Australia’s Quade Cooper, left, is tackled by Italy’s Martin Castrogiovanni during the international rugby union match between Italy and Australia at the Artemio Franchi Stadium in Florence, Italy, Saturday, Nov. 20, 2010. (AP Photo/Fabrizio Giovannozzi)
There has been a great deal of criticism about the performance of the Wallabies against Italy. Admittedly they did not blow away the Italians.
Both sides scored two tries. Berrick Barnes had to kick over a hatful of goals to take the Wallabies out to a comfortable 32 – 14 victory.
But a victory is a victory, and this is the attitude supporters need to take on this match.
The days of teams from the southern hemisphere coming over to Europe in November and sweeping aside their opposition are over. Professional rugby is finally evening up results and the abilities of teams.
Even a team like Samoa, in the past easy beats in Europe, put up a resilient match against England at Twickenham to lose 26 -13. This score line probably flattered England.
Scotland conceded seven tries to the All Blacks last week. Against the RWC 2007 champions South Africa they kicked their way to a famous victory 21 – 17.
All of Scotland’s points were from the boot with the Australian-born Dan Parks kicking six penalties and a drop goal in the wind and rain of Murrayfield.
This victory was virtually gifted to Scotland by South Africa’s brain dead play. They kicked and kicked and kicked.
Scotland to their credit ran the ball a lot and stretched the big Springboks pack. Very few, if any, of the Springboks’ kicks were gathered.
There was an instance where Victor Matfield won a lineout and Rian Pienaar did a box kick to hand the ball back to Scotland on the halfway mark.
And at the end of the match, with the Springboks trailing 21 – 14 and needing a try to salvage a draw, Rian Pienaar did an up-an-under from inside his 22 from a tap penalty. Scotland regathered the ball and the match was lost for the Springboks.
It was the southern hemisphere teams, the Springboks, Argentina (defeated by France 15 – 9 in a penalty goal shootout) particularly, and the Wallabies to a lesser degree (but still guilty), that kicked the ball far more than the northern hemisphere sides.
It is hard to see how Peter de Villiers can continue to coach the Springboks into the 2011 World Cup. Brian Moore made the point that their play was ‘clueless.’ They looked as if they hadn’t been coached on anything other than kick the ball high, chase and hope. Their scrum was poor. And they even lost a couple of lineouts towards the end of the match.
De Villiers has inherited a great team which had a lot of potential to develop into an even better side. He has coached this team into a one-dimensional side that doesn’t seem to have any plays or any way of playing other than using the kicking game that was so successful in 2007.
Since RWC 2007 and the kickathon finals, there has been a change in the laws to favour the side running the ball. Both New Zealand and Australia, for instance, won the kick-offs to their matches and held on to the ball for nearly two minutes.
This was energy sapping stuff for their opponents.
The Irish managed to hang on until a few minutes before half-time before the All Blacks broke away to beat them convincingly 38 – 18. The All Blacks scored four tries against a side that does not deserve to hold a record of only two wins in its last 12 matches.
Incidentally, the All Blacks scored four tries, the most of any of the teams in this weekend of major Tests, and it was the 83rd successive Test where they have scored a try.
As for the Wallabies, it needs to be remembered that they have rarely defeated Italy easily. Two years ago Quade Cooper came on and scored a try almost on time to snatch the victory. Last year the All Blacks struggled to overcome Italy.
There is a reason why Italy are not easy beats.
The Italians have a great scrum (they achieved a push over try against the Pumas last week). Their lineout is competitive. They drive a lot in the forwards. They are learning to recycle the ball more than in the past. They don’t give oppositions much to play off.
In short, they hang on to the ball for a long time when they get it. One of the truths of rugby is that you can’t score points when the other side has the ball. Italy did this and the Wallabies had to work hard for their tries and penalties. Nothing was gifted for them.
I always like to see a side toughing out hard wins. In modern rugby not every match against lesser opponents is going to be a walkover.
There will be discussion of the scrum and the seven penalties conceded by the Wallabies. In my opinion, the referee was wrong on most occasions with their penalties. The Italian front props persistently and illegally bore in. They got away with this tactic last year against the All Blacks.
The All Blacks complained and the referee Stu Dickinson was told by the IRB referees boss Paddy O’Brien that he had penalised the wrong side throughout the Test. I’m hoping the ARU take this matter up with O’Brien, as the NZRU did through the correct channels, and Christophe Berdos is told officially that he got it wrong.
The referee for the Wallabies’ next match against France in Paris is the New Zealander Bryce Lawrence. Hopefully O’Brien will have a word to him, too.
The Test at Paris will be a defining match in 2010 for the Wallabies. A defeat will mar what has been a year of steady, if slow-ish progress.
A victory against a French side that is on a winning track, at Paris where they are always hard to beat, will be a tonic for a Wallabies side that is still developing into the sort of team that could have a strong World Cup next year.
Colin N
Guest
"As the Irish were also lucky not to be yellow carded Colin N I am lead to believe it was they who had more penalties awarded against them" It doesn't matter, it's where they are awarded and what they're awarded for which is key. New Zealand cynically killed Irish ball a few times in a row, when they were attacking in the All Blacks 22.
zhenry
Guest
Warrenexpatinnz, form prior to a WC is open to the full gamut of interpretation, most can sound reasonable, but I do feel uneasy when the NZ media is quoted without any conditions (regardless of the seemingly harmless conclusion they reached). The NZ media is the Australian media; Radio Sport is wholly Australian owned and so is rest of NZ sports media. Fox and Yeldern work for that media and both bend over backwards not to offend their employers. The North Africans in NZ no straight away what I am talking about but it would probably sail right over PTs head. Heard Brendan Telfer talking to someone about the NZRU getting nothing from overseas gate takings, regardless that ABs near sellout big stadiums. All Mr Telfer could muster was that it was an IRB decision and no one can change the IRB. Well that’s the end of it apparently: Mr Telfer did not mention that if international gate takings were shared (a fair percentage) the NZRU could ignore the AU owned NZ media and not indulge John O’Neill and the ARU. Just when the players are complaining tired after the Super 14 along comes the Super 15; all for the benefit of a minority boutique sport in Australia, with of course the full support of the Foxes and Yelderns. He did not mention that if the money making machine, that the ABs are, could be used by Tew to lever the IRB: Instead of an end of year Euro tour give your players the necessary holiday. Let the overseas unions seek games outside of the IRB for a period, juggle things a bit Tew be proactive instead of a gutless NZer who like sheep blindly follows the ‘leader’.
Bayboy
Guest
Nor was it Munsters 1`st XV Warren how quickly you and other Wallaby supporters are to ignore that fact. I believe up to 17 players were unavailable to Munster for selection.
Bayboy
Guest
Exactly Jerry he would have learnt all the basics in New Zealand starting with ripper rugby. Catch pass run, Or did hew turn up in Australia not knowing what rugby was???
Derm
Roar Guru
Ah come on, Bayboy - midweek games use the dirt trackers on tour - everyone knows that. Though it was largely a Munster B team..... :)
BAyboy
Guest
Fact remains it was the Wallabies not Australia A that lost to Munster, blame Deans and his cohorts for the inept performance and disregard and cheapening of the Wallabies jumper by fielding a so called A team as you call it. This will go down in history as another win by Munster over the Wallabies, last time I checked it certainly was the Wallabies on tour not Australia A
Derm
Roar Guru
Correct and incorrect Bayboy. Healy could have been carded for his popping up/poor binding in scrum. However, the number of penalties was practically equal - Ireland got 10, New Zealand 11. Taking player out in air IRL Going off feet at ruck - IRL Offside at ruck - NZ Not rollling away at tackle -IRL Holding on at ruck - NZ Not rolling away IRL Pulling down scrum IRL holding on in ruck IRL Holding on in tackle/ruck NZ Holding on in tackle NZ Spoiling at ruck - Warning NZ Slowball - not rolling away NZ Collapsing scrum NZ word with McCaw Bad binding IRL - Word to Healy Bad binding IRL Not rolling away IRL Holding on NZ Offside NZ Killing ruck ball NZ Killing ruck ball NZ
Joh4Canberra
Roar Rookie
"What about the bizarre five minutes it took to decide whether an italian penalty went over or not (when it clearly did) ??" What about them? None of what happened there was Berdos' fault. The two touchies -- the people who should have the best view of whether a goal was scored or not -- failed to signal that the ball had carried through the posts and over the cross bar for a goal. Now in theory Berdos could have overruled them on the spot if he was of the view that a goal had been scored. But in these days where we have a TMO it would be a brave ref who overruled the touchies without going to the TMO. And when Berdos did try to go to the TMO the microphone / earpiece didn't work which meant he couldn't communicate with the TMO. Hardly Berdos' fault.
ronnie88
Guest
why dont wallaby front row counter and be the one's to bore in, as they say "when in rome". Why is it our perpetual scrum issues are always the "other teams" fault, its like a broken record. Our scrum is simply not up to the pressure and tactics of these teams, so instead of whinging do something about it an man up and be the ones that other teams complain about, why dont we start being cagey and wiley in the front row dept, take some initiative and counter - best form of defence is attack!
Timnaik
Guest
Bro, you've written a book here. Do you have a real job??
Jerry
Guest
Cooper was 14 when he moved - You can't say he learned ALL his rugby in Aus.
Jason
Roar Guru
The point is further reinforced notably that it wasn't mentioned prior to the game, given Castrogiovanni's efforts on Crockett and then more obviously on Tialata last year. But it's not like Dickinson's incompetence received any airplay...
Geoff Brisbane
Guest
KoG IRB ranking system is pretty flawed where NZ are winning away and only get .25 of a point where as England lost to NZ and moved up rankings???? Australia is not clearly the second placed team currently, they are inconsistent and inept but no one likes honesty. They have lost 6 test matches this season 3 - NZ 2 - England 1 - S.A and I reckon will lose to France so in my reckoning they will be ranked 4th or 5th If anyone can honestly say the Italy game was a good advertisement for rugby then get your head read because it wasn't. All I want to see is good hard and moving Rugby played by 2 exponents of the game. Not mamby pamby soft and error ridden softies saying how tough the Italians were in the scrum. Stop whinging and do something about it.
Bayboy
Guest
As the Irish were also lucky not to be yellow carded Colin N I am lead to believe it was they who had more penalties awarded against them
Geoff Brisbane
Guest
Nothing to do with being walloped the week before???
JB
Guest
Sure, Elsom has a right to complain, but you have to pick your battles. The way he goes about it is counter productive and a team with a sulking captain is going to eventually develop a crap attitude, no matter how 'exuberant' or 'youthful' they are. It almost makes me wonder if Elsom and the 14 other Wallabies enjoy rugby that much. For instance, Kieren Read is almost laughing everytime he smashes into someone. The ABs seem to truly enjoy playing with each and for each other - reminds me a bit of the Sydney Swans in 05.
Derm
Roar Guru
That's because they had ZERO motivation for a joke contest, Colin. Please try and keep up with KPM.
Cattledog
Guest
Another classic Mick, thanks. I note 'meerkats' has now become a 'word of choice'. Repeating the same thing, perhaps!
Cattledog
Guest
When did Slips tell you this, GrecoGuy? He actually countered extremely well and this was only noticed by the ref after he got it wrong several times before. But no matter, the Italians ain't got much else other than their scrum.
ohtani's jacket
Guest
The other thing I want to mention is that if an opposition prop is boring in (and it's usually the loosehead who does this not the tighthead) then the Australian scrum is supposed to work together to prevent it from happening. It was fairly obvious on Sat night that Slipper wasn't winning the hit.