie bookmaker PlayUp. Chances are you’re about to lose. Set a deposit limit.