'Run-on debut like no other': Junior Wallabies flyer announces himself to the world after stunning hat-trick
In 15 minutes, Tim Ryan didn’t just put a smile on Joe Schmidt’s face, he announced himself to the Australian public by scoring a…
Wallabies coach Michael Cheika says he has no plan to meet with referee Craig Joubert before the second Test despite being stung by a lop-sided penalty count in the series opener against England.
The Wallabies struggled with French referee Romain Poite’s interpretations at the scrum and the breakdown in Brisbane and were penalised 15 times to England’s eight, giving the tourists the platform to seal a 39-28 victory and take the series lead.
South African referee Joubert, who oversaw last year’s World Cup quarter-final between Australia and Scotland and the 2011 World Cup final, will officiate Saturday’s crucial clash at AAMI Park in Melbourne.
But Cheika won’t seek any clarification from him prior to the Test and will instead rely on Joubert – considered one of rugby’s top officials – to be on the lookout for what the coach described as England’s “niggle” tactics.
“I haven’t organised anything. I wasn’t sure. I didn’t actually know that that’s a given every Test match,” Cheika said.
“I don’t (meet with referees) very often so I wouldn’t know.”
It’s understood England coach Eddie Jones met with Poite prior to the first Test and will do so again with Joubert this week in Melbourne.
Joubert is already under pressure after former Wallaby figures Bob Dwyer and Phil Kearns claimed England prop Dan Cole used illegal scrum tactics to get on top in Brisbane.
Cheika reiterated his belief that his players weren’t assertive enough in the clinches at Suncorp Stadium and left too many decisions in Poite’s hands.
“That’s the way she rolls – some days you get the calls, sometimes you don’t,” he said.
“You’ve got to be better than relying on 50-50s. We got ourselves in the situation to rely on too many 50-50s because we weren’t saying, ‘this is what I’m going to do, this is how I’m going to do it and then we’ll see what happens after that’.
“We won’t make that mistake this week.
“We’ll be fully committed to what we’re doing and then we’ll see what happens.”
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.
In 15 minutes, Tim Ryan didn’t just put a smile on Joe Schmidt’s face, he announced himself to the Australian public by scoring a…
Written off ahead of the weekend in several quarters, the Crusaders have responded with full vengeance after smashing the fourth-placed Rebels 39-0 in an…
Ned Hanigan is one of the in-form forwards in Australian rugby who looks set to finally turn promise into quality on the international stage,…
As calls grow for the entire Rugby Australia board to be overthrown, new chairman Daniel Herbert described the agitators behind the movement as hypocrites…
Three things in the world of rugby have caught my eye this week, and got me thinking very hard about the way forward, and…
Amid a week of soul-searching for Stephen Larkham’s men, the Brumbies have received a massive boost ahead of Saturday’s home clash against the ladder-leading…