Much has been written, posted, and commented upon since the Wallabies’ outstanding 27-19 win over New Zealand on Saturday night, and The Roar’s servers are certainly breathing a little easier after the volume of traffic since full-time in Sydney.
While the win was excellent and deserving of celebration, the Wallabies will know the job is only half done – maybe not even half done, if you consider the enormity of the task that is beating the All Blacks at Eden Park.
Then there’s the prospect of facing a wounded All Blacks side. Never mind the records and all that business, the thing that might just be grating the All Blacks the most is the fact that they are currently playing well short of their best. They had won games against Argentina and South Africa, almost despite this, but when expected to ‘bring it’ on Saturday night, they were found wanting.
It’s hard to see the All Blacks producing another sub-par performance, but in reality they’ve produced three on the trot in The Rugby Championship. Experience suggests that makes them more dangerous.
The bigger question for the Wallabies this week and beyond is just what to do about their halves.
Nick Phipps was very good against South Africa in Brisbane, and again against Argentina in Mendoza. He didn’t have the best night in Sydney, and was rightly hooked after being sent to the naughty chair in the 53rd minute.
Nic White went on and promptly played the best 17 minutes of his Wallabies career.
53 sub-par minutes doesn’t completely cancel out two very good games though, and suggestions since Saturday night that Phipps should never pull on Wallabies gold again are as big an over-reaction as Michael Clarke retiring after the Ashes series loss.
The Bernard Foley conundrum isn’t so clear though. He didn’t play in Brisbane, was okay in Mendoza, but was found wanting in Sydney.
The point here is that Phipps and Foley contributed to each other’s night to forget.
For instance, what came first, Phipps’ erratic delivery, or Foley’s extraordinary depth in the pocket? The answer is actually the latter, and Foley’s depth only increased as the game went on. Within the first minute of play, after the Wallabies regained the ball from the All Blacks’ mistake from the kickoff, Foley was already standing six and seven metres behind the ruck.
The third pass he received from Phipps – around 40 seconds in – was just in front of the New Zealand 10m line, but Phipps was standing on the faded NRL 30m line when he let it go. Factor in angle and width, and we’re already talking passes pushing 20 metres in length. The Wallabies were already losing the gain line in chunks of metres.
As the game went on, and the midfield organisation evaporated, Phipps was being asked to pass further and further, and this is where his accuracy started failing him.
Three obvious examples stick out:
I could point out mitigating circumstances in all three, but it won’t change what happened on the night.
Regardless, for most of the time they were on, it looked to me as though Foley was always stationed on the end of the Phipps’ range. If you’re being asked to throw passes to the limit of your length for 50 minutes against the best team in the world, who are themselves frustrated and trying to get back into the game, accuracy will suffer. So passes went high, and passes bounced, and passes missed their mark.
And because he couldn’t trust the service, Foley had to give himself more room.
Phipps’ execution let him down; of course it did, but Foley didn’t help the situation. That’s not to excuse Phipps, just to examine why someone who played well in previous games suddenly wasn’t.
But Foley wasn’t helping himself much either. As the game went on, and it became clear the All Blacks were there for the taking, the Wallabies needed their flyhalf to step up and guide them. But for far too much of the time he was on, Foley played way too laterally. He was already too deep, and his sideways instincts meant the Wallabies weren’t making the advantage line and were essentially being herded toward touch. Foley would force Giteau sideways, and outside backs had nowhere to go.
Worse than that, the forward runners had no clear direction, no real idea except to charge into the defence and hope someone was behind them.
In the first 90 seconds Matt Toomua had the ball in his hands, the Wallabies played flatter, the forwards were organised into pods inside and outside, and with similar options around Giteau wider out.
They made 35 metres in 11 phases from the lineout just inside New Zealand territory, well into the All Blacks’ 22m, before Phipps and Michael Hooper tangled themselves and conceded a penalty for obstruction.
From that point, the Wallabies had direction, and despite Phipps’ stupidity shortly after, it felt like the Wallabies were not just going forward, but asking questions.
White went on after Phipps’ timeout expired, nailed a 48-metre penalty goal, and his confidence only grew from there. When Read charged up out of the line in the 72nd minute, White took the invitation to step back inside for the match-winning try.
So what does Michael Cheika do for Eden Park?
Certainly, the evidence gathered over the three games tells us that Toomua has to start somewhere, and on Saturday’s effort, probably flyhalf.
But did White do enough to start? I’m not so sure on this one. Phipps had an off night, for sure, but his Brisbane and Mendoza games should give him some credit, and a chance to prove Saturday night was a one-off.
Where Foley and Quade Cooper fit into the puzzle from here on is anyone’s guess.
Paulo
Roar Rookie
Brady, no facts have been pointed out, just opinions with which I disagree. I watched those games, thought Cooper did ok for someone coming back from injury and without game time. Foley had good games for the Tahs in the period. Cooper then had two chance at test level, did poorly (very poorly) on both occasions. To the point where he didn't even make the 23 for this game. Sad, if he had showed promise, he'd be my favorite. Foley played well in both prior games, was below par on this one. But not to the point of being thrown out of the team. There are other options, Cheika needs to test them and then we'll have a real scenario to analyse.
Paulo
Roar Rookie
With you on that, bennalong. The article was good and balanced, the comments read more like fans of this or that player pushing the agenda to have their favorite picked. Phipps and Foley were below par this game, but nowhere as bad as the casandras make it out to be, facing the strongest opposition there is, and we win it. Room for improvement? Yes. The sky is falling? No.
IFeelLikeImTakingCrazyPills
Guest
Spot on. As an old half back I couldn't agree more. The thing is this isn't an isolated "off day" for Phipps. Throughout the Super Rugby season there were numerous occasions where he would throw passes to no-one (the most glaring example being the first pass in the Semi against The Highlanders) and in general his passing seemed to go from bad to worse throughout the season. Regardless of where Foley stands or how he communicates a half backs number one job is passing consistently well and I don't think Phipps has done this at all this year. Furthermore he has little to no kicking or running game and his defence which I think was the key strength of his game in 2014 (when I thought he was the No.1 Half) has also been fairly inconsistent with numerous tackles being misjudged or just ineffective. To be frankly honest on Super Rugby form Phipps would have been my 4th pick halfback at best this year. White deserves a chance to start at 9 with Toomua at 10 and Giteau (or CLL) at 12... or Cooper at 10 and Toomua at 12 (if Giteau is rested). I think CLL deserves a chance at 12 off the bench at the very least but this seems unlikely for some reason which I can only put down to Cheika playing favourites with Beale but I continue to be happily surprised by Cheika's changing selection policy and I really do hope CLL gets a chance to prove himself as everyone else has. In any event - Go Wallabies! We need this...
boonzie
Guest
Nice article. I've watched the game a few times and also noticed foley standing far too back. Phibbs was looking for him in his normal spot and he just wasn't there... For me toomua to start and foley to the bench and if doesn't impact off the bench then Cooper in for foley on the bench. Phibbs should get another start as white is also prone to 'not his best game' syndrome.
Brady
Guest
I agree - about the mobile thing. As for the rest well...are you still saying Cooper hasn't played a good game this year or have we changed because facts have been pointed out Good and dependable certainly describes Foley's game last Saturday. Actually no it doesn't. It describes the best game he's ever had for the wallabies. Face it, he isn't up to that level and how I wish he was. Toomua has proven he is the king right now and Cooper hasn't been given any where near the chances Foley has to prove his worth. Throw Cooper into the deep end and if he doesn't perfom, just as Foley hasn't, take them both out of the equation.
Paulo
Roar Rookie
Actually had the curiosity to go and look. There is one for Cooper specifically, but Foley is present in various Wallabies highlights (and has one for the Tahs). As I mentioned above, Cooper is the star between the two, but has lost his mojo and realistically it's too late to risk hoping he'll get it back.
Paulo
Roar Rookie
Agenda? Is it me that has an agenda, or you? I watched that Reds game. It was great seeing a good player come back and fill a gap in the team. Didn't think the performance was exceptional, just so much better than those filling in for him. I'm actually a Cooper fan, and think that out of all the FH we currently have, he's the only one who could be a game changer. But reality is that he lost it a few years ago, cracked under pressure, and his injuries have denied him the opportunity to have a good run to gain it back again. Problem is that we are two games away from the WC and his head is still out there (as the Twitter case demonstrated), trying too hard but getting no results, getting frustrated. We can't take someone to the WC hoping he'll come good, it's just too late. He desperately needs an opportunity to get it back together, but its not the WC that will do it, could even make it worst. Gits also lost it (for different reasons) before moving to Europe, it has been great seeing him playing to his potential again. If he was a few years younger, the shirt would be his, hands down. Foley is nowhere as bad as you make him to be, just doesn't have the same star quality as Cooper. He is good and dependable, great to have in the squad depending on the game plan. Tomua might be a better choice, but that's still to be proven. He also isn't a star, just very good and might be a better fit in terms of playing style than Foley. Cheika needs to test them (which would rule out giving Cooper yet another chance). [boy, it's a pain finding the thread points on a mobile!]
bear54
When you know a guy is a poor tackler you send more traffic in his direction don't you? I was a big fan of Cooper before the last WC but then he melted when the pressure was on him. Since then he seems like he's trying to hard to throw miracle passes and pull off amazing plays. Until he cuts that out of his game I'll take the safer option of Foley and Toomua thanks.
Realist
Guest
Phipps passing was simply terrible. You highlight 3 obviously poor passes but he threw just as many shockers at Foley's head. The amount of times the backs had to adjust themselves to catch Phipps passes was simply not acceptable.
Redsback
Guest
By making the comment that I think Phipps' pass is the worst, I'm not suggesting he is the worst halfback (I think he is the most limited of the three, but that is a separate issue). Genia clearly has the longest range and the greatest variety in his passing. His problem is that he doesn't race to the breakdown like Phipps and when he gets there, he often meercats, checks out the opposition, has a look at his options and then everyone is set and it cuts the chances of even making the gain line, let alone making a break. He is at his best when he just plays on instinct and makes split second decisions, because it means he is almost as fast as Phipps. Phipps is fast, but perhaps too fast on occasions. He was too fast for his 10s to get set on a couple of occasions on Saturday, but he passed to them anyway. So, on reflection, we were all probably a bit hard on him because of a bit of laziness from Foley and, on one or two occasions, Giteau. He looked much better with Toomua on, playing flat. That said, his passing is horrible. You wouldn't have heard it in Australia, but I had the rare privilege* of getting the Australian Fox Sports commentary overseas on the weekend and at half time, when Australia was clearly at a break, Kearns and Greg Clarke were hammering Phipps while having a chat not into their microphones. It was hilarious and honest. He was horrendous on the weekend. One of the worst performances I have ever seen by a halfback. White is a different case. I think he could be the best of the three. His pass is probably faster than Genia's and has a similar range, but he doesn't have his variety. He has the best kick of the three and he can kick goals. With his kicking game, I think he would be the ultimate halfback for a world cup in the UK. His problem, as we saw against the ABs in Brisbane last year, is game management. Clearly he has learnt from that and his time on the park on the weekend was faultless. It was an impeccable performance. Clearly superior to Phipps in every aspect and he deserves his chance to start. If he gets his game manegment right, as he did on the weekend, he will be very tough for Genia to remove when he is back to full fitness. *It's a privilege to get them when you only hear them on rare occasions and what better occasion to have biased commentary than when beating up the ABs?
bennalong
Guest
As previously pointed out, the halves on both sides faired poorly, with the most obvious reason being Barnes's failure to police the offside rule. Smith and Carter were both pretty bad. or appeared so. I thought Toomua and White were great as finishers, but they played to a game plan that was entirely different to the one employed by Phipps and Foley, so, as with the scrums, it's hard to be accurate making comparisons. But you blokes won't let it stop you. You still think you're better than Chieks
Moreton Bait
Roar Pro
Just wanted to drop in to congratulate you Brett on an excellent article. Thoughtful, well-written, analytically perceptive. I fumed about Phipps and Foley throughout the match, when watching live. After re-watching the game I actually thought Phipps' core job skills, speed to breakdown and clearances, were not too bad. Foley's positioning for me revealed his limitations at this level and perhaps lack of confidence. Something for him to work on. Phipps to start again. Toomua to 10, probably. White and Lealiifano on bench.
bennalong
Guest
Sorry, I don't get it. If Phipps and Foley were so bad, how in the hell did we beat New Zealand?
Handles
Roar Guru
(Cooper) has never performed against NZ? Here is his last game, as written up by noted Cooper fan-boy, David Lord! http://www.theroar.com.au/2013/10/20/cooper-quietens-dunedin-crowd-despite-wallaby-loss/ He was also playing 10 in the victories in Hong Kong in 2010 and Brisbane in 2011. I suspect his record against NZ would stand comparison with any other 10 in the modern era. By all means knock him, but there is no need to make stuff up.
HiKa
Roar Rookie
That makes sense to me. But be warned. You are now in bad company. ;)
Ian
Guest
If tooma is the best 12 in oz pick him at 12. If cooper is the best 10 pick him at 10 and then white and you have your kicker.
Tricky
Guest
Phipps has had a sub-par pass for his entire career. He has shown improvement in this area this year, but is still well below the standard of a test playing half back. But, in response to your question, I cannot imagine how White could have played any better when he came on. And I cannot imagine how Phipps could have played any worse. The necessity of change is patently obvious. Though I am personally of the view that Genia is the only world class half-back we have in Australia (at the present), I can't imagine why anyone would select Phipps over White. Rugby can, at times, be simple. Half backs must have a good pass. That is their primary role. Phipps does not have a good pass by any stretch of the imagination. The last game proved (once again) that Phipps' strengths on the field do not outweigh his negatives.
Alex Wood
Roar Guru
Brett, thank you for a fresh perspective on the Foley/Phipps saga from Saturday. My gut told me Phipps has earned another shot at 9, but questioned whether Foley could hold out Toomua any longer (my article going live tomorrow ponders this exact point) and your explanation adds technical horsepower to what I can only call a hunch. Really enjoyable, thanks again.
soapit
Guest
that would be fine normally but we dont really have to much more time to try things that dont seem to be working before the wc
Damo
Guest
I think the wallabies coach should keep the same team as last week.Definitly the front row. Then that way the all blacks can really show what they are made of this weekend. If the all blacks win which I think they will, You can't say it was because of a under strength wallabie team.