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It was yet another brisk winter’s night that greeted the return of International rugby to Canberra on Saturday night. Real brisk, beer-not-needing-a-fridge brisk. And coming out into these near-Antarctic conditions were noted ice-runners, Fiji. I know I said this last week, but Fiji, in Canberra, in June? Come on…
Anyway, Fiji it was, and in Canberra they were, and if there was to be any consolation for the islanders, it was that at least the mercury stayed in positive territory, unlike what the Italians endured last year.
I was certainly thankful for picking the seats high up in the western grandstand, rather than our usual digs down on the concourse.
Returning too, for the Fijians was the ever-mercurial Rupeni Caucaunibuca, who at the top of his game in the mid-Naughties was among the very best wingers in the world. Since then though “Caucau” has descended in the ranks due to off-field issues and a general lack of desire.
He’s been playing France for the last few years, but wanted to use this game as a starting point on the road to next year’s Rugby World Cup.
You couldn’t help but notice Caucau on the field either, not because of what he did with the ball, but more that there was just so much of him to notice. Apparently, he’s even shed seven or eight kilos since coming into camp for this Test, so I shudder to think what he looked like on arrival.
Either way, his jersey still needed a few ‘X’s on the label.
It was a pity too, because I had said during the week that it would be great to see him in open space once again.
The reality, though, was that there just wasn’t space open enough to accommodate him. He’s definitely enjoyed the cuisine in France by the looks of him. Let’s hope he can regain the necessary fitness to gain a berth for one of the Australian Super 15 sides, as he’s declared he’s chasing.
This Test failed to reach any real heights of excellence, which isn’t too big a surprise considering it was the first game of the international season. While it wasn’t unexpected that Fiji would regress into sevens mode at times, such is their want and preference, the surprise would be that the Wallabies would try to match them in this instinctive type of play.
While the Wallabies are blessed with players of immense instinct, like Quade Cooper and Digby Ioane, all too often the unnecessary pass would be pushed, usually resulting in dropped ball or other unforced errors.
The Wallabies’ set piece was rather hot and cold initially, though by midway through the second half they were being virtually unchallenged by the Fijians, in the lineout especially.
The Fijians held their own in the scrum contest too, and the loss of Ben Alexander with a knee injury in the second half would be another prop headache that Robbie Deans doesn’t need with England waiting for them in Perth.
At the breakdown, I got the impression the Wallabies were a bit gun-shy and seemed to be holding back, as if to counter the continual second-phase play of the Fijians.
Too often, the Fijians were allowed to pop a pass in the tackle, which allowed them to keep making metres up the middle. What ultimately let them down were their options with ball in hand, with the attack regularly killed off by nothing little kicks in behind the Wallabies defence.
You do have to give them points for persistence, but works in sevens doesn’t often carry over with eight extra players per side.
In the end though, the scoreboard shows seven converted tries to nil, and while the collective effort of the Wallabies would be flattered by the 49-3 score line, there were still some outstanding individual performances.
Quade Cooper’s long pass is something I could watch all day. The way he draws the defenders before letting rip with this perfectly spiralling work of art just begs to be run on to at pace.
His short game’s not bad either, highlighted no better than the ball that put debutant Rob Horne through a massive gap in the lead-up to Richard Brown’s try on halftime. Cooper had a strong game at flyhalf, more importantly, and the Wallabies won’t be let down by keeping him in the number 10.
David Pocock was in everything for the hour he was on the field, and while showing that George Smith might not be missed at all, he also showed that he’s a potential captain in waiting.
It was surprising the number of times we saw Pocock giving the forwards a rev up, and indeed, after one try he quite deliberately called the whole team together to ensure they never gave the Fijians a sniff.
Nathan Sharpe was named man-of-the-match at the ground, which surprised us as we’d made comment through the game that he seemed to be quiet.
On viewing the tape, though, it wasn’t hard to see why, as Sharpe played a really strong game in the tight stuff, and was a constant target in the lineout.
Scrumhalf Luke Burgess has been a constant target of critics this season, and much of it well warranted, but I actually thought he was pretty solid on Saturday night.
Whilst he still had his moments taking the poor option, his delivery to Cooper was on the money for the most part, and allowed Cooper plenty of time to do what he does best. If I do have one criticism of his display, it was that he would often stand too long at the ruck with the ball at his feet, which just allows the defence to settle.
However he plays though, Burgess is going to be a polarizing player, and I noted the critics still lined him up on The Roar on Sunday. It’s funny how different people see the same thing differently.
I’m happy to view him the same way as the Australian coach; it was telling, in my opinion, that Josh Valentine wasn’t used.
Without question, the dewy conditions didn’t help this game – a prime reason for daytime Tests, in Canberra especially – but there’s still plenty the Wallabies have to work on. In fact, the Wallabies can really only improve from this first outing.
The Wallabies’ scrum, work at the breakdown, and overall execution is still a long way off where they’d want it, and much improvement is needed for the long upcoming international season.
And starting with England this coming week, they’ll need it.