The relief on Michael Cheika’s face was palpable after the Wallabies’ 23-17 win over the Springboks at Suncorp last night.
It was the Wallabies first success after six successive losses since the Rugby World Cup final over ten months ago.
Make no mistake, it was far from a perfect performance, but the commitment was there, with pride restored in the gold jersey.
That’s a damn good start.
The 80 minutes were best described in the Wallabies’ favour in a two-tries apiece game.
The Boks’ two five-pointers were gift-wrapped by the Wallabies, the first from a Wallaby turnover inside two minutes and the second an Adriaan Strauss intercept from a Bernard Foley pass.
In contrast, the Wallabies earned both their tries with Will Genia’s vision finding behemoth lock Adam Coleman swanning on the wing with a lob pass, and Foley finished off a sustained 18-phase Wallaby attack late in the game.
But the Wallabies let six tries go begging, and that’s not acceptable.
Especially centre Samu Kerevi who made a stunning burst down the left touchline, carrying the ball under his right arm.
Fundamentally wrong as any 10-year-old will tell you.
Springbok fullback Johan Goosen cleaned up Kerevi in-goal, but if the Wallaby had the ball tucked under his left arm, the try was unstoppable,
On the credit side both the Wallaby lineout and scrum were vast improvements.
The Wallabies won 13 of their 14 feeds, the one lost was lack of ball control that fell into welcome Springbok hands.
Importantly, the more experienced Wallabies who were under the pump – skipper Stephen Moore, prop Sekope Kepu, flanker Dean Mumm, and Foley all had their best games of the year.
Halfback Will Genia had a lot to do with that, quickly and accurately clearing possession and setting his backline moving who were positive and keen to move forward.
But keeping bench half Nick Phipps out of the game altogether made all the difference.
Genia was my man of the match, and the fact Kane Douglas and Coleman were the first lock combination in seven games to enjoy successive starts.
On the debit side, classy fullback Israel Folau is shamefully under-used, his talent wasted.
I’d like to see him trailing Quade Cooper as David Campese did with mercurial Mark Ella whose half-breaks in the 1980s often sent Campese flying through a crack in the defence, and he was gone.
With Folau and Cooper, the result could be the same to win many internationals.
Next up the Pumas in Perth on Saturday which could well prove tougher than the Boks.
But with the passengers now playing like internationals again, the Wallabies should, and must, win.
Bfc
Guest
I wonder what the social media pundits would have said if QC threw two 'intercepted passes'....? And IMHO, Foley was too slow to react when Pocock broke from the scrum...a genuine winger would have been in position to catch the pass....and the Wallas would have been breaking away....
Handles
Guest
62.5% and 35.5%. 2% was the wind.
kombiutedriver
Guest
That's what I texted to a mate at the game!
MA
Guest
Both were thrown by Foley both intercepted by Strauss.
Kirky
Roar Rookie
Haser!! I enjoy my time here on this very good rugby blog site and I get a great sense of satisfaction interacting with the various like minded rugby loving individuals, ~ just because and if a couple of disaffected types on here don't like the way I come across, ~ then those said disaffected types need to get a life as this is after all just a Rugby Forum. no more, no less. If you consider me as being on an ego trip, well "may the old Fulla' upstairs" bless you sunshine,! you are entitled to your opinion! I was not taking the ''mickey'' out of Bloggers Ron or Whakaata at all, I don't know them, have never come across them so they are to me just ''Bloggers" no less, like you and everyone else, ~ but if they choose to misconstrue any posts I may put on here then they have a problem not me. Furthermore, I don't put any postings on here to impress anybody, you or anyone else, ~ but I was labelled by this guy/girl ''Ron'' as an upstart and at the end of his attempt to scold me for being a naughty old thing he suggests that I "have no need to reply" and that to me was never going to happen. So I pretty much set out in that "blog" last night with just a few facts implying that, I am not ,nor hopefully, do I come across as the most knowledgeable dude on here. but just a Blogger like everyone else who puts a fair amount of time into all things rugby, and who just 'replies' or puts in a simple message as we all do, so you can be assured that I certainly wasn't trying to impress you or anyone else, I was simply stating a few facts after being called an ''Upstart" by someone who misconstrued my post in question! If any Posts I put on the Roar (remembering of course that all posts are up for moderation) ~ offend you or anyone else, well I apologise for that but offending has never ever been my intention in all the many years I've ''blogged'' on rugby sites all around this rugby World we thrive in! last from me on this topic, let the game go on!
Jokerman
Guest
You need to find that station, the one you can't quite find. It could be a portal for you, but your mind stops you.
Woodsman
Guest
You can see Pocock look right he breaks, clearly spotting Foley outside him but for whatever reason Foley just didn't follow. I'm going to lay blame at 51% Foley, 49% Pocock.
Woodsman
Guest
What are you on about? Moore annoys refs but last night he mostly kept quiet until it mattered and stayed in the referee's good books. Nothing to be lynched over in saying that.
Mick Gold Coast QLD
Roar Guru
Virtuoso stuff Jerry, well done.
Jokerman
Guest
And you clearly don't know the difference between, an opinion, a fact and the truth.
Train Without A Station
Roar Guru
But we don't go around crowing about it. That's the point.
Porkie
Guest
Who needs humility, you guys don't dont seem to have mch of that for the ABs or kiwi rugby for that matter, not that they give a poooop
Porkie
Guest
Mabey that's the problem with Aus rugby mick, you call it a good solid test victory? Well geez mate I if cheika and his cronies think that than there is no hope for Aussie rugby
connor33
Guest
Carlos didn't score that game, nor did he make 5/5. Foley was AU's second highest tackler on the weekend. And when I think about it: Carlos didn't win that game either. I'd also like to see how many rucks he hit. WIth Giteau gone, there is now room for both Foley and Cooper. I don't know why you have a beef with Foley.
Train Without A Station
Roar Guru
IF the wallabies won 9 out of 12 games in 2004. Hardly declined substantially. They had one poor season in 2005 when there were significant injuries and much less alternatives to choose with only 3 teams.
Haser
Guest
You really do come across as a bit of an ego trip Kirky. You don\t impress me with your self proclaimed expertise and you clearly aren't impressing a few others either.
Jerry
Guest
To be honest, I wasn't really commenting on the Aus performance there, I just noticed a bit of irony in Lord's 'one swallow doesn't make a summer' comment given the central theory of the article. That said, I wouldn't describe Aus win as particularly good or solid. They had some nice moments, but I saw a side struggling to put away an extremely limited Bok side that - after the early tries - didn't really offer anything on offence. This wasn't a side grinding out a tough win for me, this was a side kicking the ball back to the opposition or throwing passes into touch in their own 22 late in the game. It wasn't "Who wants it most" it was "Who is less bad on the day". Sorry.
Shop
Roar Guru
threw, not through.
Bakkies
Guest
He should be expecting anyone to pass to him on the run in the 22. It's why the Wallabies are struggling to score tries in this competition.
Bakkies
Guest
'Plus we gifted them 7 points.' Don't you mean 14 points. Goosen should have taken the kick that Jantjies missed after Folau's late hit 'Wallabies could easily have been awarded two more tries with both the Kerevi and Sio situations being 50/50 calls,' Kerevi made it a 50/50 by carrying the ball under the wrong arm.