Any way you look at it, the Wallabies were totally outclassed by a bigger, hungrier side.
They were scraped through the mincer a couple dozen times by the young yet certainly world class Boks forward pack and then what remained of the carcass was lumped onto the chopping board where 20 year old sensation, Johan Goosen and the ageless Bryan Habana ground the left overs into a fine dust for good measure.
60 points on the scoreboard wouldn’t have looked out of place. Luckily for the Wallabies, three near tries were denied along with the Bok kickers having another off day at the office.
I have been a Wallaby fan for 22 years and sure it would be easy for me to blame Robbie Deans for yet another thumping. However I have re-watched the game today and I searched for some positives. I searched long and hard and 15 minutes from time, I found it.
Brett Sheehan took to the field. We are always talking about mongrel in a player and how this Wallaby side has been missing that burning passion since the days of Finegan and Kefu. Well, mongrel and aggression comes in small packages as well, as I found out.
Brett, who took the place of Nick Phipps (another stand out for the Wallabies) got stuck in from the word go. You need a player who is willing to lay the marker down no matter the scoreline or time left on the clock.
Genia is out injured, okay. But in Phipps and Sheehan the Wallabies have two new halves who, if given the chance, are just as capable of opening up a game and with some game time and combination with Beale will only get better.
If Deans has learnt anything from this game, it would be to start the nuggety Sheehan against a now upset Argentina with the more wiry Phipps coming on in the final 20, when the legs are tired and the gaps are appearing.
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.
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