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The England game on the weekend was the strongest Wallabies performance that I can remember. As a long-term Wallabies fan, I am excited.
There is now a level of pride and support in the national side that I haven’t witnessed since the Rod Macqueen era.
After almost a decade of the Wallabies playing inconsistent and on many occasions disappointing rugby, there is a possibility that the Wallabies are on the cusp of something special.
Gone are the days that strong rugby nations would laugh at our forward play. Our pack has physicality, commitment and now discipline that is making some of the other nation’s coaches and support staff working overtime. They will be watching replays and updating the dossiers they carry to revise team strategies.
Most importantly, however, the team is cohesive, committed and united as one unit – each person fulfilling their individual requirements.
This is really surprising. Less than a year ago the team was coming off a horrid string of performances, surrounded by player controversy, and ultimately they slipped to fifth in the world rankings.
So what has happened in the last 12 to 18 months that has caused this momentous shift in performances? Much of this can be traced back to the appointment of Michael Cheika and the measures that he has put in place for Australian rugby.
Off-field changes
Much of the work that has been done is off the field.
1. Waratah development
From a near wooden spoon team to title holders in less than two years, the Waratahs have formed a base for a strong Wallabies side. The crystallisation of a playing identity as well as development of some young up-and-coming players into key Wallabies has been incredibly important to recent performances.
Players like Sekope Kepu, Kane Douglas, Michael Hooper and Bernard Foley have all benefited immensely from their time under Cheika and are now crucial for the team moving forward.
2. The backroom staff
The appointment of Stephen Larkham, Nathan Grey and Mario Ledesma has been invaluable. Cheika, like most successful business people, surrounded himself with the best staff he could find. Grey’s defensive structures were very apparent on Saturday, Ledesma has undoubtedly turned the team’s biggest weakness into a strength and Foley’s latest outing was reminiscent of an in-form Larkham.
3. Changes to overseas player selection policy
This encourages commitment through the prime years of players’ careers, while maintaining the ability to pick tried and tested stalwarts. Only recently Dean Mumm and Douglas have reviewed their priorities and decided to return to Australian rugby – I think much of this is to do with this policy and Cheika’s discussions with these two.
4. Grabbing the players’ attention off the field.
Players want to play for Cheika and the Wallabies and their off=field actions indicate this is the case. Interviews are team focussed, rather than individual, and the level of off-field controversy has been lower than previous years. There have been no text scandals, missed flights, late-night drinking sessions or McDonalds binges.
5. A humble and honest approach to performance
Cheika successfully starved the media fire prior to the England match and then successfully shell shocked the English with 40 minutes of near perfect rugby. Brilliant.
6. The squad mentality
Fifteen men do not win World Cups in this day and age; a 31-player group does. Cheika has trialled most combinations in the squad during the Rugby Championship, and picked a squad for the cup. He has depth in most positions and his ‘finishers’ are very clear on the importance of the last 20 minutes of games.
On-field changes
There are many hallmarks of the Michael Cheika style that are proving to be major changes to the way in which the Wallabies play the game.
1. Kick-offs
One to two years ago, the kick-off set piece was a mess for the Wallabies. More often than not, this contest was lost. Under Cheika, however, this is not the case, and the kick-offs have generally been accurate and clinical. All players bar the two highflying aerialists are required to run onto the kick-off from the 40-metre line. This is a simple structure but extremely effective. The chase is accurate and the results are there.
2. Winning collisions
Rugby is about winning contests and one of the biggest contests is the collision. Cheika sides always aim to win the collisions and make the advantage line. A back-pedalling side is always going to struggle defensively and Cheika’s Wallabies won the collisions in both attack and defence at Twickenham.
3. The scrum
Transformed from the worst part of the Wallabies’ game to one of the best. The brilliance of crabbing left and then shoving to negate the English tighthead bore was technically cohesive and tactically brilliant. Even Romain Poite was impressed. This was not in the repertoire six months ago.
4. Playing to individual strengths
What to do with your two best players when they share the same position? Tweak them slightly to ensure that their styles complement each other and play them both. What about your best defender stuck out wide? Adjust the defensive structure so that this player defends at 10 and put your best kickers into sweeping roles. There are many other exapmles of this.
5. Discipline
Cheika advocates disciplined aggression. Apart from the Hooper penalty, the Wallabies were extremely disciplined, yet did not disappoint in the controlled aggression front.
6. Forward ball-runners
All of the Wallabies forwards provided good go forward with some accurate ball-running and support play. They gave Foley plenty of options.
These are just some of the many changes that I have witnessed in the last year in the Wallabies. Moving forward, I hope that the Cheika way continues to be engrained into the Wallabies squad and the team continues to respond and perform in the same manner they did on the weekend.
If they do, then there could be some very exciting times to come.
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.