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First up, kudos to the All Blacks for fighting back and recording a classic one-point victory. Commiserations to the Wallabies for another second-half capitulation, a team that perhaps ran out of gas in the final minutes after a tough trip to South Africa.
But the New Zealand win should not have happened. The Wallabies had done enough to win the game but one thing let them down – goal kicking.
Successful Australian teams in recent years have had goal kickers who were great under pressure – Matt Burke, John Eales, Stirling Mortlock.
Matt Giteau, clearly, is not one of the them.
I am not criticising Giteau the player. He is a brilliant player, arguably the man who had propped up the Wallabies since the retirements of Stephen Larkham and George Gregan. He made his debut for Australia in 2002, without played a Super rugby game, and has been a revelation since then. Entertaining, dynamic, unpredictable, Giteau draws crowds, scores tries and sets them up. Whether at five-eighth or centre, he has been the linchpin of Australia’s attack and the Wallabies go-to-guy.
But why is he still kicking for Australia?
Last season he missed an easy kick against Scotland – yes, Scotland – which cost the Wallabies victory. Australia hadn’t lost to Scotland in nearly 30 years.
Earlier this year he missed an easy kick against England, which cost the Wallabies victory. Last night Giteau kicked just three from seven goal attempts, which in the end cost the Wallablies victory.
How many game-winning kicks must Giteau miss before he is permanently replaced as goal-kicker? One more? Three?
Of the four he missed last night, not all of them were easy kicks. Some of them were very tough. But at the very least, he should have kicked one out of that four, and probably two of that four. Just one of them would have given the Wallabies a two-point victory instead of a one-point loss.
Clearly, Giteau has a problem kicking under tremendous pressure. Why is he still the number one goal kicker?
Kurtley Beale stepped up last week and nailed a match-winning kick from 55 metres out in the final seconds against the Springboks.
Last night he replaced Giteau as kicker with aplomb. It’s not like the Wallabies are short of goal kickers. Quade Cooper kicked very well for Queensland in the Super 14. As well as Beale, James O’Connor can also kick.
So why this persistence with Giteau?
Great rugby teams are built on great goal kickers. England in 2003 and South Africa from 2007-2009 would not have been successful without fantastic goal kickers. Australia can simply no longer afford not having a fantastic goal kicker who doesn’t kick well under pressure.
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.