There was no disguising the pain after the Wallabies had their once-in-a-lifetime grand slam dream shattered in the cruellest fashion in Dublin on Sunday (Monday AEDT).
The Wallabies were devastated after Ireland’s record-setting captain Brian O’Driscoll steamed over for a last-minute try to snatch a dramatic 20-all draw for the Six Nations champions at Croke Park.
“We felt we had it there, certainly to keep the grand slam alive, but obviously the grand slam is dead. You don’t really know what to feel,” stunned five-eighth Matt Giteau said.
Australia have been left exasperated, frustrated, humiliated, demoralised and plain filthy by some of their more recent losses, but this was truly their most deflating defeat since the 2007 World Cup quarter-final shocker against England in Marseilles.
Never has Robbie Deans been more dejected during his 26-Test coaching reign after watching his brave Wallabies fall agonisingly short of halting rampant Ireland’s eight-Test, 12-month winning streak.
“It was a gutsy effort in terms of dominating the game but, once again, we didn’t get the reward and we’re certainly not getting the rub of the green, that’s for sure,” Deans said after the Wallabies once again suffered at the hands of the referee.
In a harsh decision that had Australian fans chanting “bullshit, bullshit”, South African official Jonathan Kaplan sin-binned Wallabies No.8 Wycliff Palu in the first half for a supposed no-arms tackle on Ireland fullback Robert Kearney.
Deans felt it was a “magnificent” hit from Palu, while Kaplan also awarded Ireland a series of other baffling penalties but, most critically, denied Australia one which they felt they deserved for destabilising Ireland’s scrum in the lead-up to O’Driscoll’s try.
Australia were never headed and seemed set for victory when inspired captain Rocky Elsom, in his first appearance in Dublin since leading Leinster to European Cup glory six months ago, charged over in the 62nd minute to give the Wallabies a 20-13 advantage.
Elsom’s try – which followed winger Drew Mitchell’s in the second minute after he punished O’Driscoll’s knock-on with his first touch of the ball in his 100th Test – was just reward after the Wallabies repeatedly punched holes in the Irish defence.
Giteau, Palu, Elsom, fullback Adam Ashley-Cooper and official man-of-the-match David Pocock, who vindicated his selection at openside flanker ahead of 107-Test stalwart George Smith with a barnstorming display, all broke clear as Ireland battled to hang on.
Even Ireland coach Declan Kidney conceded the hosts were fortunate.
“I suppose you could say we escaped,” he said.
“Australia played a good game. They put us under a lot of pressure. We were never on the front foot.
“It seemed to me that we played a large chunk of the game in our own half, that they won the field-position battles.”
Australia’s once-maligned scrum was also dominant but, for all their toil, the Wallabies were unable to ever kick clear and spent most of the final quarter under siege defending their line.
Winger Tommy Bowe, who scored Ireland’s first try in the 56th minute to lock the game up at 13-13, after Australia led 10-6 at halftime, was held up over the line by four desperate Australians in the play immediately before O’Driscoll’s last-gasp effort.
Given his knack for scoring on the biggest occasions, it was almost inevitable O’Driscoll would eventually strike.
And he did so off a brilliantly worked move, with decoys so confusing the Wallabies’ inexperienced midfield that he crossed untouched.
But it still crushed the Wallabies, the stalemate taking the fizz out of the rest of the tour with no prospect of Deans’s young side emulating Australia’s legendary 1984 grand slammers who completed a sweep of wins over England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales.
“That was the carrot coming over here and what we were after,” Pocock said.
Instead the Wallabies will head to Edinburgh on Monday with the humble aim of finishing the European section of their tour unbeaten with victories over Scotland and then Wales in Cardiff on Saturday week.
cookie
Guest
very positive roarers you put "pollyanna "to shame with your everything is beautiful attitude.hope scotland are put away so the delusion is not certified.the deans youth movement what a winner;strategic genius --lose most of your games and ambush the rwc--------------right
Matt0931
Guest
And another thing! Lets not forget Kearney Shoulder charged Elsom as he was makinghis try and got off Scot free. If Palu was given a yellow card for a hard tackle that was not as clear cut as you make out then that shoulder charge should have at least have been a red card. Also, for your enjoyment here is al ink to a front on picture of the tackle. I think it must have been whilst Kearney was rebounding off of Palu's arm like tennis ball off Federer's tennis racket BOING! http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/sport/no-point-wallabies-seeing-red-when-yellow-was-on-cards/story-e6frg7mf-1225798666263
Matt0931
Guest
I think you got a lot right there mate. The time spent together is obviously starting to work for the forward pack as they are clearly gelling. I think once the backline finally gets settled down, the players begin to feel secure in their position in the team, they learn how each other plays and they learn to trust their instincts, they will then likely start to run the ball more. It seems to me that they are currently happier to kick the ball for territory than chance their luck as they don't want to be the guy who stuffs up and ends up sitting on the bench or even out of the team. The team needs time to settle and build. It took England in the lead up to 03' about 6 years to build their team and it took SA about 5 years. I remember back in 2005 (I think) when Saffa's were all calling for White's head on a platter, and SARFU had a special meeting to discuss throwing him out and replacing him. It was only a last minute decision to give him one more chance and........the rest is history. The point of all this is that the wallabies need time to build. They will be ready for the next world cup, they'e been developing well over the past season. The first season was clearly for Deans to take stock of the Australian rugby players and this season was his 'fire sale'. The dead wood has been moved on and now he has a very talented, very raw and very young rugby team to build into a world cup winning team. As you have pointed out, the wallably average age is 23 or 24yrs old. What other team can you think of that can boast this?
Matt0931
Guest
Dublin Dave, you must have been watching the wrong channel on the weekend mate! Palu did have his arms raised clearly in front of him and the Irishman ran straight into his left bicep much like a sparrow flying into the side of an elephant. And he rebounded off said bicep like a fat boy on a trampoline, BOING!
bennalong
Guest
..."..................with the humble aim of finishing the European section of the tour unbeaten......." For those words you've been entered into the annual Greg Growden Award for Rugby journalism. Good Luck!
bennalong
Guest
""Dublin Dave Fails to see left arm across chest in replay".................................. ..................because he's a one-eyed Irishman! What do you think about rucking Dave?
Dublin Dave
Guest
What do you mean a "supposed no-arms tackle" which led to a sin binning? The whinging on this matter is beginning to annoy me. It was an open-and-shut guilty case of a no-arms tackle (Palu's arms were spread out like a little boy pretending to be an aeroplane. Go on. Look at the replay). Such tackles are legal in league but have been banned in Union since the Samoans, especially Brian "the Chiropractor" Lima made as if they were about to legally decapitate every white boy playing rugby under the laws at the time. End of story.
Go_the_Wannabe's
Guest
Well they certainly clicked in 1999.......if we wait long enough it's bound to happen again sometime soon. Keep the dream alive........Bring back Bill in 2011!
Sam
Guest
True but they never got to play Scotland - who were the best NH team at the time. I think they would have won that game, I mean they killed England with only 14 men!
Sam Taulelei
Guest
Unfortunately many Wallaby fans have been watching this space for far too many years to see some coaches plan/policy bear fruit and are still sitting here watching nothing but empty space. When exactly is "in time for RWC 2011"? Next year's Super 14, Tri Nations, November tour, the same thing was said last year and the year before. At some point players and teams have to perform and not just show potential.
Go_the_Wannabe's
Guest
I think Vince Lombardi put it best "A draw is like kissing your sister.......it's a complete waste of time and no good can come from it". But a draw was probably the right result on Sunday........Australia dominated for the first 60 minutes......but Ireland were dominant for the last quarter. Fair play to the Irish for coming back so hard. They both had their chances to win the test. The Wannabe's aren't playing that well as everyone knows.......problems with the lineout, backline not firing properly, field kicking atrocius......but we're still no. 3 in the world, and probably deservedly so despite what the naysayers say (if that makes sense). It was interesting Deans said they weren't getting the rub of the green, luck of the bounce, benefit of the decisions.......whatever you like to call it. But I'll put this to you......the Wannabe's are not that far off clicking, and when they do, look out. What was the average age of the team on Sunday? 23? 34? What was the oldest player? 28? IMHO after one more season together in 2010, they will get their Mojo working. Confidence comes with experience and it has to be instinctive.......even zen like. People call it being "in the groove" where you don't even have to think about what decision to make........it just happens naturally......and across the whole team. Those familiar with zen would call it "the flight of the ungiuded arrow" meaning you just find your mark subconciuosly. Too much thinking ruins the thought process. I believe Dingo's youth policy will bear fruit in time for RWC 2011. Watch this space.
Campbell Watts
Guest
If you want a REAL grand slam team you can't look past the 1924-25 Invincibles 5 month tour 32 games (4 tests) played 32 games won Any loss on tour makes it no grand slam if you ask me!
Howi
Roar Rookie
Yes, it was painful. At the very least it made it terribly difficult to go back to sleep. No joke, I awoke from a dream later than morning in which a younger Phil Kearns was screaming at a Simon Poidevin "No.. it's not finished...they've just decided to play extra time to decide the winner. Te rematch will be the week after we play Wales" I don't know why it was Phil Kearns, but I know why it was Simon Poidevin - the day before I watched the Ireland 1984 match on DVD in which Poidevin butchered an almost certain try by making a forward pass infront of the tryline when he would have almost certainly scored himself with a simple sidestep. Now that it's done, maybe the pain will be good for the future. Maybe it will drive a now good side to be the great side it needs to be to compete for the World Cup.
Sam
Guest
Yeah the 1984 team suffered a mid-week loss that was the catalyst to their Grand Slam really. Much like the All Blacks 1978 loss to Munster. I think this Wallabies team can still go unbeaten and that would be a great achievement. Also they are playing Cardiff - whom they have never beaten - so looking forward to that. They probably deserved to win against Ireland but that is the way it goes.
Terry Kidd
Guest
Yeah Tommy some running against Scotland would be good to see .... but I suspect that we'll see more effective running from the pack than from the backs. The pack have continued to steadily improve ... well done Williams .... but the backs continue to have poor timing, take wrong options, run away from supports, get isolated and kick far too bloody much .... sorry, rant over.
TommyM
Guest
It just struck me- didn't the '84 team actually lose some or all of their midweek games? If so, in a sense this Wallbies team actually still has an opportunity to better them by completing their tour of Britain and Ireland undefeated. Semantics, but isn't the whole 'Grand Slam' thing just that? Terry- my money is on QC and Gits to finally swap this week and that we'll see PLENTY of running against Scotland
Parisien
Guest
Great to see Declan Kidney being so honest about it. I agree Daniel, disappointing result but some areas of improvement. The day it all comes together will be well worth waiting for. Hope they run it at Scotland.
Terry Kidd
Guest
I thought that Palu had a great game and was glad that Deans left him on the field for 80 mins. The entire pack went well and the backline stuttered .... again. When will they get it right?
Daniel J
Guest
It was a huge shame, but you have to take into account that they defended on their line for some 5-10 mins, and amazing feat and i for once can say that i was actually proud of them which is something that i havn't been able to say for a while, a good effort by the Wallabies, they can be proud of it