Well, that was a bit of a letdown. There can be no question that the better team won, and there can be even less question that the final result adequately illustrates the difference in class between the two sides over the three Tests.
When it came to the ultimate moments in the series, the British and Irish Lions were better equipped to deal with the situation at hand.
Worthy series winners. Clinical. Unrelenting. Deserving. Well played, Lions.
It also means that with everything that’s been said and done about the Wallaby performance on Saturday night, the five points today are all about the immediate and long-term future of the game.
If body language means anything…
Then Robbie Deans was a man resigned to his fate. Deans is a man that doesn’t give up much emotion on the best of days, but in the post-match press conference on Saturday night, he was even more ashen-faced and non-committal than normal.
Where you might have expected an embattled coach to show some fight, and outline what he still wants to achieve with his young group, Deans offered only “Those decisions will be made by others” when asked about his future.
Perhaps even more tellingly, Deans was asked directly if he thought he would be able to pull the Wallaby squad together after such a loss, and if coaches and players could regroup in time for the Rugby Championship.
“I’ve no doubt the boys will regroup,” came the reply, again ignoring the chance to speak of his own involvement.
It was a very strange situation, and there certainly wasn’t anyone in the media centre left of the belief that Deans would remain at the helm. We’d all just seen a dead coach talking.
By contrast, Warren Gatland and Alun-Wyn Jones walked into the presser with a stubby and a bottle of champagne in their respective hands, had one last swig each before handing them off to management, and then took their seats to face the hordes.
Winners are grinners, and losers can please themselves, as they say in the classics.
An awkward meeting needs to be had
The ARU board and the accountants need to get together rather soon and establish two major points between them: will it cost more to end Robbie Deans’ tenure now financially, or from a rugby perspective, after the Rugby Championship?
If the decision is to be that Deans is no longer the man to coach the Wallabies, then do we make the change now, or at the end of his contracted term? If we’ve learned anything from cricket in recent weeks, perhaps it’s better to endure some short-term pain and rip the band-aid off now.
And the sharks are circling. The reports were already doing the rounds that ARU CEO Bill Pulver and Deans were scheduled to meet, and that it might even be announced as soon as today that Deans would no longer be required.
Pulver even attempted to play down any reports of Dean’s impending removal, saying that he and the ARU would “not be entering into any speculation or debate” about what moves may or may not be afoot, or which candidates may or may not be in line to be appointed.
It’s not quite as damning as ‘Robbie has the full support of the board’, but it’s not far off.
One thing a new Wallabies coach would have over Darren Lehmann is more time. Whereas Lehmann was installed just 16 days out from the First Ashes Test – which starts tomorrow night – the First Bledisloe Test, and the first round of the Rugby Championship, kicks off on Saturday 17 August.
With four more weekend of Super Rugby to come, too, players wouldn’t be reconvening for another good few weeks yet as well. If the change is to be made, as most believe it will, then it might as well be now.
Surely now we can end the charade…
With a new Wallaby coach all but certain, a better but still unconvincing performance in the decider, and with his Super Rugby home changing the keys on him while he was gone, the number of people who think James O’Connor is a genuine top class flyhalf shrinks by the day.
I nearly choked on a post-tour beer late on Saturday night when it was suggested to me that O’Connor might be headed back to the Force, now that the Rebels have given him the “don’t call us…” treatment.
But it would seem heading back to Perth with his tail between his legs would be his only option if he does seriously want to play more flyhalf.
On current form, there’s no way he would be ousting Bernard Foley, his good mate Quade Cooper, or young Matt Toomua, from their no.10 jerseys, even if the ‘Tahs, Reds, or Brumbies were interested in him.
That only leaves the Force, even if they had Kyle Godwin in mind as a long-term flyhalf.
Of course, we could just end the charade and get him back playing inside centre well. And he could still do that in Perth, if Godwin was shuffled in one.
Either way, he’s surely played his last game in the Australian no.10 for a good while now.
Is it time now?
I’ve had this long-held belief that for no other reason than an endless supply of flyhalves and tighthead props, Australia should sail into Wellington harbour, plant the flag, and either remind New Zealand of their still-present mention in our constitution, or invade.
After Saturday night, I’m starting to wonder if it’s not time to dust off those plans.
Ben Alexander’s best impression of a whack-a-mole game was just unpleasant, and Sekope Kepu didn’t fare much better when he came on, either.
Therefore, here’s the first challenge over the next month for whoever is the Wallaby coach: identify the best tighthead in the country, add a zero to his contract, and start playing him now.
If that’s James Slipper, or Paddy Ryan, or whoever, then put them in now. Tighthead is an area Australia has struggled with for years now, and we simply can’t have any more repeats of what happened on Saturday night.
Of course, if Alexander and Kepu are still the best options, then find the best scrummaging coach in the world and treat them to a month of winter in Australia. If these two are the future, then some serious remedial work is needed. Urgently.
On the other hand, we could set sail for the east…
Regardless of the result, the Lions Tour has been superb
From the spike in tourism, to the seas of red, to the estimated $100 million spent in Brisbane, Melbourne, and Sydney on consecutive weekends, the Lions Tour and their wonderful supporters have put rugby back on the map again in Australia.
The result hasn’t gone the way Wallabies fans had hoped, but rugby now holds the ground records at Suncorp Stadium, Etihad Stadium, and the post-Olympic configuration of ANZ Stadium as well.
More than 389,000 people watched the Lions across the nice games in Australia, and after a steady build-up, it consumed the media for the decider in Sydney.
The result has ensured the ongoing future of the Lions Tour, and that is something that can’t be overstated. Had the Wallabies won, the nay-saying few sprouting misconstrued beliefs of a “glorified Barbarians side” would only have grown more vocal.
In reality, the Lions Tour is the last bastion of the traditional rugby tour in the current professional calendar, and even if it seems overly corporatised now, it’s still a tradition that can’t be lost.
It is, of course, something of a windfall for the ARU, too. The challenge now is going to come in the form of what to do with, and how to maximise the effect of, this swelling of the coffers, possible coach severance notwithstanding.
It is absolutely imperative that the ARU use this windfall wisely across all levels of the game.
[Ed’s note: Brett’s article was submitted before Robbie Deans was sacked as Wallaby coach]
SkinnyKid
Roar Rookie
yes brett...thats exactly what I am saying. Just saying the actual physical advantage the Lions were getting isn't as vast as people think.
Old Creeker
Guest
Love your work BM...
jeznez
Roar Guru
I was a 7 when my playing weight was about 95kg but kept getting wider and wider so moved to 6, then 8, then was a jumping second row, then a tighthead side lock, before finally moving up front. Although I'm a sizeable lad I'm not a great shape for a prop, neck too long (although it is thick), and have a wide/fat mesomorph frame rather than the classic endomorph frame you really want - it's why i had to study technique, was strong but never had a perfect body shape - got away with it in lower grades but these guys are tying to do it at the highest levels.
nickoldschool
Roar Guru
Thanks guys, great read! At 6'2 you would have been a n8 in French amateur rugby Jez, not a prop...never too late though ;)
richard
Guest
David,that's rubbish.NZ uses its own players. IT DOES NOT POACH PLAYERS FROM THE PACIFIC OR ANYWHERE ELSE.HOW MANY TIMES DOES THIS HAVE TO BE REPEATED BEFORE IT SINKS IN. You are talking about blatantly poaching other countries talent to solve your problems,and like JON using a worn out myth to justify it.I suggest Australia look within its own confines,instead of regarding other countries playing resources as the panacea to all of their ills.
Ryan O'Connell
Expert
We learnt that Lions fans will sledge you with "Cheerio" if you leave early.
Brett McKay
Expert
Now that's interesting, Roardog. Very intersting....
Brett McKay
Expert
Well, of course they don't David, for obvious reasons.....
jeznez
Roar Guru
agree with mania there - getting your feet in the right spots and not moving them is critical. nos - agree that in the old days you were expected to start a fight but that doesn't happen much anymore. apart from just holding the other options all involve angles of drive, reducing scrum height, if they are boring in then moving the scrum to the left or right to straighten them back up. If they are lifting then doing everything you can to reduce the height of the scrum. If you are short then closing the gap, if you are tall and struggling to get low increasing the gap. There are a huge number of options to try and work through. Although some days they are just better than you. I had the experience last year where I had to replace one of our french props in a game - he had managed parity against his opponent and is a lot better scrummager than I am so I knew I was in trouble as soon as I came on. Was just putting everything into the hit and as a tighthead trying to stay low. Despite me weighing 116kg he was just going under me and driving me up. I tried to keep my back straight which meant I was fully airborne and we were going backwards. My only option was to keep hitting hard and try to get low enough to stop him getting under me - unfortunately I'm 6 foot 2 and couldn't get down to a level that made him uncomfortable. I have a lot of sympathy/empathy (never sure which one means I know how he feels) for Alexander in that match.
jeznez
Roar Guru
no Brett - but guys who are likely to be good front rowers are likely to like drinking. Lure them down with the promise of beer. In time they'll learn to love scrums naturally - it is just a fact of rugby that those who continually pack scrums come to love them over time. If a winger gets his greatest joy from beating his opponent and scoring a try - the converse is that a prop gains the same joy out of dominating his contest. Props are just lucky they get to pack more scrums than wingers usually see ball.
jeznez
Roar Guru
cheers NP - I am right about the common name for the coin sounding like hay-penny though aren't I?
jeznez
Roar Guru
Thanks BMW - I stand corrected although I'm going to give RD the benfit of the doubt and assume he only missed the squad through injury. To be fair I don't know if he is back from injury even now. Justin - not sure on Weekes's technique, haven't watched it closely enough. Since moving to HK I don't have the rewind and rewatch live play option that I have grown accustomed to either! I will say that the Red's with the relatively weak Daley and Faingaa had some memorable scrummaging performances with him as the third member of the 'Tripod' they certainly punched above their weight and having seen the other two fall away without him it seems likely that Weekes can take a significant portion of the credit for when they were doing well. Harry - I like Ryan but agree he has to do a lot more to convince. He struggled badly against the Force in their most recent game and you need to be dominating at that level to really convince you have the ability to push for higher honours. Jiggles - agree Kepu gets away with strength - I've often said his body shape doesn't suit top level scummaging which is tough for him as he can't do anything about that. Ryan suffers from similarly long limbs and it will be a constant challenge for both of them. P&G/OJ - if Horwill was carrying an injury that hampered his ability to push then it was criminal he played knowing how strong their scrum was. To be fair I thought the BIL scrum was equally dominant in game 1 while the same two props were on the field so it isn't obvious that he was an issue.
David
Guest
Games financial well being is tied to the National teams success - NRL & AFL don't have that problem as support is tied to the Teams in those Comps
mania
Guest
agree. jakeWhite is implementing something similar, in that he's offering a scholarship to saffa's to come over and play @ ACT
David
Guest
Why doesn't the ARU get one of its many Forward Coaches to identify Front Row potential in NZ & SA - bring them here for required period to qualify to play - after all New Zealand have been doing that with the Pacific Islands for decades !
mania
Guest
didn't realise that paddyRyans 6'2" (another roarer reporting this). he'll be an awesome lifter. Nick Turnbull - ryan needs to go to the mikeCron school of hard knocks and scrummaging over the summer. packing high is a little tweek and a mere mental thing. shouldnt be too difficult to rectify
mania
Guest
yes jeznez agree. palmer one time I saw him lose the hit and get driven back, but he didn't collapse, fought back and would've won that scrum had the ball not been cleared quickly. that's what I expect from Australians , fight and determination thru all odds. not this capitulation that the current wb's front row do.
mania
Guest
I did miss the scrums tho NOS. I missed the drills with my scrum mates, hours on the scrum machine to prefect our technique. I loved it when as a team we'd outsmart the bigger stronger scrummagers. it is a game within a game . being in the backs tho is so much easier and lots more tries. minimum work maximum glory
Rugby Fan
Roar Guru
Brian Moore would be surprised to hear that referees in the North are strict on the scrum feed. In a recent BBC radio show which discussed scrum rows. John Jeffrey of the IRB all but admitted that referees everywhere were not encouraged to blow up crooked feeds. His justification appeared to be that leading coaches had indicated to them it wasn't a priority. Leniency in this area is just as much of a problem in the North as in the South.
Northern Pom
Guest
The scrum feed here in the NHem is no better than in the SHem. Teams push before the ball is in (illegal), so when the Scrum Half feeds, it looks like its going backwards, but the ref assumes its stright because of the push. Its happened for so long now, that in fact the the SH can feed it crooked straight into the lock's feet without being penalised (illegal). If you go back and watch the highlights of a scrum by England against any team, listen to Brian Moore's commentary (ex-England Hooker) bemoaning this. His point is that by allowing this ilegal tactic to become the norm, there is no need for a hooker. As Rugby is supposed to be a game for any shape and size, this tactic removes a player type out of the equation. If you extend that, it would nmean that if Brian Moore was now coming through the ranks, he would never have made it to the International stage (a fact that some would cheer about, lol)