- Video
-
Club Roar
Captured a great grassroots sporting moment? We want to see it!Content Collections
The Roar Community
- Join
- Login
A look at the scoreline at ANZ Stadium last night – All Blacks 47, Wallabies 29 – and out come the antis – Wallabies hammered, the McKenzie experiment didn’t work, etc etc etc.
Bollocks.
Rugby fans should be indebted to McKenzie, and his counterpart Steve Hansen, for turning on a game of real rugby for 80 minutes.
Precious little kicking, but a lot of running with ball in hand.
OK, the men in black ran the ball better, because they are better players, the proof being their six tries to two. But the Wallabies were their own worst enemies with basic errors.
I get sick and tired of hearing both Wallaby skipper James Horwill, and cricket captain Michael Clarke, quoting fundamentals as the reason for their downfall.
Time after time after time. How thick is thick?
No better example last night than Adam Ashley-Cooper, playing his 81st international, the most-capped Wallaby in the side.
He made a brilliant bust midfield with only Israel Dagg in front of him and an unmarked and far faster Jesse Mogg, outside him.
So what does Ashley-Cooper do? He takes the hero route, is tackled, and seven points went down the drain with the All Blacks leading 10-9 at that stage in the 15th minute.
Dumb, dumb, rugby from a veteran who should automatically know better.
I was never keen on Mogg in the first place, even less now. He has that vacant look, as though he’s somewhere else.
When he’s playing well for the Brumbies he’s alert, with a spring in his step. But in his two appearances for the Wallabies the vacant sign has been up, and costly.
Game-breaker Israel Folau is worthless on the wing, if he’s not getting the ball. He made his mark at full-back with the Waratahs to earn a gold jersey, and that’s where he should be next Saturday at Wellington for the return bout.
Matt Toomua is well worth another shot at 10, but split two of the three amigos – Quade Cooper, and James O’Connor – next week.
Both need a major wake-up call, especially O’Connor, who was found wanting as early as the third minute when All Blacks winger Ben Smith scored the first of his three tries.
And Cooper added nothing when he came on as a replacement in the second half.
And the much-vaunted blind-side flanker Hugh McMeniman went missing, as well. Five years out of the international environment was too big an ask.
Bring in Liam Gill next week, with the rest of the pack unchanged.
But the backs?
Genia (9), Toomua (10). Nick Cummins (11), Christian Lealiifano (12), Tevita Kuridrani (13), Adam Ashley-Cooper (14), and Folau (15).
And on the bench, Nic White as the best of two bad options, Bernard Foley, and O’Connor for his last chance wake-up call, with no Quade Cooper around.
The truth is very simple. This Wallaby squad is more than capable of competing with the All Blacks, who were just superb last night.
A privilege to watch.
I look forward to saying the same about the Wallabies after Wellington.