If Australia are to win a third World Cup, they believe the role of their `finishers’ will be as vital as anything that happens in the opening sixty minutes of matches.
The Wallabies have announced themselves as a team to be feared over the past fortnight, with contrasting victories over England and Wales showcasing firstly their offensive prowess and then their defensive qualities.
But they feel it is the finishers – or the bench players who are injected into the contest for the final 20 minutes – who could make or break their World Cup hopes.
Against Wales, coach Michael Cheika cleared his bench to help solidify their courageous defensive effort, with the likes of back-rower Ben McCalman and backs Kurtley Beale and Matt Toomua coming up with crucial plays, while the front-row rotation also held firm.
As they move into the knock-out stages of the tournament, starting with Sunday’s quarter-final with Scotland at Twickenham, the Wallabies know the margins between winning and losing will narrow – making the finishing roles even more vital.
“I think those guys came off and our finishers who came on really solidified the performance and all those guys in difficult circumstances were outstanding,” defensive coach Nathan Grey said.
“It showed that, to be consistent in this tournament, you’ve got to rely on your 30-man squad.
“That’s going to be evident, moving through into the knock-out stages now.”
Cheika heaped praise on his bench following the Wales victory, where they defended with 13 men for seven minutes following the sin-binnings of Will Genia and Dean Mumm within three minutes of each other.
“They came in and were doing the work of one and a half men, each of them, to try and bring their freshness to the game,” Cheika said.
“They all came on pretty much in that chaotic period and really managed it very well.”
Champion flanker David Pocock, who remains in doubt for the Scotland game with a calf injury, agreed.
“That defensive effort, I’m really proud of the way the guys dug in there, got in the line,” he said.
“That’s all you can do when you’re down to 13 men, and then on the back of that we started to play a bit of rugby in the last five or 10 minutes once Kurtley and the reserves came on.
“That was probably the difference (against Wales), the way the reserves lifted, and against a quality team like Wales and that’s what you want.”
cs
Guest
we started to play a bit of rugby in the last five or 10 minutes once Kurtley and the reserves came on. NIce reference by the man to the Bealmiester.
Harry
Guest
Yep some amazing stuff from Cheika's "finishers" The front row of Slipper, TPN and Holmes is going great at the scrums in the last 15 minutes (after holding on with 7 only, they twice absolutely buried the Welsh scrum when back to 8 in the last 10 minutes), and TPN brings fantastic impact. McCalman was sensational on Saturday and will battle for a bench spot with Mumm and McMahon from here I'd imagine (assuming no repeat of not starting Simmons, he is needed from the get go to ensure a good lineout, and there is little difference between him and Mumm around the park - both playing at a level I and many others would not have believed possible 3 months ago). In the backs Kurtley Beale is a huge threat and even won a critical turnover penalty following AAC's great tackle!