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The Wallabies' end of term report card

27th October, 2017
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The Wallabies need to build on their performance against Argentina. (Photo by Scott Barbour/Getty Images)
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27th October, 2017
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The Wallabies wrap up their home season this weekend with a muck-around fixture against the Barbarians, and it has a real last day of school term feel about it.

So, in the spirit of the end of school feeling, here’s a report card for the Wallabies’ winter of 2017.

Attack
The attack was the one area of the Wallabies game which was notably great all season. Even in the disappointing June Tests, the areas of concern centred around the defence, set piece and application.

Israel Folau scored tries for fun – 12 in total across the June internationals and the Rugby Championship. Reece Hodge and Marika Koroibete made hay while the sun shone, both filling their pockets with tries during the Rugby Championship. Koroibete, in particular, looks great in the Wallabies jumper.

Kurtley Beale looked in career-best form and, before Folau took home the gong, there was talk that he may even win the John Eales Medal despite not featuring in half the Wallabies matches during the voting period.

Bernard Foley had a very good Rugby Championship with ball in hand. Foley is an excellent ball runner, underrated and underused in that capacity. This column predicted that the return of Beale as a second playmaker option at 12 would likely see the return of the best of Foley.

The Wallabies only once scored less than 23 points in a game all season – 19 in the loss to Scotland. If your defence can stand up, that’s a recipe for success in international rugby.

Attacking grade: A+

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Israel Folau Wallabies Australian Rugby Union 2017

(AAP Image/Joe Castro)

Defence
The defensive performance against the All Blacks in Brisbane aside, this was an area of real concern for Australia.

For all the back-pats Australia received for their attacking prowess, the Wallabies failed to keep any side under 20 points during the Rugby Championship. They also conceded 24 and 27 to Scotland and Italy respectively.

Some credit must be given to Nathan Grey, as the defence clearly improved as the Rugby Championship went on. But last weekend’s effort in Brisbane – only 11 missed tackles at a success rate of over 90 per cent – does not make Grey a messiah any more than the 56 missed tackles in Sydney made him a pariah.

Grey was no doubt hindered by the revolving door selection policy during the June internationals as Cheika searched for depth, and it’s no coincidence that the defence tightened up significantly once a first-choice starting XV was settled upon.

Overall, Michael Cheika teams are not in the business of winning games 12-3, so we shouldn’t expect this Wallabies team to do that. But it’d be nice to see players just step up and defend in their positions rather than hiding (and therefore exposing) them on the flanks.

Defensive grade: C-

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Michael Cheika Wallabies

(Photo by Jason O’Brien/Getty Images)

Set piece
Mario Ledesma certainly earned his paycheck. The Wallabies scrum that was blown off the park by England a year ago is unrecognisable now. Scott Sio and Sekope Kepu have been good for the Wallabies for a long time now, but both had outstanding Rugby Championships, especially at scrum time.

The Wallabies set piece stumbled through June but was working pretty well by July and was looking damn near reliable by August.

Stephen Moore struggled badly at both scrum and lineout time. Moore is one of the Wallabies’ greatest ever servants, but the time to step back from international rugby has come – and perhaps already gone.

Moore’s performances over the Rugby Championship reminded me of the last days of Ricky Ponting’s Test career. The former skipper clearly still felt he could still do it, and it’s hard to leave a legend of the game out of the side if he says he’s right to play, but the eye had gone and his weaknesses were too easily exposed at the most unforgiving level.

At this stage, Moore plans to go on the European tour, but many would love to see him go out on the back of the win over the All Blacks on his home turf in Brisbane. After all, if Moore is not going to be around come the World Cup, that spot could better be used to develop Tatafu Polota-Nau’s eventual replacement.

Set piece grade: B+

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Wallabies coach Michael Cheika (left) and captain Stephen Moore

Skills
In the skills department, the Wallabies’ forwards are now taking the ball out in front of their bodies instead of bringing it into their chests. As a result, the option to quickly shift the ball on is now available, and players are going into contact with the intention of getting the arms free to offload, where previously players would not have had the confidence to attempt such a manoeuvre.

Kicking remains a sticking point. It’s odd that the Wallabies’ skills coach, Mick Byrne, is a former VFL footballer and while ball handling has improved, kicking continues to be an area of real weakness.

Plenty has been written about Bernard Foley’s inconsistency with goalkicking – he’s seemingly either red hot or ice cold on any given day – but general play kicking across the whole team is still not very good. Will Genia can barely get two kicks away without one of them being charged down, and two out of the Wallabies back three don’t kick the ball at all, despite one of them having played in the AFL.

Skills grade: B-

Wallaby fly-half Bernard Foley lines up a kick at goal

(Photo by Tim Anger)

Overall: B

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As poor as the Wallabies looked in June, credit must be given for consistently improved performances. But for a fistful more points, the Wallabies could have won both Springboks Tests and perhaps the Dunedin Bledisloe as well.

On the whole, five wins from nine games doesn’t sound great, but only three losses in nine games sounds decent. An overall grade of B is probably fair enough.

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