So thin they are, the margins at the top.
If the All Blacks score a late try this article spends most of its time teeing off at Bernard Foley’s goal kicking for costing the Wallabies the game for the umpteenth time, or asking what competition Stephen Moore won that entitles him to continue to accrue token Test caps despite being a complete liability.
But the All Blacks didn’t score the winning try at the end. The Wallabies won. The Wallabies went and bloody won it. So let’s celebrate that, it’s not often you beat the best team in the world at anything.
It’s been 805 days since we last beat the All Blacks and Lord knows we’ve earned the right to soak this one up.
Credit to Micheal Cheika, as bad as the Wallabies were in June, it takes some coach to take that team and have them beating the All Blacks by October. If Foley could kick straight they’d have beaten them in August.
(AAP Image/SNPA, Ross Setford)
Mention also for the backing Nathan Grey got from Cheika when the Wallabies were at their lowest ebb.
We all threw stones at Grey after the defensive debacle in Sydney, it’s only fair that we highlight how terrific the Wallabies were defensively in Brisbane. Only 11 missed tackles in 80 minutes of rugby against the weapons the All Blacks have at their disposal tells one story, but the other story was how organised it all looked. Gone was the panic and confusion, in their place was a calmness and understanding of individual roles.
Jack Dempsey was the correct choice for man of the match. The blindside flanker had a huge night. If he wasn’t the ball runner he was the support player. If he wasn’t making the tackle he seemed to be first in over the ball.
Greg Martin made the excellent point during commentary that as a defender you never get a shoulder on Dempsey. His footwork is terrific and it allows him to dodge big tackles which means more often than not he’d going forward, even while being dragged to ground.
A terrific shift and one that puts Dempsey in pole position for the 6 jersey for the European tour.
Players making jerseys their own is becoming a theme of this side. A very pleasing theme.
After several months of chopping and changing and Test rugby auditions, Cheika appears to have settled upon his favourites.
The back three have locked themselves down. Israel Folau did his usual thing of scoring a try and always beating the first man when running the ball but we expect that from him now. Marika Koroibete scored again, a real finisher’s finish in the corner. Reece Hodge scored again and nailed a crucial penalty goal late on.
(AAP Image/Dave Hunt)
Sean McMahon showed again how good he can be when he’s on. Adam Coleman was faultless once more. There is so much John Eales about Adam Coleman. Not just the playing ability but the aura of calmness that seems to float around him. Coleman will be one of the all time Wallaby greats by the time he’s done.
It can’t be understated how much belief this young Wallabies squad will take from the result in Brisbane. The Wallabies have at times been on the nose for their steadfast belief in their own methods, often unwilling to even entertain the idea of abandoning the game plan. This result will only serve to strengthen that resolve, but as long as they are winning, that is seen as an admirable trait.
Take, for instance, the two penalties in front of the posts mid way through the second half. As countless Australians shouted at their television for the Wallabies to take the gift three points on offer, Will Genia took a quick tap, and Michael Hooper opted to kick for the line.
Luckily for Hooper, the second time it paid dividends as Koroibete crashed over to score as a result. But those decisions say a lot about the belief of this side right now, and why they won that game. The All Blacks played cautious rugby in the wet conditions, the Wallabies chased the game. The better team deserved to win and did.
There were bad parts, too. But nothing new, just the stuff that hasn’t been ironed out yet. Primarily Foley’s kicking and Moore’s selection. Ball handling was pretty terrible and Will Genia threw his fair share of hospital balls to some unfortunate receivers.
But that’s for another day. Talk will now turn to the European tour and inevitably, the World Cup. For now, let’s just enjoy this. The All Blacks are the best rugby team on the planet, by a long way, but tonight the Wallabies beat them. How good.
Timbo (L)
Roar Guru
OK Marto, Now perform the same critical analysis on Cooper. He is better at many of the items on your list but has a new set of weaknesses. Australians best 10's are guys like Thurston and Cronk, but that line of thinking hits a dead-end. Mack Mason, MacGregor and McIntrye are the sort of guys Cheika should have been nurturing. There are others.
Timbo (L)
Roar Guru
Why would I lose credibility? The Foley-Cooper Debate on this site is pretty polarized and split evenly. I stated that it is a close race and I don't think either of them are an international standard. Cooper's defensive tackles get him carded. Foley's, well,... not quite as often. Watch a Reds or B.City game. The trick flick passes that go to hand usually end in Reds points, Too many of the ones that don't, end up as opposition counterattacking tries. 2 Steps forward, 1 step backward. I may have used the wrong word, would you prefer I used the Phrase "Handed to the opposition" instead of Intercepted.
BOGGLES THE MIND
Guest
Link me to this " intercepted to lose 5 from Cooper " bit.- You wont of course, as you wont find any. " I prefer Foley for overall balance though " ,you lost any future credibility on this site when you wrote that.
Ruckin' Oaf
Guest
"Foley is better at taking on the line himself" Yep that just leaves every thing else that Cooper is better at :)
Timbo (L)
Roar Guru
I think Reece loses a bit of accuracy as he gets closer to the sticks. Full respect to that cannon mounted to his right boot though. Quade and Jono are better options up close, What about Beale? I no his longer range stuff is OK, how about Up close? Any Wasps followers out there?
BOGGLES THE MIND
Guest
Beale a direct runner - ? seriously ?.-He is Chiekas pet soldier crab, Foley is great because he gets smashed running straight? oh dear -..He is supposed run through the gaps not get pummelled backwards 5 meteres every time he runs, and thus has the Wallabies on the back foot.Get rid of him. Wallabies will not win make the 2019 RWC semis with Foley at 10.
Terry
Guest
From the daily Telegraph. I spat my rumbo out when i read the last two sentences. Bernard Foley : rating 6 It was almost Dunedin deja vu. In New Zealand’s South Island the Wallabies were made to rue a series of missed Foley kicks and his misfires almost cost Australia again. Foley missed two conversions and a penalty in the second half. The Wallabies playmaker also found the wet ball hard to handle. But you don’t win a Test against the All Blacks unless your playmaker is doing something right, and Foley’s composure and decision making proved vital.
Wallace footrot
Guest
Definitely doable for a professional. He is a little general around the park but his place kicking technique is flawed and he should not be taking them from tries scored wide out or anything longer than 30 metres in front. I dont know how Mick or somebody has not corrected his technique but I do know Mick is a big fan of Reece Hodges technique. Perhaps it is just Bernards anatomical mechanics, which if the case is hard to correct, but I would like to see him swing more through the ball....greater follow through, with the ball place higher and more upright to increase the contact zone. What is worse is the continued misses in front will eventually have a detrimental effect on his generally kicking as he will lose confidence.
PiratesRugby
Guest
Given your analysis of Foley's game above, I'm not sure a lot of credit is owed to Cheika. But for Foley, we might have smashed the ABs. Although Genia's anticipation of the ABs switch play off the back of the scrum led to Hodge's try. It was either great instinctive rugby from Genia or, more likely, homework by the Wallabies. Cheika can rightly take the credit for that.
Marto
Guest
The old " Oh but there is no one else , so lets keep Foley " Philosophy . CP and jameswn just won`t listen..These two honestly reckon their is not one person in the whole of Australia who is a better 10 then Bernard " melted iceman" Foley .. I was at the game, and whenever Foley had the ball the groans were palpable.Genia and the forwards won that match..Foley was the worst Wallaby and did his best to lose it for them ..Beale wasn`t good either.. Anyway.. Foleys game in a nutshell.. ( Especially last night ) 1 Shuffles ball to Beale 90 percent of then time . 2 Misses kicks for goal. 3 Gives his harder and longer kicks at goal to Hodge. 4 Gets flattened when running ball. 5 Drops ball 3 times with no pressure. 6 No try assists 7 Pop gun bombs . 8 Pop gun kicks for touch. 9 Numerous missed tackles. 10 Cannot pass left to right.
Charlie Turner
Guest
Do you know the difference between the Hakka and your pointing the bone suggestion? Shows you know nothing about either culture.
Timbo (L)
Roar Guru
Look at the bigger picture, If the 2 from the sideline were penalties they would have kicked from touch. 45 m should be doable.
jonnyacidseed
Roar Rookie
Went to the game - was bloody great! Suncorp is such a good venue -no bad seats and atmosphere was fantastic. Seemed to be more supporters there for the All Blacks, but almost full stadium anyway. Great footy game and although my team lost, was happy to see the better team get the win. Had the "rugby ears" on and the ref is a funny bugger to listen to, spent half my time laughing at his chatter to the players! Way to go Wallabies to kick off the Northern tour.
soapit
Guest
i wish i could be sure you are understanding what it is that supposed to be working
soapit
Guest
CP you could just say "yes you were right foley at 76.6%" no one ever claimed he wasnt better than some kickers out there and setting up that straw man is a fairly clear attempt to distract .
Ruckin' Oaf
Guest
Yeah and if I stand a foot away from a dart board I can hit the target nearly every time.
Manc
Guest
Ok, ill call you on this. What exactly was lynagh's quote? I watched the game on Sky (twice) and Lynagh was happy and relieved with the result but at pains to say Aus need to push on and have achieved nothing yet. In terms of the general response, I cant see anything disproportionate ... Celebrating a big victory after a very difficult 12/24 months? Absolutely. A good game of rugby, exciting to watch and probably good result for competitive rugby in the Southern Hemisphere. I don't understand people who revert to negativity at the first opportunity.
Carozza'sNose
Guest
Wrasse those jumpers forever and create a 'Pointing of the Bone'-style traditional dance as a response to Haka. 60 thousand years should not be wasted on an others young nation! !
adastra32
Guest
A good win WBs. But there was me thinking that a new sense of reality was indicated by the non-euphoric nature of much of the reaction: "Now please go humble england and thier supporters" This England supporter welcomed your victory. However, if you think that the WBs are going to humble ANY of the teams up here, then you need to get a much bigger reality check. Yesterday and today it is a European Cup weekend. Have a look at the first 60 minutes of Leicester Tigers vs. Castres if you want to see the sort of 'humbled' play that the likes of Ben Youngs, Ellis Genge, Jonny May, Dan Cole and George Ford are likely to offer Aus come November at Twickenham. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aZMd8iEdzBU&t=4510s
OldManWootts
Guest
Fionn, is Hodge injured? May be he needs to get tackling lessons from Quade.