The Roar
The Roar

Advertisement

Australia vs Fiji: The Good, the Bad and the Ugly

23rd September, 2015
Advertisement
Michael Cheika and Stephen Moore will not win the grand slam this time around.
Expert
23rd September, 2015
81
5980 Reads

Finally Australian fans have something to cheer about, and Fijian fans whilst upset with their second loss will cheer the return to a more entertaining Fijian performance.

The Wallabies’ first half was fantastic, mixing a ‘have a go’ attitude with a healthy respect for their opposition and a disciplined game plan that matched.

The second half started the same way, but two things happened which meant Australia rightly took the win but without the bonus point they were after.

1. The Fijians decided to do what they didn’t against England. At 28–3 down they decided to have a go and use the ball. If they had done the same five days ago at Twickenham I expect the home team could have been in trouble.

2. The reserves fizzled more than finished. Now so used to our bench adding impact and outcomes, their inclusion lead to uncertainty and some unforced errors.

But a lot more went down than that, so let’s break it down in the Good, the Bad and the Ugly.

The Good

1. The Australian maul
Whether you like it or not, you have to admit that Australia’s maul is now a weapon. Whether they are driving for the line, or trying to take metres up field before releasing the backs, teams have to defend it or pay the price.

Advertisement

The big difference here is the mindset that players have to fight hard to keep shoulders and hips square. In mauls where players are side on or have their backs to the opposition, the ability to generate force is minimal.

Wallaby Maul 1

The current Wallaby mauls have all players except the jumper fighting to ‘square up’ – essentially turning it in to a scrum formation with Pocock controlling it at the back.

This means that even if the front guys get spun out, there are straight strong backs ready to surge forward behind them.

2. Australia’s wide–wide setup.
By making oppositions defend the full width of the field, as well as the ‘out the back plays’, this system puts huge pressure on the defence to make decisions.

Sekope Kepu’s try is a perfect example of how this system works, with Fijian Captain Akapusi Qera stuck in the almost impossible situation of having to mark both the forward threat (Stephen Moore) and the out the back option (Bernard Foley).

Wide - wide attack

Advertisement

Keps correctly spots the weakness and has the ball-carrying skill to take advantage of the space.

The more the Australians get comfortable with this pattern, the greater the dividends.

3. Seeing Fiji running with the ball again
Having known the temptation to try to add some structure to the Fijian game plan, it was fantastic to see them use that to create opportunities to play their natural game.

There is an intrinsic energy that enters a Fijian team when they run the ball, and despite the time of the game or the score line, when they play like this all 15 players turn up in droves, supporting and passing the ball like they were on the beaches of Nadronga.

This many bodies in motion are enough to sit any defence on their heels and the game comes alight. Watching Leone Nakawara and Ben Volavola take the lead last night brought this excitement into the game.

The Bad

1. The Wallaby penalty count
Whilst the Australian pressure at the breakdown was fantastic, the penalty count is cause for concern going forward.

Advertisement

By my count the Wallabies gave seven defensive breakdown penalties away, something they will have to watch against teams who will punish this ill-discipline. They also conceded a yellow card for repeated infringement in the dying stages of the game.

2. The yellow card call on Campese Ma’afu
As calls go this was the toughest I have seen this World Cup and had a major impact on the momentum of the game.

Yes, it disrupted Australia’s ball, but ever so slightly and not to the point that they weren’t able to continue with the attack.

What’s more, there had been no warning and to accuse poor Campese of cynical play would imply that he had any idea what he was doing, which would be hard given his head was on the ground on the other side of the ruck. A tough call on him that resulted in two tries in five minutes for the Wallabies.

The Ugly

1. The impact of the Australian bench
Now let me say that in recent years this performance would be a moot point, but we have come to expect so much of our finishers and this is the first time they have let us down.

In short, we had Holmes’ penalty for not rolling away, Phipps’ drop that lead to a Fiji lineout, the change of lineout caller from Simmons to Dean Mumm, and Mumm’s drop leading to three lost lineouts in a row, and Tatafu’s drop on a switch with Bernard Foley.

Advertisement

Collectively this switched the momentum of the game and gave Fiji a sniff. The lineout was of particular concern taking us from a try scoring opportunity back to Fiji attacking in our half.

2. Slipper’s head knock
Never something you want to see happen to any player and we wish him all the best, but what is more concerning for Australia is that it places additional pressure on our front row selections.

There can be no way he is available for the Uruguay game, forcing Sio to back up, the first sign of added strain in this contentious area of the squad.

Overall Australia will be much better for the run, and whilst they only took four points I’d have to agree with Moore in his after-match comments.

This tournament is about winning games not bonus points, and I saw enough in this game to suggest Australia will be doing more of that!

close