- Video
-
Club Roar
Captured a great grassroots sporting moment? We want to see it!Content Collections
The Roar Community
- Join
- Login
What. Did we. Just watch? How good were Scotland? How did the Wallabies score five tries to three and only win by a point?
>> PUMAS STUN IRELAND
>> WALLABIES SCRAPE PAST SCOTLAND
>> ALL BLACKS CRUSH FRANCE
>> SPRINGBOKS ADVANCE PAST WALES
More importantly, just how good a game of footy was that? It certainly wasn’t perfect, but both sides showed so much attitude, strength and commitment.
It was tense, tough and tight. There was so much pressure on all the players, and while it didn’t necessarily bring the best out of all the players at all times, it made for engrossing viewing. You would have had to be the staunchest of neutrals to not have your heart pumping during the closing stages of the match.
If this were a normal game, the fact that the commentary was out of sync with the action for about 20 minutes of the game might rate a mention here. So might Australia’s next opponent, Argentina.
More:
>> WALLABIES VS SCOTLAND MATCH REPORT
>> THE ROAR‘S LIVE BLOG
With the result what it was, and the action as good as it was, it doesn’t. Here are my five talking points from the Wallabies’ win over Scotland.
That penalty
The Scots were ropable after Craig Joubert blew the penalty that won Australia the game. The post-match interviewer pressed the issue with Vern Cotter and Greig Laidlaw, and the skipper and coach did well not to blow their tops.
But let’s get one thing straight.
It was a penalty.
From my perspective, the ball bounced off a Scottish shoulder after bouncing at the back of the lineout, and went straight into Scottish arms.
It was ugly. It was unfortunate. It was lucky. Depending on your perspective, it was a whole raft of things.
What it definitely was was a penalty, and as Michael Cheika said after the game, you still have to kick them once you get them.
The really interesting thing about that penalty for me was the calm under pressure showed by the Wallabies players. No one seemed to be panicking, despite only having two minutes left on the clock.
Kurtley Beale had kicked long a couple of minutes earlier. Nick Phipps had backed his pace with ball in hand, and none of his teammates got cranky with him when he slid over the sideline. They knew there was enough time left to win the game, and that’s what they did.
Five tries, one point
Five tries to three. Scotland spent ten minutes with 14 men on the park. The Scots were plucky, but largely unthreatening with ball in hand.
When you put it like that, it sounds like this should have been a shellacking. The game was anything but, and it took a penalty in the dying minutes for the Wallabies to win the game.
The Wallabies were slick for a lot of the time they had the ball in their hands. They were also very sloppy for short periods, and Scotland made them pay dearly each and every time.
And the decisions certainly didn’t all go the Wallabies’ way. The try that was pulled back for a Will Genia knock on was questionable, but so were a number of things for both sides during the game.
Basically, it’s hard to make much of Australia’s performance. Scotland, on the other hand, really excelled in the contact, and put their fancied opponents under a heap of pressure.
The Aussies didn’t like that much. Perhaps that’s telling.
Get. Israel. Back
I mentioned last week that it wouldn’t be such a bad thing if Australia chose to rest Israel Folau and David Pocock for this game to allow them to overcome their injuries.
How wrong could you be?
‘Surely the Scots couldn’t really test the Wallabies,’ I thought.
Yeah, about that… I suppose at this point I better apologise to the Scots, and the Wallabies supporters for jinxing us.
Anyway, the point is Australia need Israel Folau back, badly. The Wallabies backline without him is like soft-serve without a Flake; a Manhattan without a cherry.
He is the pizzaz, the class and the muscle.
An improved performance from Tevita Kuridrani needs to be acknowledged here. He was immense. Scored a try, set one up, and made metres every time he had the pill in his hands.
Where does Scotland go from here?
Vern Cotter and his team were bitterly disappointed after the game. Why wouldn’t you be? It was their grand final, and they had fallen a point, or four minutes, short.
They’re ranked ninth in the world. It’s a team with a relatively young captain, and a relatively young average age.
Stuart Hogg, who seems to have been around for an eternity, is still just 23 years old.
But is this team just an abrasive team? Or are players like Finn Russell, Mark Bennett and Hogg going to develop into world class backline players? And will forwards like Richie and Jonny Gray develop into the best locking pair in the world?
It’s hard to see this team going backwards after a performance like that. Let’s just hope it’s the start of something great.
Can we stop it with the yellow cards?
Okay, I’ll admit that this is something of a bugbear of mine, but my gosh that yellow card against Sean Maitland was harsh!
Having seen so many players sent to the bin for seemingly minor infringements, I feel like a summit is needed on what exactly a yellow card offence is, offering some clarification when it should be brandished.
At this stage the definition seems to be getting broader by the day.
There’s no way Sean Maitland, the Scotland winger, was cynically trying to knock that ball down.
Frankly, he didn’t have enough time for that thought to even go through his head in the time it took him to make a play at the ball. It was a simple case of see ball, touch ball.
Sure, his hand wasn’t pointing up. But it wasn’t pointing down either. And if he pops it up and catches it, he streaks away for 50-metre gain at least.
What made it worse was the fact the decision was made after they reviewed it on the replay. To be fair to the referees, slow motion does make everything look much worse?
Am I the only one sick of teams being a man down for what I think are minor infringements? Or are these cards justified?
What were your talking points Roarers?
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.