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Wallabies on the verge of capping remarkable 90-day turnaround

16th November, 2017
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A Wallabies win over England would signal a remarkable turnaround in 90 days. (AAP Image/Dave Hunt)
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16th November, 2017
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A Wallabies Test win over England at Twickenham this weekend would be the only way to top Kurtley Beale’s beer-and-budgie-smugglers pic with Prince William.

As far as tour tales go, it’s hard to beat. Getting cosy with royalty in the sheds after showing too much class for Wales in Cardiff was top-tier cheekiness from Beale.

Fittingly, it was the stripped-down Beale who had earlier stripped rookie winger Steff Evans of the ball to score a runaway second-half try that sucked much of the life out of the Welsh comeback.

Beale has been a central figure for the Wallabies over the past three months as they clawed back respectability and then knocked down the All Blacks.

About 9pm on August 19 this year in Sydney, Australian rugby was in a deep hole. New Zealand humiliated the Wallabies in the opening Bledisloe Cup clash. It was 54-6 early in the second half, the All Blacks were running rampant with eight tries in 45 minutes.

The Super Rugby axe was hovering over the Melbourne Rebels and Western Force. Rugby Australia’s big bosses were largely despised as the governing body told us they were bleeding money.

The Wallabies had lost to Scotland in June – also in Sydney – either side of unconvincing Test wins over Fiji and Italy, while Australia’s best performing Super Rugby team were barely better than the worst Kiwi side.

When the Wallabies run out against the Eddie Jones’ England on Saturday, 90 days will have elapsed since the Sydney shame.

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Few would have forecast the sizeable progress made by the Wallabies in that period. But for a freakish last-gasp Beauden Barrett try in Dunedin a week following the mauling, Australia would’ve exacted immediate revenge.

The base was set to win back the fans.

Draws with the Springboks at home and away gave credence to Michael Cheika’s call for calm as improvement was on its way. There were no hiccups against Argentina. Off the field, there were enough good news stories bubbling away to give reason for optimism in 2018.

Brad Thorn’s appointment as Queensland coach was uplifting for Reds fans as well as Aussie rugby fans intrigued by his ability to foster success. Dave Wessels moved from the Force to the Rebels and despite being just 35, he’s already highly regarded. Dan McKellar was also announced as the man to take the reins at the Brumbies as Australia’s coaching ranks went through a fair upheaval.

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(Photo by Steve Christo – Corbis/Corbis via Getty Images)

Rugby Australia chief executive Bill Pulver revealed that he was to move on. That enthused some who were particularly aggressive in blaming him for the Super Rugby restructure.

A crowd of 20,000 packed North Sydney Oval for the Shute Shield final. The NRC wasn’t attracting bumper crowds, but the quality of the rugby was generally excellent. Even the sight of Maurice Longbottom’s hot-stepping runs in his first few tournaments for the Australian Sevens sparked interest.

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And then the Wallabies did just about the unthinkable. They beat the All Blacks.

Of course it was a dead rubber. Of course the Kiwis were missing Barrett and Brodie Retallick. But it was a rare triumph over the imperious All Blacks nonetheless. And it was a victory notable for the physicality from Wallabies youngsters like Jack Dempsey and Lukhan Tui.

Wins over Japan and Wales over the last fortnight have heightened anticipation for the clash with England, especially with Jones steering a top-level side whose 18-match winning streak was ended only a few Tests ago.

Australia have lost their last five at Twickenham, but it feels like Australia’s best chance in a while. England played their first Test in almost five months last weekend and were unconvincing against Argentina.

A loss to England won’t erase the solid gains made since mid-August, but a win will give impetus to a code that was flailing before inching back to relative health. Now, the Wallabies have a chance to ensure Australian rugby enters 2018 with a bit of swagger.

And there’s a lot to be positive about heading into next year.

The build-up to the next World Cup in Japan in 2019 goes up a notch. David Pocock will be back. Beale will be back at the Waratahs. Will Genia returns for a fresh start at the Rebels. Israel Folau will be rested, married and raring to go. The progress of Dempsey and Tui will be fascinating to watch.

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A young hooker – Tolu Latu, Andrew Ready or Jordan Uelese – will be aiming to step up as the first-choice No.2 in the country with Tatafu Polota-Nau heading overseas.

The hypothesis that Australia’s rugby talent pool – and commercial status – can only accommodate four teams will be tested. That alone is an interesting sub-plot, especially with the backdrop of Twiggy Forrest’s plan to start his Indo Pacific Rugby Championship.

Plenty will be puffing their chests out if the Wallabies win in London. And with good reason given where they were 90 days ago.

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