Lucky! That’s what the Wallabies were on Saturday night. Lucky that the northern hemisphere conservative style of play means their first instinct is to kick for goal rather than roll the dice and go for a try.
On at least two occasions, possibly three, the British and Irish Lions were awarded a penalty five metres out from the Wallabies’ line and on each occasion Sam Warburton, the Lions skipper, opted to give the ball to their goal-kicker, Leigh Halfpenny.
On each of these occasions the Lions had the Wallabies on toast and a concerted attack launched from a solid scrum or lineout would have almost certainly resulted in a try – as was the case when they did run the ball in the second half, with Alex Cuthbert scoring under the posts from a good backline move.
I am at a loss to understand why their game plan doesn’t bring game breakers like Brian O’Driscoll, George North and Cuthbert into play more often. They always break the first tackle, North and Cuthbert normally go through three or four defenders at a time, and yet more often than not they are left out on the wings to get cold.
Lucky for the Wallabies otherwise we could have seen a game that was less close on the scoreboard.
The Wallabies, on the other hand, tried to play an open running game as was evidenced by wing Israel Folau’s first try.
A quick tap by Will Genia, who was by far the man of the match for the Wallabies, set up Folau in a way reminiscent of his run to help the Reds win the Super Rugby a couple of years back.
This distinct contrast between the two teams was highlighted throughout the game.
How much more open would it have been had Christian Lealiifano not get knocked out in the first 50 seconds of the game? His loss was tragic from a personal perspective but also for the Wallabies.
Without Lealiifano there to play the wide, expansive game that was obviously the game plan, his departure highlighted James O’Connor’s weaknesses that Robbie Deans had hoped to cover up with Lealiifano playing at inside centre. In fact it got to such a point that Genia had to play both roles, halfback and flyhalf, until Kurtley Beale was brought into the game.
I am not sure who gave O’Connor the address of Suncorp but it seemed he may have gotten lost on the way and it reflected in his play – or lack thereof.
It was not until Kurtley Beale came on, and the Wallabies had lost most of their backline, that the Wallabies started to really open up the Lions down the middle of the park. His attacking style, which by the way is very similar to Quade Cooper’s, once again showed everyone how to beat the Lions.
Despite Deans making excuses for O’Connor as soon as the game was over, the attrition in the back line and O’Connor’s obvious lack of game time and absence throughout the game means Deans must now look at his other options.
So what will this mean for the playing group and those not selected?
To address the 500 pound gorilla in the room question, will Robbie Deans now pick Quade Cooper or go with Matt Toomua, or possibly revert to Kurtley Beale at fly-half so he doesn’t have too much egg on face? Either way we are certain to see a new line-up in the backline next week.
A good attacking combination would see Cooper included at fly half, Lealiifano inside him and Beale starting at fullback. That would light up the backline and give the Lions something to think about.
We will find out next Saturday whether Deans plans to play the Lions at their own conservative game, as the Wallabies did when they lost Lealiifano, or come at them with an attacking frame of mind.
Only time will tell but with the next game now a must win for the Wallabies they can’t fall back to a conservative game plan and go toe-to-toe with the Lions.
If they do, Leigh Halfpenny will again kick the Lions to victory.
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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