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There’s been a lot of chat about how badly the Wallaby scrum was for game three of the Lions series. But it was the fact that the Lions were so good that won it – not the Wallabies who were so bad.
Here’s how I think Australia are set up.
Back row
Australia have and will continue to have World Class back-rowers. Loads of them.
Pocock is outstanding among an outstanding bunch. The fact he was missing really didn’t help. When he comes back, Australia will be a cut above where they are now.
The difficult bit for the Lions was “getting the blend” of the back-row. When ace-pilferer Pocock comes back, Australia don’t have that issue.
They just ask “who fits in with Pocock?”
Second row
Whatever else happens, James Horwill will be guaranteed to be giving it his all. He not only led the Wallabies, he called the calls, talked gently to the refs and led from the front throughout. He had to put up with the IRB Judicial/Citing pressure.
And there he was, on stage at the end congratulating his opponents and showing the world Australia’s grace and dignity.
What a guy. Most of the other guys in the second-row were good, too. But now the dust’s settled, I suspect that Horwill was the difference between 1-2 and 0-3. Might even have won it.
It’s hard to tell from my TV what their shove in the scrum is like, but Australia’s 4/5 look fine in the line-out and around the park.
Three inches taller and these blokes would be world class. Work well with Morrison’s line-out service.
Simmons and Douglas look fine, not outstanding but they get the tackles in and work the near-ruck runs. I can’t see anyone else coming through that looks like they’re banging on the door.
Front row
Because the Aussie front-five got battered in game three, these guys got a lot of stick.
I think that’s a bit unfair.
The Australian and front-row (and scrum, for that matter) did really well to stand up to the pressure of the Lions’ power for two Tests. Adam Jones is the world’s best tight-head.
Corbisiero is England’s first pick. Grant, who shone for Scotland against Australia last year, couldn’t get in the team. Ewan Murray who shone for Scotland against Australia last year, couldn’t get in the squad.
Hibbard sees himself as “the hardest man in rugby” and he is pretty tough. He’s a lot fitter than he used to be, too. The Lions were enormous in this area.
Australia did well to bend-rules, cheat, out-scrum out-think, hook, wheel and out-nous the Lions to their advantage for two Tests.
This almost lasted the whole series. I reckon the Australian world class back-row scared the Lions coaches – psyched them out. Mobility became the watch word for picking all the forwards.
Vunipola, picked for mobility, was embarrassed in the scrum in the first half of Test 2. But finally, Gatland stopped messing around and put out a power scrum.
It’s no biggie to lose to these guys.
The Bens, Robinson and Alexander, are pretty good. They looked alright, really, and will be better for being put through the wringer.
Morrison looks World Class. The other lads – Kepu, Jimmy Slipper et al – all look like the experience will stand them in good stead, too. They’ve survived a heck of an ordeal.
I dare say these chaps need a bit of technical help to tweak them here and there, but they seemed to be mostly OK.
I don’t know if there is someone doing the Graham Rowntree job for the Wallabies – advice at half-time, encouragement etc – but I don’t think so.
Overall
Yes, the wheels came off against the Lions in Test three. But these blokes were pretty awesome.
Yes, the Boks, Argies and Kiwis will be licking their lips in anticipation. But falsely so, I fancy.
I don’t think it’d be in McKenzie’s game-plan to out-shove any opposition.
I also think Australia showed in Tests one and two that they have a very clever scrum, especially the front row.
They look like they adapt to the refs well and adjust tactics on the fly. In Test two, for example, they pushed early on about half the scrums because Joubert let them and they capitalised.
The Lions looked puzzled and struggled to cope.
They’re not huge but they’re OK and the best available.
The coaches
Well, Deans has gone now, so no point in trying to defend him … but I’ll have a go.
I can’t think of much he could have done in picking a pack to play better than this lot did. And I think it’s a mistake to get rid of him, so close to the 2015 Rugby World Cup.
The talent just isn’t there. I can see McKenzie losing almost continuously, being heavily criticised and legging it in 2015, disenchanted.
I hope he’s got himself an angle as “director of coaching” rather than “head coach”. Hopefully, too, he’s got a budget for kicking coach, scrum coach, backs coach and talent scouts as well as his salary.
The ARU
These blokes look far too chuffed with themselves. Most of the guys in blazers I saw after Saturday’s spanking were smiling away after counting the money. “Record crowd – yummy. Lost the series – not so bad, if we’d been 2-0 down, no-one would have shown up in Sydney.”
I suspect Deans got the bullet as the ARU felt that if they didn’t shoot him, someone would shoot them.
The issues look structural feeding into the international setup. There are not enough coaches at the elite level, neither helping the national team nor linking them to SRXV.
There’s not enough specialised ARU rugby coaches helping the Wallabies e.g. Scrum, Kicking. Why is there no talent coming through? Who’s looking at what?
No talent coming through the Super Rugby franchises? Rebels going under? What are the ARU doIng about it? Having lunch?
Follow that up with Lions complaints about the quality of their SR opposition, selecting “development official” Steve Walsh for a game and don’t forget the arguments over cash.
And what have they done to annoy the IRB enough to evoke their “Escalation Process” for James Horwill?
Is there anyone they haven’t provoked?
Seems to me like complacency lies therein.
Australian sport
Someplace, Australian sport has taken a bad turn. New Zealand hold both Rugby World Cups, no one competing in tennis, lost the Lions Test Series, just the seven Olympic Golds, swimmers struggling.
Best not mention the cricket. What’s amiss? Who knows, but no one seems bothered.
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.