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Australia’s victory over England was a fine performance. Their attack was patient, composed and most importantly direct, and while there were some alignment issues, the defence bent but didn’t break.
Bernard Foley delivered his best match in a gold jersey this year, and Kurtley Beale was solid off the bench, while the openside flanker combination of Michael Hooper and David Pocock allowed Australia to dominate the breakdown.
There only major concern was the halfbacks.
Coming into the World Cup, no. 9 was the position with the greatest question mark over it. Will Genia missed almost the entire Rugby Championship with a knee injury, Nick Phipps was average at best in the games he started, and Nic White looked great coming off the bench but struggled when given the chance to start against the All Blacks in Bledisloe 2.
After Robbie Deans’ blunder in 2011, Michael Cheika was never going to take three halfbacks to Great Britain – he would’ve picked a third hooker before a third halfback.
This caused quite the conundrum for Cheika. At his best, Genia is arguably the finest halfback in the world. He picks his times to run, he’s quick to the breakdown, and delivers crisp service to his receivers.
Unfortunately he hasn’t been at his best since 2012. A series of injuries has limited his minutes over the last few years and he has struggled in a woeful Queensland Reds side.
His decision-making was the first thing to go; trying to spark the Reds attack he began darting out from the base of the ruck too frequently. Battling leg injuries he didn’t have the speed that allowed him to set up the match-winning try in the 2011 Super Rugby final. Defences were able to shut him down, especially as they came to expect his runs.
As his confidence deteriorated, his decision-making worsened. He chose to box kick far too frequently, often when his team was in a position to attack, and his the kicks were usually poor.
As a result, Genia ceased not only being the best halfback in the world, but in Australia as well.
Phipps made his Wallabies debut against Samoa in 2011, after a couple of years playing sevens. It was just his first year back in the 15-man version, and while he clearly had potential and was playing well for the Rebels in Super Rugby, he wasn’t yet Test calibre.
Over the coming few years Phipps developed into an alert and aware halfback, and fuelling his development was an intense competition with White. The two constantly battled it out for the Wallabies starting spot in Genia’s absence, and both are better players as a result. However both players still have their flaws.
White loves his box kicks, but they are often poor, and even when they are executed well there are times when his team would have been better off keeping the ball in hand and attacking.
Phipps meanwhile is too slow to the breakdown, and by the time he gets to there he doesn’t have time to set his feet and compose himself before passing – he just picks it up and passes, often without looking. As a result his passes are often wayward; too high, too low, not out in front, to nobody. And in a worrying trend, it’s worsened over the past six months.
After a few disappointing seasons, Genia is finally getting back to his best form. He is not there yet but he’s definitely playing better than in the last two years. His decision-making is starting to improve and he is picking his moments more wisely. By running the ball less, defences are no longer expecting it and waiting for him. The space is starting to open up. His passing is very good again – very few passes against England didn’t find the mark.
Some concerns do linger however. His decisions can still be poor – running down a metre-wide blindside against England was not the right call. Even with no defenders around, there just wasn’t enough room. Unsurprisingly, the Wallabies turned the ball over.
Additionally, Genia’s box kicks are still not up to scratch – he had two charged down against England, and another one that was of average execution but a terrible option.
Overall, however, the Wallabies are pretty set with Genia as their starting halfback. He won’t cost them any matches, and when he’s brilliant he is the game breaker Australia needs.
The concerns arise when Genia comes off. Phipps replaced Genia in the 61st minute against England and the difference was immediately noticeable. In his first five minutes on the field he had two wayward passes, and the ball knocked out of his hands. He came on looking like the Energizer Bunny – running around, sprinting from ruck to ruck, looking to go, go, go.
But on the attack, up by 10, the Wallabies needed to be slow and patient. They needed to play for the penalty, and if that didn’t come eventually England would have opened up and allowed the try. It happened in the first half, it was going to happen again.
Phipps did not recognise this. I don’t know if he was told to play up-tempo footy from Michael Cheika, but even if he did that doesn’t mean you can be reckless.
Phipps sprinted to the base of the ruck, desperate to get the ball out and play, but his teammates weren’t ready. After a series of quick rucks the attack had lost its structure and was disorganised.
The Springboks have a system where after four plays they slow and reorganise if it’s clear nothing is happening. This is what Phipps needed to do – pause and wait for his teammates to get into position. Instead, he picked the ball up and passed to no one. Twice.
If Phipps is forced to play extended minutes at this World Cup, the Wallabies won’t win it – not the way he is playing.
Given Cheika likes to use his subs as finishers, this could spell danger for Australia over the coming weeks.
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.