Since the Wallabies were beaten at Twickenham by the old enemy, much has been written about the impact that the referee and TMOs had on the result. But I’m not interested in arguing whether the officials got the calls right.
So what should the Wallabies really be spending their time focused on?
Michael Hooper’s disallowed try
Ignoring the referee’s decision, there are two key aspects to this situation that the Aussie captain and side in general need to learn from.
Firstly, Michael Hooper needs to smarten up. Many have said that it’s impossible to expect a player running at full tilt to stop on a cent when he’s in front of a kicker and allow an onside player to rush past him, but Hooper needs to be seen to be making more of an effort to get on side.
Against England, he slowed from a sprint to a run and brought his hands up in some sort of power rendition of the ‘Macarena’. That’s not going to convince anybody, least of all a ref and TMO who have 70,000 Pommies in the crowd screaming for an offside call.
Hooper likes to play at the edge, which is understandable and arguably much needed, but he’s got to get better at it.
Secondly, what on Earth was Marika Koroibete doing?
He is about five metres from the English line with the nearest defender a metre behind him. All he needs to do is dive on that ball and let the wet ground and his momentum see him slide in for his team’s first try.
Instead, he tries to show off his soccer skills and we all know how it ended.
Michael Hooper of Australia. (AAP Image/Dean Lewins)
Hooper’s yellow card
The captain might have looked confused and disgusted as he was shown his eighth yellow card at international level, but when he watches the replay he really should be kicking himself.
Within one passage, the Wallabies committed four penalty offences, all within about ten metres of their own line, Hooper being guilty of two of them. A successful international skipper doesn’t put himself in the sights of the referee.
The team did well to concede just the one penalty goal while he was off the field but, again, errors in judgement like this need to be removed if Hooper wants to become one of the great leaders.
He now stands alone on top of the most yellow cards in international rugby, which is pretty impressive after just 78 matches – that’s averaging a yellow every nine games.
If one of these is in the World Cup, it could be critical.
Kurtley Beale’s yellow card
Kurtley Beale’s attempted interception was a real instinctive move and it’s hard to stop those. You see the ball, for a split second you think you might have a chance of getting to it, but as you reach out you already know this is going to end badly.
But it’s the context of the situation that Beale needs to work on.
His skipper had been sent off just a few minutes ago and the opposition were ahead on the scoreboard. Was it really the time to try and intercept the ball and risk the fallout?
Beale should not be giving the ref a chance to even think about whether he needs to award a yellow card in that situation.
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Koroibete’s disallowed try
What was Stephen Moore doing in that position? He was in the way and either should have just stayed clear altogether or been up Koroibete’s backside, helping to drive him over the line.
In the chaotic, frenzied nature of international rugby, it’s hardly surprising a player finds themselves out of position from time to time. But again, at this level, in those situations, these mistakes must drive Michael Cheika up the wall. You just can’t squander these opportunities, especially in tight games in wet conditions.
Elliot Daly’s try
There seemed to be literally a blade of grass in this one and while modern technology is good, it’s not at a standard where TMOs can zoom into the blade level.
However, this wouldn’t be an issue if Beale had worked harder and been in position to either kick the ball out himself, pick up the ball or tackle Elliot Daly.
Of course the ball looked like it was going into touch and many players would have assumed that there was no imminent danger, but successful coaches the world over preach the value of taking assumptions out of their team’s approach and doing everything possible to minimise the role that luck plays in results.
Three tries in ten minutes highlights bench issues
At 69 minutes the score was 13-6 to England. Australia had just had Koroibete’s try ripped away from them, but they were still in the game, and had ten minutes to score at least seven points.
Instead, those ten minutes saw England run in three tries and wrap up a fifth consecutive victory over the Wallabies.
Each try was nicely finished, using their boots well in this final period to get in behind the Aussie defence. But during this period we saw how different the two benches were – England’s ‘finishers’ came on and had a huge impact. Australia’s bench meanwhile really added little in either attack or defence.
Tevita Kuridrani’s missed try
53 minutes gone and Tevita Kuridrani’s got a golden opportunity to score under the posts and give Australia the lead.
Hooper and Beale had just returned to the pitch, the Aussies had weathered the storm brilliantly, and now they were going to break English hearts by taking the lead.
Instead, he knocks on a relatively straightforward catch, England kick ahead and 30 seconds later Daly has scored.
Kuridrani is not ready for international rugby. He’s been found wanting a few too many times in defence and his attack skills just aren’t quite there.
Of course, catching a wet ball in the heat of battle is easy to do from here, and a lot harder on the pitch – but on the pitch is where it matters and it’s where the Wallabies let themselves down too many times in this match.
Catch the ball and there’s no debate over whether the ball was out or not from the kick or whether Beale should have done better. Catch the ball and potentially the Aussies take the lead and a big step towards breaking the English.
Each of these situations is marginal. Each has extenuating factors. But in each one, a Wallaby could have, perhaps should have, done better. Seven situations in one match – get half of them right and that’s the win.
The Wallabies are getting better for sure, especially when compared to 2016, and if they go well in 2019 then no one will give a damn about this past weekend’s result.
But if they don’t start to reduce the number of these big mistakes, then they are not going to threaten the best sides in Japan and will instead be left arguing that the ref made too many bad calls.
ClarkeG
Guest
If Farrell was ok then Robshaw was ok. If Robshaw was not ok then Farrell had to be not ok as well. Coming into the ruck from the WB side? Hardly. Only one Eng players enters the tackle area - Launchbry - and he takes his place through the so called gate. The other is Youngs who is the tackler. He has got to his feet and starts to move away.
ThugbyFan
Guest
Davo, when the referee referred to the TMO, he specifically asked for TMO to check the obstruction by S.Moore AND the offside by white no6, ie C.Robshaw. You can hear him ask the TMO on ref's mike. The TMO obviously said Robshaw was onside (I still don't think he was but TMO word is God, so have to cop it sweet). Farrell was ok, he ran back onside and was brushed by M.Koroibete in an attempted tackle. Even the English tv commentators said it was a try, at least until the 73rd replay, when they took the hint. Where my beef was with all the ruck infringements that O'Keefe allowed in the preceding ruck. At least one and possibly 2 Poms came into that ruck from the WB side and the referee allowed it. Amazing! Anyhow it doesn't excuse the terrible surrender in the last 10 minutes. I hope the WB coaching group took note that well placed field kicks WITH chasers can devastate a rush defence, especially when they are tired. M.Cheika should hang his head in shame in his blind refusal to mix the game with the occasional grubber or up-n-under with rabid chasers to harass and ruck the catcher.
ThugbyFan
Guest
Well said Bob the Pom, and spot on for Oliver. What's done is done, the WallyBees need to swallow the medicine (and pride) and learn how to improve and not let situations like these occur to take the game from them. More awareness and thinking on the feet will clearly improve the side. Bob, I think the WB forwards are in a good space next year. There are some very mobile large units coming on in the lock and backrow positions. We just need the coach to look outside of NSW to see them. :) The backs I am more worried about. You have picked the real problem which are the halves. If W.Genia or B.Foley gets injured, the WB are in a well-known creek without a paddle with no-one to blame but themselves. 2019 must be used to blood new two halfbacks and two flyhalves, give them the game time (at least 30 minutes in one or two matches) so they have experience and you can assess them. Training in a 4-week squad just doesn't cut it, they have to be out there in the cut and thrust to shine and learn.
DaniE
Roar Guru
Love and concur with this post Dianne!
ClarkeG
Guest
Jeffrey if you have seen any coverage other than the actual match coverage then provide the link and I would be happy to consider it. On the actual match coverage there is no clear and obvious evidence that pass was forward. On that coverage alone it is hard to imagine that any TMO would rule that as forward. Considering we don't even get to see the ball leave the passers hands and the receiver reaches behind to catch the ball it is beyond me to see how you might come to the conclusion that the ball was clearly forward from the passers hands and that it went a full metre forward before being caught.
ScrumJunkie
Guest
B.s. Most aussies go for the abs as long as they're not playing the wallabies. We hate them when they're against our team. Ever heard of a local derby? You want to beat your brother the most. E.g. filthy tahs vs Brumbies
stillmissit
Roar Guru
Yes TM a basic requirement of any team is that the captain will get on the right side of the ref. Hooper did not do that, also made some poor errors in the wet ie kicking for touch instead of posts in 1st half. I thought it was a vary tough match for any ref let alone a reasonably new one. We have had a lot worse ref's than him and not complained so much. We must stop whinging and get on with the game. Rather than the finishers not being up to standard (may be right I am not sure) it seemed more that we threw the towel in. A hard game but we played too dumb and were slow to react on lose ball, and opportunities. Do we have a wet weather game?
Jeffrey
Guest
Are you serious? It was a metre forward. Watch it again.
ClarkeG
Guest
No it would not have been. The pass looked fine.
ClarkeG
Guest
What could you possibly have hoped to gain if Nicholas Bishop had reviewed 'these incidents'. It had all been done to death by that time. It would just have resulted in everyone saying again what had already been said.
Marlin
Guest
Good article, mate - I couldn't agree more. The only other thing is the selections. Surely it's time to have a panel as MC doesn't seem capable of seeing the failings of some of his favorites (unless he hooks them at half time).What does and can Steve Moore possibly add? Experience maybe? Didn't help us much if that's the angle. He is just taking up a spot that could go to a younger man.
rebel
Guest
Yip, another guy I hope isn't in real estate. 3 metres? I really fail to understand how people can ligitimately make comments like this.
rebel
Guest
Looked up clearly in the dictionary and it looks like you have incorrevtly used it here. Not sure what your second sentence is all about.
jacko
Guest
In Breif you have just rubbished Farrell for having a "Football like rant...Disgusting" and then said good on Cheika for showing some much needed spine. yet Cheika's was far more disgusting than anything Farrell did. Farrell is an individual within a team and individuals can sometimes break rules etc but Cheika is the leader of the complete Wallaby troups and should be setting the rules and setting the example of how to act and trying to enforce those rules.
ClarkeG
Guest
It's easy to love. Laws covering two quite different circumstances. Laws that are easily accessible from the World Rugby website I might add.
mzilikazi
Guest
And I think Ulysses and ancient Greece.
mzilikazi
Guest
Not so sure there, PA. I thought he did not have a great game....look at some of the scrums, with Ireland under pressure. And that second penalty for kicking the ball out of the ruck, after he had called the ball to be out. I feel the Boks should have protested...and I am Irish born !
Wal
Roar Guru
It's called relative motion. Throw a ball straight in the air on a train doing 100km to the person throwing it the ball will travel vertically. However, if the ball is in the air for 1 second it has moved forward 27 metres relative the to the ground. For a Rugby player running at 20kph who throws a 20 metre pass flat it will travel forward 5 metres relative to the ground. This video shows it beautifully https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=box08lq9ylg
In brief
Guest
This article is a great argument for the defence- yes we were dudded. One of the big issues to come out of the match was the ability of Farrell to influence the referee through his football like rant- disgusting. If Australians weren't so weak maybe we would get the 'rub of the green'- and I'm referring to the 'roll over' wallaby supporter brigade. Good on Cheika for showing some much needed spine. Shame Bishop didn't use his article yesterday to review these incidents. It's like a young woman gets murdered and everyone says what was she doing out at night?
In brief
Guest
As Hooper had done before his disallowed try- love it!