If there’s one thing the Wallabies have managed to do well in recent seasons, it’s frustrate the hell out of rugby fans with their inability to string together anything even remotely resembling consistent performances.
At different times this season, the Wallabies have looked very good in attack. They’ve dominated the breakdown contest. They’ve been rock solid in the scrum and accurate in the lineout. Their defence has been excellent.
Unfortunately, the key words there are ‘at different times’. None of those events have happened in unison, nor across an 80-minute performance. The best we’ve endured has been a couple of those aspects, and only for periods within a game.
People look at empty seats and fall into their favourite stereotypes to take pot-shots at the host city, but the reality is, why would anyone hand over their hard-earned for the privilege of watching a performance lottery that will almost certainly bear no resemblance to the week before?
So it was forehead-into-the-wall time during the first half on Saturday night, when the Wallabies decided that one-out runners and trucking it up was going to be the way to beat Argentina. There was no urgency to support the ball carrier, and no second thought from the ball carrier to look for an offload, let alone get an arm free to see it was even possible.
It was as much through luck as it was good management that Australia managed to hold possession, because yet again, there wasn’t a great deal of urgency at the attacking breakdown. And whenever the Pumas did get the ball, they immediately looked dangerous simply because they were aware of the concept of second-phase play.
It was infuriating, and for numerous reasons.
Firstly, the Wallabies had already proven to themselves – in this very tournament, this very season – that supporting the ball-runner and looking for offloads was effective against even the best defences in the game. They did that against New Zealand in Dunedin (but certainly not Sydney), and they did it against South Africa in Perth last weekend.
But not in Canberra – at least not for most of the first half, bar the build-up to Israel Folau’s first try, when Sean McMahon and Bernard Foley combined and offloaded well to create the space for Folau on the right wing.
Secondly, this is infuriating because we say the same thing about the Wallabies a couple of times a year. How is it even possible for a team to forget about an aspect of their game that had been working well?
And it’s not just a Wallabies thing, even; this is an ingrained deficiency in all Australian teams at the professional level, something that flies in the face of this supposed ‘Australian way’ of playing rugby that every coach seems to want to follow, but few actually do with any consistency.
(Photo by Scott Barbour/Getty Images)
Here’s something I wrote last July, on the occasion of all five Australian Super Rugby sides losing on the same weekend for the first time ever:
“One common element in the five Australian losses, was a chronic lack of second-phase play. Offloads were occasional events, rather than distinct plans, as the Australian players across the weekend hit the ball up directly into defensive walls with no real intent to look sideways.
“If that sounds familiar, it’s because it is. I’ve essentially summarised the Wallabies’ game plan for the first and third Tests against England last month. Despite enjoying upwards of 70 per cent of possession at times in both Tests, the Wallabies continued their ultimately futile attempts at blasting their way through the England defence.”
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What’s curious about all this is that the offload and second-phase are vital for teams in the NRC, and by and large, all teams use them well. It would seem the offload is either coached out of players at Super Rugby and international level, which makes no sense, or the players themselves forget about having the ability, which makes even less sense.
Regardless, it was good to see the Wallabies found the missing urgency that Michael Cheika alluded to after the match, and they properly put the Pumas away in a second-half performance that belied the first.
Cheika is annoyed about this himself, which is at least something. He said post-match he didn’t need to give them a rocket at halftime, because they were doing it themselves by the time he got down to the dressing room.
“I know that we can do that. I’d like to see it every week; that consistency,” he said.
We’d all like to see it, Michael.
The problem now is how to get that message to sink in. There can’t be further repeats of unurgent starts to Tests, and a complete lack of second phase. It’s not good enough, and it certainly doesn’t draw people to the game, as we’re seeing all too often.
My hope is that in 12 months’ time, I won’t be again looking back at this article as precedent for a chronic issue that still plagues the Wallabies and Australian rugby in general. My fear, worryingly, is that I will.
double agent
Guest
Remember the stadium was reconfigured and capacity reduced.
double agent
Guest
Apart from Kerevi I can't see any that are contenders for starting positions. Moore should be in the stands.
double agent
Guest
Start at $25. Loads more to get a decent seat amongst the other 12,000 spectators.
double agent
Guest
Good post Luke.
Drongo
Guest
Fox, you are a genius at focusing on the most negative facts available and promoting the least generous view of Australian rugby. Then, almost in the same breath, you can paint the most beautiful picture for the All Blacks. No mention that the Wallabies actually beat them in two consecutive halves of rugby and very nearly beat them outright at home. I am use to Kiwi supporters being extremely biased and negative against Australia but you manage to take it to new heights. Congratulations mate, what an achievement to be proud of. The Wallabies are ranked 5 and they just drew with the Boks ranked 3. They very nearly defeated the ABs at home, ranked 1. I think 5 is about right so it is no real surprise that they have struggled to beat teams ranked above that and have been successful against teams ranked lower than that. Maybe you are not such a genius after all?
DaniE
Roar Guru
You gotta find a rugby you enjoy DavSA. I've done that with club rugby, women's rugby and even wheelchair rugby this year. I will always love the Wallabies but it's been frustrating and so I'm feeding my rugby appetite from other sources as well. And point taken on the cricket team... I shall persevere.
Ballymore Brumby
Roar Pro
I paid $101 on the Friday (about $110 once you factor in all the Ticktek surcharges), however when the tickets first went on sale, they were about $20 dearer - and that was with Reds members pre-sale access (interstingly the Brumbies didn't send me anything for a pre-sale...). Compared to comparitive seats in Sydney/BNE it was cheaper, but in the context of it the stadium, opposition, the ARU's "Crisis, what Crisis?" mentality, very little advertising and buzz about it around town, it's not surprising that the crowd was split that way. Another factor was that many of those bays weren't available for booking tickets at any point, and those ones were completely empty on the night. I looked at quite different times and the organisers were very keen to fill the ends and both sides - makes sense as this is where the tv cameras will be looking most of the time - its a bad look when there's nobody seated behind the line out throw...
Neil Back
Roar Rookie
Obviously. But there are always degrees. This one just seems quite a few degrees higher in certain things.
Muzzo
Guest
Hey Chook, did you also compare the prices of what was charged in Dunedin, & what the Australian legs of the Bledisloe, are, or have been charging? Remembering also that Forsyth Barr has only a crowd capacity of around 26,000, compared to the other venues. Still the NZRFU makes a profit. Cheers.
Drongo
Guest
Yeah, and it will be a happy crowd. Hey, Fox Moulder, are you going? Maybe we could meet for a beer?
Luke Ringland
Guest
All of this to me stems from a team that does not have good enough game management, and instead relies on dominance and confidence, which are of course Michael Cheika specials. All of our matches have followed a familiar pattern, where we have looked good only when on the front foot, with the opposition off their game somewhat. When we're not on the front foot we look very shaky. This has been the theme for the entirety of the Wallabies under Cheika, and dare I say the Waratahs as well. This is a problem. How a team performs whens things aren't going 100% will determine the outcome against most top teams. It is rare that a team will have a test where everything goes perfectly for a team throughout an entire match, and rarer still for that to repeat itself week in, week out. It is why, despite the hailing of the World Cup as a success, we almost got bundled out in the Quartre finals. From the outside looking in it is tough to know exactly what the issue is, but I can't help that it has something to do with the the coach, not to mention a captain who has essential come of age under that coach. This is a coach who relies on filling both players individually, and the team at large with confidence; he pumps them up. He's clearly great at this, and it sometimes works. It almost gave Australia, in Dunedin this year, one our great test victories. But for me what is lacking is the quiet confidence of a team that knows it has the answers to what the opposition throughs at them, and not only that, multiple answers. If one thing isn't going well, there are gears to be changed into, the very presence of which give the team that quiet and ruthless edge. I would say too, that this was an issue in the Robbie Deans era as well. Ewen Mckensie was a different sort of coach, and it was a shame he wasn't able to have more time, and more support. But his results spoke to a different sort of problem, man management, which more than anything may speak to a cultural issue in Australian rugby at the top level as compared with NZ (another comment entirely perhaps). Perhaps it is the combination of a Ewen Mckensie type, and a Michael Cheika type, that makes a great coaching team. Perhaps Daryl Gibson was this foil for Cheika at the Waratahs. New Zealand have always had a coaching team, and when it wasn't a great team (e.g. John Mitchell and Deans), things went awry. Not throwing Graham Henry to the wolves after 07 was perhaps the gutsiest move by any sporting administration I can think of, and what a reward. Henry promised to learn from his mistakes, and he was given a chance. Perhaps this the lesson here for Australia. Perhaps we have no choice. But there is tremendous results ahead if Cheika can learn from his mistakes. and for this he may need help of an astute coaching brain. But where? Who?
Carlos the Argie
Roar Guru
There Pumas travelled from very far away to the match. From NZ.
DavSA
Guest
Ah Neil , every country in the worlds has its own patriotism's and feel good's . C"mon dude.
DavSA
Guest
DaniE , your post literally hit me between the eyes. These last few days I have got so messed up with anger and frustration regarding my own team ...actually let me be frank these last few years ..that I have sooo forgotten about really enjoying the game . ...I really did love watching rugby and your post has pushed me into re-thinking my own mindset . Thank you for that. And P.S . Your cricket team is on the verge of good things ...may I suggest re-connecting .
DavSA
Guest
Howzit Machooka , one of our most successful coaches in our rugby history , Nick Mallet got fired for saying just what you did .Tickets are too expensive ! A decent ticket to a test match in SA costs R1000.00 . That equates to almost 50% of the average household income . What this means in real terms is it is not a question of first come first served but rather first to afford first served. All this crap about making rugby available to the masses is just talk .. Oh crap ..I used the crap word ....again.
Taylorman
Guest
SBW and the haka...ha ha, nice, that must be fun for you ?
Jock Cornet
Guest
You kill your grassroots and local comps and you kill your crowds.
Fionn
Guest
'The wallabies though no longer represent the people but the corporate types.' You do understand that you just said that while making the argument that the ARU and Wallabies should ignore everywhere outside of Sydney and Brisbane. What a way to represent 'the people' and not just the corporate types more interested in earning money from selling more seats to tests.
Jock Cornet
Guest
Bs
Jock Cornet
Guest
4 our of 23 in the aus schoolboys. Love it from my old school.