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Australia have continued their unbeaten streak at the Rugby World Cup against Uruguay, but with plenty more at stake for the Aussies than victory against a minnow.
There were good performances, okay performances, and performances that probably won’t do some players too many favours if they want to play in this tournament again.
Let’s examine five of the big talking points to come from the game.
>> NO ONE DOES ENOUGH TO FORCE INTO WALLABIES ‘A’ TEAM
>> WALLABIES VS URUGUAY LIVE BLOG
>> WALLABIES VS URUGUAY MATCH REPORT
Will Skelton – is he okay?
The most worrying thing for the Wallabies was not the amount of dropped ball, nor the poor decisions that were made in contact in trying to offload.
Nope – Will Skelton coming off with his arm suspended in his jersey was the worst thing to come out of the game.
Whatever you think of big Will, he certainly adds a different dimension to the Wallabies with his aggression and sheer size.
He single handedly destroyed at least two of Uruguay’s mauls that were looking threatening, and got Australia the ball back.
It could be an asset in future games.
But it all rests on how bad his shoulder turns out to be.
James Horwill is on standby in England, and while some might say it would be fitting to see him play a game in the World Cup, injuries aren’t something you wish on anyone.
Hopefully for the Wallabies’ sake it’s not too bad.
(NOTE: Wycliff Palu was also injured, leaving the field at half time. Let’s hope he’s okay too!)
The Wallabies’ discipline needs plenty of work
Seven.
That’s the number of penalties conceded in the first half of this game.
After seeing Dan Biggar and Owen Farrell pot every single thing within 50 metres of the goalposts, the Wallabies will know conceding penalties is not something they can afford to do against Wales and England.
You felt like they got a rougher end of the stick than they perhaps deserved, but it’s a good tune-up for what will be a tough two games to come.
Discipline. Discipline. Discipline. Particularly in their defensive half.
Quade Cooper’s yellow card – how soft was it?
Quade Cooper was sent from the field in the 15th minute of the match after a high tackle. It may have been slightly high – but only very slightly.
There was also an ugly-looking fling to the ground, which probably exacerbated the issues in the eyes of the TMO and referee Pascal Gauzere.
But, there’s no way that if Cooper does that against New Zealand in the World Cup final or semi final he gets sent from the field.
It was an innocuous penalty – nothing more.
In many cases it would simply go ignored by the officials.
It was a rough act. Rugby’s a rough game. Get on with it, and don’t give that a yellow card next time.
UPDATE: Wallabies to appeal Cooper yellow card
How negative can you really be after a thrashing?
Fox Sports commentator Rod Kafer was fairly blunt in his assessment of the game as soon as referee blew the whistle to signal the end of the game.
“Sloppy”
It’s the biggest win of the tournament so far, achieved by very much the second XV of the Wallabies, some of whom haven’t played in several weeks.
Was it really that sloppy? There were several examples of the Wallabies pushing passes where they didn’t need to, and some discipline issues, but overall it’s hard for me to feel that strongly about this game, either way.
I’m not sure about you, but they won, and won well; they sorted a few issues out in terms of selection, and that’s all that really matters.
Does Matt Giteau goal kick against England?
Bernard Foley had first bite of the apple against Fiji.
Quade Cooper had 11 shots at goal against Uruguay, and was successful in five, albeit the six he missed being far from sitters.
The only other man in the Australian squad who could kick for goal is Giteau, so do you give him the next go, assuming he will play? Or is Bernard Foley cemented as the starting flyhalf and goalkicker?
If nothing else, testing Giteau’s kicking opens up a bunch of options for Michael Cheika, given some of Cooper’s passing and squaring the attack today, and Matt Toomua’s straightening of the line and hard-hitting defence.
Australia have three quality flyhalf options, but goalkicking is a sticking point.
Those are my talking points for the Wallabies in their game against Uruguay. What are yours, Roarers?
Join The Roar rugby editor Christy Doran, former Wallaby Matt Toomua and a cast of regular and special guests as they look at the biggest issues in the game on The Roar Rugby Podcast. If you’re looking for great odds on the next game check out Aussie bookmaker PlayUp. Chances are you’re about to lose. Set a deposit limit.