Just an interesting way of seeing how the Wallabies fare is by following Quade Cooper throughout the 80 minutes of the Test match against New Zealand.
Min. 1: Two passes made in the first minute. One to the inside and one to the outside. Both to backs.
Min. 3: On turnover ball, on the gain line, throws the cut out pass immediately to Kurtley Beale on the wing who gets tackled but wins the lineout.
Min 4: After two phases, kicks low from about 30 metres out and the ball goes out at the five metre line.
Min. 5: When returning a clearing kick by the All Blacks, his attempted pass over the head of Conrad Smith is intercepted. High risk, high reward play is undone by poor execution.
Min. 7: High kick that is easily fielded leading to All Blacks attack.
Min. 8: Tackled by Ali Williams at the ruck and held down away from the ball. Piri Weepu attacks blindside where Cooper would have been defending and gives the All Blacks the momentum that ends up in a try for Nonu a few phases later.
Min. 10: Restart doesn’t go ten.
Min. 12: High kick. Achieves nothing.
Min. 16: First run. Puts All Blacks on the back foot and ensures quick ball where a break and a good attack happens.
Min. 18: Wide flat pass to Elsom 15 metres out who get put into touch about three metres out. Could have passed to Ioane to commit the tacklers.
Min. 23: Low, flat cross kick straight from a scrum in opposition 22. Exposes a gap behind the defender and only a bounce away from Ioane collecting and scoring.
Min. 25: Awful garryowen attempted in own half.
Min. 33: Another cross kick/in behind winger. Another unfortunate bounces goes against Beale this time.
Min. 36: At second receiver off lineout ball. Cut out pass.
Min. 38: No look short pass to Kepu which gains some ground.
Min. 40: Takes the ball back from a clearance kick, commits defensive line, then passes to a player on his way back (pretty outrageous). James O’Connor makes 20 metres from this pass.
End of the first half: Australia have dominated territory and possession but find themselves two tries behind to a Clinical All Blacks side. Quade Cooper has made 27 passes at this point.
Min. 43: Wins a kick chase.
Min. 48: First touch of the half.
Min. 53: Cooper kicks touchline conversion.
Min. 62: Second touch of the half.
Min. 65: Forward pass.
Min. 66: Out of the back pass on five metre line. Complete brain explosion. Five metre scrum given away. Replays show it should have been an Australian scrum though as Nonu got a hand to the pass and knocked it on.
Min. 76: 30 metre cut out pass to McCabe on opposition 22, who offloads quickly to Elsom who goes in for the try.
Australia actually win the second half on scores but the All Blacks were dominant and gave Australia precious little chances. Cooper in this half made just 10 passes and went for long periods without having any impact on the game.
Other notes are that all his kick offs are short and apart from the one that is noted for not making the 10 metres, they all caused trouble. In defence he was hidden away but when he had to make tackles, he did what was needed.
From watching this game, I thought he was the main threat to New Zealand and in the first half, his variety really caused them trouble and if they hadn’t shut down the Australian team as a whole, I think he would have finally made the breakthrough.
From watching, he probably needs to bring the forwards into the game more often on the short passes he likes and sometimes, a simple pass is better than going for the money ball. His passes are exemplary though and only on two to three occasions did they not go in front of the player to run onto.
His low and short kicks are fine and cause problems but anything high needs some real work.
On a side note, it was not to notice how well a few Wallabies played, especially Sekope Kepu, Stephen Moore and James Horwill. Higginbotham did well of the bench and provided the much missing cut from the back row.
Kurtley Beale didn’t make as many big runs as possible but he is always buzzing somewhere near the ball and did really well creating Ioane’s try and committing Muliaina before Ioane stepped him.
Ioane was a constant danger. Will Genia was fantastic and must be the best scrum half in world rugby at the moment.
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