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Playmaker Bernard Foley admits the Wallabies need to find a better balance in attack and kick for territory more often to avoid another All Blacks slaughter.
Coach Michael Cheika’s high-risk game plan played right into New Zealand’s hands in last weekend’s Bledisloe Cup opener.
The Wallabies tried once again to beat the world champions through running, attacking rugby but mistakes and turnovers inevitably followed and the All Blacks were ruthless in taking advantage.
While the rest of the rugby world is moving towards a more conservative style of play – like the British and Irish Lions, who troubled New Zealand in their recent tour by relying on defence and set-piece – Australia seems committed to doing the opposite.
And while Foley can’t see any dramatic changes as long as Cheika is at the helm, he conceded more variation was urgently needed in their attack.
“It’s something we’ve got to get better at,” Foley told AAP.
“We’ve outlined how we want to play the game, but you’ve got to have a balance.
“You don’t want to be playing in the wrong areas of the field because it can hurt you and it leads to points, and you’re probably putting yourself under unnecessary pressure.
“You need a bit of both – you’ve got to kick the ball and you’ve got to run the ball.
“We want to keep defences guessing, we don’t want to become predictable or an easy team to defend against.”
Australia has dropped to fifth in the World Rugby rankings in the wake of the 54-34 belting in Sydney, and sit less than two points ahead of sixth-placed Scotland.
Foley was a long way from his best in Sydney and was responsible for a number of errors that directly led to New Zealand tries.
But he said he was taking a glass half-full approach to the second half, which saw Australia’s attack click with 28 unanswered points – albeit against an All Blacks side that clocked off mentally.
“I’m not trying to be rosy and gloss over the loss,” he said.
“But we’re certain that we can improve on the areas where we let ourselves down and be a lot better for it this week.
“There’s a lot of people saying a lot of things. We cop criticism if we can’t score points or if we kick too much or if we don’t kick enough.
“The second half showed what we’re capable of doing and what this team’s got the ability to do.”
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.