It would be easy for a Wallaby supporter to get carried away after the impressive victory over the Boks at Suncorp Stadium. After suffering four successive losses, a victory was the only answer to the Wallabies fans and critics.
And with that victory came the inevitable suggestions of a return to prominence for the Wallabies. This response is clearly premature but the signs are positive.
There were definitely aspects of Saturday’s performance that do give Rugby fans the right to feel slightly optimistic about the years to come.
The side that ran out onto Suncorp was one of the more inexperienced sides to face up to the might of the Springboks for some years. However, this proved to be one of the Wallabies biggest assets.
Three of the most impressive performers came in the form of three newcomers to the starting line-up. Will Genia, David Pocock and Tatafu Polota-Nau all shone for the men in gold.
In an article last week, I discussed the likely injection of enthusiasm these players would provide, and this was clearly evident. However, I admit to underestimating the impact they would have on the result of the game.
Tatafu Polota-Nau also deserves a fair amount of credit for the end result in Brisbane. Right from the start of the match he provided intimidation and physicality that had been lacking from the forward pack, with the exception of Rocky Elsom.
One could sense at the ground that the inspirational tackles that Polota-Nau was producing acted as a catalyst for the rest of the side and players such as James Horwill, Mark Chisholm and Ben Robinson responded by producing arguably their best games of the year. The scrum was also again powerful and this too can be attributed to Polota-Nau. Even his replacement Stephen Moore appeared to put in an improved performance.
This aggression was also evident at the breakdown. In this instance David Pocock led the way as he was a constant threat to the Boks at ruck-time. Pocock was outstanding over the ball. He seemed to have the upper hand in his battle with counterpart Heinrich Brussow as he earnt the Wallabies penalties and turned the ball over on a number of occasions. Pocock’s presence at the breakdown supplied plenty of much needed support for Rocky Elsom and was a critical component to the Wallabies success.
Will Genia’s influence was possibly the most obvious of the three players. His crisp service gave the Wallabies’ playmakers more time to direct play and he also contributed to the direction of the side through precise decision-making. On top of this, Genia also proved a threat around the fringes and was unlucky not to be rewarded with a try for his efforts. His strong performance was obviously recognised by Robbie Deans, as he had no hesitation in leaving the rookie on the track for the full 80 minutes in his run-on debut.
So while there was no denying that the Wallabies produced a far more complete team performance, three of the most inexperienced players contributed significantly towards the victory. In doing so they have also sent a clear message to the selectors that they want to be in the starting side on a more regular basis.
As a result of this, some of the older squad members must be wondering if their days are numbered in the gold jersey. Even captain Stirling Mortlock would be slightly anxious after seeing the slick performance of the current midfield combination.
Further to this, it is also interesting to hear that those experienced players were not involved in the Wallabies camp in Brisbane once Saturday’s team had been announced.
Perhaps the writing is on the wall.
Blinky Bill of Bellingen
Guest
Dexter - Genia was good wasn't he. One of the criticisms I had/have of Luke Burgess is that he fails to 'boss' the pack. It's all well and good being a gentleman after the game but during the game he needs to be far more bloody minded in what he wants of the pack.There's a lot going on there at scrum time, so bark clear signals and the piggies will deliver. Fix the communication & the accuracy of his pass and he will do a good job for us and go on to bigger & better things. He's a good lad.
Dexter William
Roar Guru
I am not sure if anyone noticed how vocal Genia is at directing the pack? He was out there barking orders to the seagulls to get in the act. Looking back at great teams, they all have great half backs. I hope Genia would be for us.
Gudfala
Guest
Did you actually bother to read the article? Or are you arrogant enough to think you could surmise the content from the title?
fox
Guest
Ha ha. Loftus is clearly PdV's ghost writing name! Mate, we just put more pressure on the ball and in the set pieces this week. This is why we were awarded a bunch of penalties. The addition of Pocock to help out Smith on the ball made a massive difference, as did the attacking defense of TPN. There may have also have been some Boks complacency and, I suggest, Spies was not making the impact he otherwise has been. It's really that simple. Or it could also be, wait for it....... a conspiracy! As a friend of mine once imparted the following sage words to me "When explaining why things have gone wrong (in business, sport, whatever), people will generally fall back to one of two positions: it's a conspiracy or a f!#$-up". Obviously you have decided to apply the former in this instance.
fox
Guest
Oh come on. Let's turn every comment into an insult against the Boks. Paranoid much? Is that an axe I see you grinding? That they lead the way should be interpreted as leading the way for Australian rugby. I hardly think anyone is suggesting they are leading the world. For those sorts of comments I refer you to Springbok national coach Peter De Siller's most recent remarks. Carry on.
Knives Out
Guest
Hahaha.. that reminds of that famous song .. "Something inside so strong wooaah, wooahh".. Wonderful stuff, Loftus.
Loftus
Guest
''Three of the most impressive performers came in the form of three newcomers to the starting line-up. Will Genia, David Pocock and Tatafu Polota-Nau all shone for the men in gold.'' Mmm...I would put referee Barnes in there shining for the men in gold.What a pathetic creature this Barnes fellow is.The Wallabies deserved the win and they didn t need this incompetent referee to help them beating the Springboks on Saturday. He was shameful and I find it astonishing that the world s best team can get penalised so much against a team that couldn t even buy a win before Saturday. So according to Mr Barnes the Springboks forgot the rules of rugby union in the last 2 weeks, if you look at all the penalties conceded. Well played Wallabies,we all knew you are a dangerous team if you get it right and on Saturday you showed it.
jools-usa
Guest
Hey Cats, Don't begrudge some Wallaby excitement, we've been outcasts for too many weeks. A decent showing on Sat week against NZ will show just how far W's hav come. Just be happy your 'Boks are undoubtably # 1 (for now), and have given us all some great games. Think it's PDV's fault that an "arrogant" label gets affixed to SA. His 'motor mouth' is incessant. Jools-USA
Eagle
Guest
I have no quarrel with you feeling upbeat, and with good reason. A young and highly talented Wallaby side and yes. TPN was impressive and inspirational for his team. This Wallaby team is getting its ingredients together which mixed with experience will be powerful. But make no mistake SA and NZ is still going to make it difficult for you in the years ahead :-)
Glenn Condell
Guest
I think Chisholm has pushed his way past Sharpe - he is much more mobile. He has taken time to mature but he's worked in well since returning. He is more likely to finish chances - he'd have scored if he'd made the break Sharpe did the week before. Horwill seemed to have about 40% more go in him on Saturday too, and you're right that Pocock made a difference. He is hard and with Elsom and Smith beside him, there is some mongrel in our ruck work now. The front row has become outstanding, though let's wait til Carl Hayman returns for the Blacks (or the next time we play the Argies) before we crow about it being the best. Even on Saturday they went backwards once or twice, but it's more the exception than the rule nowadays. Nice to have some depth there for a change. The inside backline looks settled with Genia, Gits and Barnes (though I would prefer Barnes officially at 10), and what a luxury to have Mortlock and Cross as backup for AAC or Ioane when he returns, with Turner, Hynes and Mitchell fighting for the wings and O'Connor looking likely to hold down 15. Depth here too with blokes like Quade getting priceless game time at the top level. I can never get carried away with our hopes for 2011 with teams like the Boks and Black so capable of renewal with their gret depth and of course their rugby tradition and culture - but at least now we can say we are a show.
Cats
Guest
Australian fans talk about the boks getting ahead of themselves after 4 straight wins, but yet are arrogant enough to imagine that their team can "lead the way" after one - i ask you - now tell me which rugby nation is the most arrogant! No prizes for guessing.