The most telling comment to come out of the Springboks’ relentless victory over the Wallabies at the fabled Newlands stadium came from an exhausted Michael Hooper: “We couldn’t keep up with them.”
The Springboks smashed home three tries in the last 10 minutes of the Test, with an earlier drop goal by Pat Lambie to take the score to 11-10 in their favour, the points margin expanded into a comfortable and impressive 28-10.
The score line was 10-5 in favour of the Wallabies at half-time. The final result meant that the Springboks piled on 23 unanswered points in the second half.
This leads me to an inevitable and obvious conclusion: the Wallabies are not fit enough for Test match rugby against powerful and committed sides like the Springboks.
I must say I was amazed that after the debacle at Eden Park, coach Ewen Mckenzie allowed the players some time off before getting together again for the South African and Argentina legs of the Rugby Championship.
The players, in my opinion, should have been taken into a camp as soon as they got back from Auckland. A ferocious trainer should have put them through a series of torture sessions. Then they should have travelled to South Africa about nine days before the Test at Cape Town.
For too long the Wallabies (and the Waratahs for that matter, too) have been treated too leniently by their coaches. Michael Cheika turned around the Waratahs by getting them fit. McKenzie needs to do the same or step down and allow Cheika to do with the Wallabies – the Coogee Steps and all of that – what he has done for the Waratahs.
This system was pioneered in Australia by its greatest coach, Rod Macqueen. Macqueen used a former Broncos trainer to get his Wallabies fit. The first sessions saw the players vomiting and passing out but slowly and then quickly they became the fittest team in world rugby.
When you are fit you tend to make better decisions than when you are physically and then mentally tired. Macqueen’s fit Wallabies were also the smartest team in world rugby, a title that is now held by the super fit All Blacks. And if this Test is any indication, the Springboks are coming into calculations as a very fit and, therefore, very dangerous side to any opponent.
The statistics of the Test read as a mirror image of a usual Wallabies versus Springboks Test. The Springboks beat the Wallabies at their own ball-in-hand game.
| Springboks | Wallabies | |
| Tries | 4 | 1 |
| Metres gained | 465 | 355 |
| Carries | 180 | 127 |
| Passes | 194 | 161 |
| Turnovers conceded | 19 | 14 |
| Kicks in general play | 28 | 24 |
| Penalties conceded | 4 | 13 |
They did concede more turnovers than the Wallabies. But the significant penalty count against the Wallabies was a more telling statistic. You can’t win tough Test matches and concede nine penalties more than the opposition.This last statistic on the penalties is interesting. Very few teams can get through a Test, with this much action in it, and concede so few penalties. The Springboks have a special coach for their breakdown and rucks play. This seems to be working well for them.
The other interesting aspect of the statistics is that the Springboks are slowly, with two gifted playmakers, Andre Pollard and Pat Lambie, getting a better balance between their traditional kicking and chasing game and a ball-in-hand game.
When they get the balance right, or if they get it right, they are going to be a formidable challenge for the All Blacks and England (the two favourites I’d guess) in next year’s Rugby World Cup tournament.
Since professional rugby was introduced in 1996, the Wallabies and the Springboks have now played each other in the various forms of the Tri-Nations and Rugby Championship 42 times. The Springboks have won 21 of these Tests and the Wallabies 20, with one Test drawn.
The Springboks tend to win their home Tests, as do the Wallabies. This year follows that pattern with the Wallabies winning a close result 24-23 at Perth and then losing at the hoodoo venue in Cape Town 28-10.
The last time the Wallabies defeated the Springboks at Newlands in Cape Town was in 1992. The fast start on Saturday night by the Wallabies had the crowd quiet initially. But the Newlands roar was in full voice at the end, and rightly so.
Where do the Wallabies go from here?
They are unbeaten at home this season. Good. And this includes a draw against the All Blacks. But they have conceded four tries or more in their two Tests out of Australia, against the All Blacks and the Springboks.
A win against the Pumas next weekend becomes essential to give the Wallabies some momentum going into the crucial November tour of Europe, the last trial run there before the Rugby World Cup tournament.
Does McKenzie now make some significant changes looking to next year? Or does he keep the bulk of the team that has been handsomely defeated by the All Blacks and the Springboks?
The time to make changes, is right now. The configuration of players McKenzie put on the field in the last two Tests won’t win the Wallabies a World Cup. They are in the pool of death remember, with England and Wales challenging them for the two finals spots.
Is it time to move Israel Folau to the wing and bring in Kurtley Beale at fullback? What is the future, if any, of Matt Toomua in the backline? Would Rob Horne fit in better at inside centre?
When will Will Genia be given his starting position at halfback? What is the best front row? What is the best second row? Who should play number 8?
I must say that I was taken with Scott Allen’s suggestion that a loose trio of Michael Hooper, Matt Hodgson and Scott Higginbotham would be an interesting selection for the Wallabies.
The Chinese have a saying: ‘May you live in interesting times’. This is certainly the case for Ewen McKenzie and for Wallaby supporters.
The point about the Pumas, as they showed in a spirited Test with the All Blacks, is that they are very close to achieving a win in the Rugby Championship. They gave the Springboks two very hard Tests in South Africa and in Argentina.
The All Blacks were held to four tries, after a tremendous opening onslaught. When they had the ball, the Pumas made serious inroads.
Here are the statistics:
| All Blacks | Pumas | |
| Metres gained | 480 | 481 |
| Carries | 102 | 119 |
| Passes | 158 | 136 |
| Offloads | 13 | 21 |
| Kicks in play | 21 | 19 |
| Penalties conceded | 11 | 11 |
On these statistics, I’d say: Watch out Wallabies next weekend against the Pumas.
Greenbok
Roar Rookie
Chan Wee - logged in just to find this post of yours... "I saw Pollard at this year U20. He was pathetic. looked very robotic." He didn't do too badly tonight, eh?
Greenbok
Roar Rookie
A few things... Pollard matriculated from Paarl Gymnasium, the same school that gave us Jean de Villiers and Schalk Burger. He was head-hunted to go play up north, by the Bulls. He has made a name for himself as an attacking #10, all the way from school-boy level. You lable him "robotic" on the basis of how he was expected to play inside the Bok system, which doesn't really allow for individuality. He has an eye for a gap, and is (up till now) not afraid to try and take it. Your analysis of the ENG/RSA final is unusual. If any team played similarly to RSA, it was ENG - who also had a forwards orientated approach - and they executed better on the day. We came back strongly towards the end, and but for a crucial drop-goal miss, and excellent defence from ENG, could've pulled it off. He is a large unit, no doubt - but classify him as robotic at your peril. Obviously he still needs to develop - but he is already head and shoulders better than Mornê Steyn, when it comes to running/distribution. He does not play in the pocket - and takes it to the line.
John S
Roar Rookie
The fitness on the wallabies is a valid question Spiro. I heard a conditioning coach with an elite armed forces background was shown the door at the waratahs in the mckenzie era - perhaps because of the rigor of the fitness regime.Be interesting to do some testing and comparisons of the waratahs fitness levels late season with those of the current touring group.
Squirrel
Guest
As players now are meant to be fitter and now play less as 8 reserves come on . Let's increase time played to 50 minutes a half, as 40 min was designed pot bellied 1960 amateurs. Move with the times and give something back to the spectator and his $300 ticket
Combesy
Roar Guru
chivas, the height and weight stats don't usually reflect where the player is by this time in the year, is what I meant by that comment. similar to game day stats they are always accurate.
Carlos The Argie in the USA
Guest
The Pumas have half-a-dozen wings in the "wings"? That is a surprise to me! Montero is only raw potential and not great yet. he has the size and speed of Savea, but he cannot compete with him. His kick defense is also very poor. Imhoff is OK, Agulla is slow... The Pumas forwards are improving too but I think that Albacete is the forward missing. Matera has also potential but is not there yet. These Pumas want to pas the ball but many of them still can't. However, I think that they MAY give the Wobblies a good scare this weekend. It depends to how they recover from the La Plata lesson.
etienne marais
Guest
And I can name you at least three other Saffa plays that could have resulted in 7-pointers, un-sealing it for the Aussies again. To name just one: Habana's intercept off AAC in the 77th minute, where he then ran 34 metres to dot it down underneath the posts. And that's just one. Ok, ok, I know it didn't happen. But you get the point. The fact that Habana was not on the field at the time, makes no difference. We are both indulging in fiction; it is just the degree of our imaginations that differ. Also, there was that Hadeda that flew across the first Pollard kick, deflecting the ball in between the uprights.
etienne marais
Guest
Yes, he reprimanded him quite sternly. Fine, keep the yellow in pocket, but if the was the other way round, as a Saffa, I would have expected a penalty immediately after the conversion. Look at it closely, it was a very dangerous play. It needed to be penalised. Also, I suspect if the try had not been scored, there would have been a bust-up. The Aussies running into support had body language that showed intent. Understandably. That it did not come to at least some handbags, is a small miracle.
etienne marais
Guest
This Saffa agrees 100%. At the time I was rather perplexed with ref not doing yellow. But it transpires later on why: he decided beforehand that he was going to blow a running game, with 15 playing 15. There were a number of other potential yellows (going both ways), e.g. the tip-tackle on Serfontein etc. Owens was consistent. We would like to have referee consistency from game to game, for an entire season. But for now, I'm happy with consistency for 80+ minutes. Next week we'll play the other guy's rules, we just want them to be consistently applied over the 80+ minutes. We happy.
etienne marais
Guest
You need to read the rulebook. But get your eyes tested first.
etienne marais
Guest
AAC was simply contesting. Fair play. Good refereeing.
Magic Sponge
Guest
Agree Rob I thought Hooper was Australias best, just watched replay and he does a tonne of work not just in defence but in attack.
Magic Sponge
Guest
Agree Zero Gain I was one of those doom and gloom roarers but I have turned this week into an optimistic fan, that was the wallabies best performance and the score could easily have been 28-10 wallabies, that was the true nature of the test, we did not finish and take our chances and the Boks just pumped the pressure on from a superb bench and JDV
Rob G
Guest
Hooper is the fittest man out there...if he is struggling it is because he is doing the work of those lazy players around him (e.g. simmons, horwill, carter, higgers)
Wal
Roar Guru
That height and weight on the WB website has changed. I checked to make a comment a few weeks ago about him being the same size as Dan Carter 1.80 and 95kg.
Worlds Biggest
Guest
Agree the Wallas just aren't fit enough to go the 80 against the AB's and Boks. This is hard to fathom in this day and age. They should be the fittest team to make up for the shortcomings. They put in a good shift for 65 minutes only. Had Phipps been awarded a try it could have changed the complexion of the game. They needed a bigger lead going into the last quarter before the beast of a bench came on. 4 World Cup winners and Lambie coming on is insane. They were always going to finish the stronger.
Loftus
Guest
Did you miss Clancy to win this game for you like the previousvone?
Suzy Poison
Guest
Agree Die Hard. As much as it pains me to say, Saturday night was just a dance of the desperadoes. Neither the Wallabies or the Boks are going to feature in the World Cup final. The WC final will be between England and New Zealand. Even if the Boks beat NZ next Saturday, it will prove nothing. The AB's are pleading with someone to beat them, so that they can just reset. And as for England, the current Wallaby team, cannot defeat England with the current set of forwards. If you look at the draw, England will then have the easiest path to the final, as they will avoid both South Africa and New Zealand on the way there.
Suzy Poison
Guest
Well I rate England as number heading into the World Cup, because the WC is played on the soft green fields of Ingerland, not in Brisbane or Eden Park or Newlands. Also England like the Boks really fronted up in New Zealand with a young team this year. The Wallabies are not in the same league as these three teams, because they have shipped ten tries in the only two away games they have played this year. The Wallabies are poor travellers, so I don't give them any chance of upsetting England in England. Also despite the Boks having the edge over England, in recent times, I get the feeling England are due for a win, especially at home.( and I am a Bok fan) by the same logic Die hard is worried about the Wallas playing Wales in England. Wales are due for a win. McCaw v Frans Louw, well it was pretty even at Eden Park. Too bad we won't get to see a repeat at Ellis Park. As for the thought that getting Genia, Cooper and Pocock back is suddenly going to change this that is nonsense. Genia and Cooper played against Boks in Brisbane last year and they were worse than. Phibbs and Foley. Pocock is great, but it's a massive leap of faith to think he will walk back into the team at the same level he left. Schalk had a great 20min on Saturday, but he is still not the player he was, 2years ago.
Jameswm
Guest
He he - I'll survive the guilt by association I think Sheek.