It’s been a hell of a comedown for Wallabies supporters, with the best chance of claiming the Bledisloe Cup in years swept away in no time at all as a rampant All Blacks side produced a 57-point turnaround to retain the trans-Tasman trophy.
There’s probably a line there somewhere about the length of a week in international rugby, but the Perth win always meant the Wallabies were again only going to be as good as their next showing. Annoyingly, they’ve once again followed up an excellent performance with one well below standard.
And there’s no escaping the magnitude: it was the Wallabies’ biggest loss since New Zealand won the first Bledisloe Test 42-8 in Sydney in 2016, and the biggest Australian loss overall since South Africa ran up an embarrassing 53-8 scoreline over the Wallabies at Ellis Park in 2008.
The All Blacks answered the entirely valid questions from the Perth loss in emphatic fashion. While the Wallabies, sadly, turned all the answers they seemingly had last week into yet more questions.
(Photo by Renee McKay/Getty Images)
The Wallabies’ opening minutes in Auckland weren’t great, with the kick-off mere inches away from going into touch before the ten-metre line, and then a pass from the first real midfield attacking raid being thrown forward.
From there, it only took another minute or two for an issue that has long-plagued the Wallabies to rear its ugly head again.
After Samu Kerevi made a half-break and presented quick ball for Nic White, James O’Connor found Kurtley Beale on his outside with the possibility of creating a two-on-one with Marika Koroibete to Beale’s outside again.
Beale took the ball to the line as All Blacks winger Sevu Reece drifted across the Wallabies fullback’s outside. Reece was engaged enough to turn back to his right and focus on Beale – meaning the pass to Koroibete needed to go then.
Instead, as Beale was brought to ground by Dane Coles, Reece focused on the ball. Koroibete had over-run the ruck, and with O’Connor still trailing on the inside, Reece pounced as Koroibete and O’Connor arrived.
The clean-out was OK, but Reece’s presence was enough for Beale to pull the ball back a touch, which then made life difficult for White, as he tried to get his hands on the ball in the face of Coles and Sonny Bill Williams. The ball spilled between White’s legs, and Williams may have even tackled White over the ball without possession, but the damage was done.
The ball took an eternity to come out, the momentum was lost, and the Wallabies had to reset through forward carriers.
The game was in the seventh minute, and already you could tell the attacking breakdown was once again going to be a problem.
(Photo by Cameron Spencer/Getty Images)
Curious, a quick search back through articles written over the years returned more than a dozen references to a concerning lack of attacking breakdown presence in Wallabies losses.
After the home series to England in 2016 was lost in Melbourne, I wrote of “A lack of go-forward platform begat a passive breakdown presence begat a backline forced to carry into contact.”
After the loss to Scotland in Sydney in 2017, they were similarly “a team who were way too passive at the breakdown, and particularly when in possession. They were frighteningly inaccurate.”
Ditto the end-of-season loss to England at Twickenham last year, which confirmed Australia’s worst international season on record, and came on the back of “a breakdown presence that lacked all game and no more so than in attack.”
If I’d not seen this issue in a Wallabies performance before, I might’ve been concerned. But the truth of the matter is that the regularity of this is the single biggest issue facing the Wallabies for this year’s Rugby World Cup.
There were countless examples in the Eden Park loss of Australian players not being in position, or simply not showing enough urgency to ensure that attacking ball was maintained at the ruck. Too many of those countless examples led to turnovers and All Blacks counter-attack.
Too many players stood off the ruck. Too many players expect someone else will get there in time. And not just forwards. Every player is guilty of it.
Just as they proved their set piece and attack is right up there with the best, the Wallabies also proved to themselves in Perth what a dominant breakdown can achieve, and the platform from which to attack with quick ball it provides. A week later, they’d forgotten about it.
David Pocock’s return won’t be enough to solve the problem. A massive knee-jerk reaction like parachuting Will Skelton in from nowhere won’t either.
As it has always been, this is once again Michael Cheika’s biggest priority to address, and he has less than a month to get it right before the RWC.
And make no mistake, RWC progress will not occur without it being fixed.
Geoff
Roar Rookie
You realise it was only one penalty and the ref was just showing oz still had advantage, seriously do you have any understanding of rugby or your just here to show your lack.
Stu
Roar Rookie
He does have a point though. Even though Hooper works hard, is it at all possible that many other players look at Hooper and his ridiculously skewed RA large cash deal, and really think 'bugger this - u make the wins happen then, Champ.."? If some actually do, I could understand why, when RA put him and a few others on such skewed deals just to try to keep top players here. Surely grossly disparaging amounts between players in the same team must cause division, potentially? There's no doubting there's clearly a major problem in The Wallabies somewhere, because for a team to inspire one week, then next week hang off excuses like 'yeah, we just got unlucky today', or 'our energy levels were down'.. is utterly unacceptable, and a complete cop out. In NZ, their attitude sucked - that's why they lost. And NZ'land's didn't - that's why they won. The rest is utter buII5h1t.
gazza
Roar Rookie
I cannot understand how Jack Maddocks drops off the radar. The glam wingers currently in favour play hot and cold. If there is a break by the opponents inside not covered by the fullback and centres they are all exposed. Maddocks at the least attempts to stop /slow up the attack even if outnumbered. it is not a flaw in his game to do this. The glam wingers in favour at the moment do not possess his football brain.
Derek Murray
Roar Rookie
Totally agree. With the god botherer gone we need brilliance more than ever. Got to see if he can step up
Derek Murray
Roar Rookie
No way Robertson gets a ticket. Props are all tied up. Kepu the 5th to cover injuries if he uses the 31st spot for a prop. Robertson is no certainty to be number 6
Wigeye
Guest
Why is every oz fan and player not sick of cheika and why is he still there that would be a fair question would it not,
Double Agent
Guest
I have this sinking feeling that I'm going to be reading about Scott Barrett's red card on the Roar for decades.
Double Agent
Guest
Another very ordinary comment from you Zado. Do you even watch any matches?
stillmissit
Roar Guru
I thought he was carrying an injury FWM? Kepu is one of those islanders who get tougher as they get older. Still this RWC should see him gone from Wallabies.
Zado
Guest
When a bloke is handed $6 million and the captaincy ( negotiated by Cheika ) why would he perform every game ?.He is laughing all the way to the bank.He doesn't have to perform all the time and he knows it .It`s been his go every year even before he was gifted that obscene amount of money.Maybe the other guys have had a gutful of a bloke who gets 1.2 million a year and doesn't really inspire his team mates with his ineffectiveness and absentness on the field. It looks like from the outside that he has a mutiny on his hands.
MitchO
Guest
Looks like our three person selection panel have got it wrong with LSL. They must be thinking that his ball carry plus lineout makes up for a lack of pace. Would LSL get a locking spot ahead of Coleman (who seem back in form) or Simmonds?
Zado
Guest
Good team, but Hooper LSL and Beale out. Wright Higginbotham and Quade in.
JP
Guest
Here is 3 off the top of my head. You must not be an avid rugby follower if you missed these 3. All dominating packs against AB`s ABs Sydney 2015 ( win ) ABs Dunedin 2017 ( loss) narrow loss 35- 29 ABs Brisbane 2017 ( win) Foley had no influence in the Sydney and Brisbane wins and he cost us the Dunedin test . It was five tries apiece but the " Iceman" left nine points out there with three of his conversions hitting the uprights and bouncing away and another shocking miss was from a penalty goal from just 20 out. His poor game management and poor defence was also a factor..
Republican
Guest
Did anyone really think the result could be any different? The AB's were a man down for the best part of game one, so at full strength and at home, it was always going to be another humiliation. Personally, I have never quite understood why anyone on either side of the ditch, derives interest in this Trans Tasman ground hog day event. Perspective however remains vital to all those die hard Union devotees here to do with the status of the code, which is underwhelming to say the least and it will only devolve further in this respect. That Australia competes at all internationally in this Union is nothing short of miraculous, while the large diaspora of Kiwis living in this nation is all that gives the game O2 truth be told.
Censored Often
Roar Rookie
You're right, it could get worse...
Censored Often
Roar Rookie
Why? Because NZ have more players playing the game than we do. The bigger the player pool the more talent to choose from. In short we just don't have a big enough player pool to select from. Oh, and the ABs are pretty bloody good too!
dazell
Roar Rookie
And one thing I noticed is that when the forwards were set up off the ruck to receive the ball their first instinct was to pass rather than take it to the line and when it was a back set up to take the pass they actually ran straight and took it to the line. Both were ineffective but I would have thought it should have been the other way round????
MaxP
Guest
I really don’t see why the “master motivator”, who I assume is Cheika, is responsible. Why a group of men can’t find the motivation themselves is what I cannot understand. They were off the pace from the outset and it just got worse
ForwardsWinMatches
Guest
Still, Toomua covers 10 and 12, Kerevi covers 12 and 13 whilst JOC covers 13, 11, 14 and 15. Not would I would pick for every game, just this one. I thought Kepu looked a spent force this SR season.
sheek
Roar Guru
Kenny, Thanks for sharing. Yeah, I will continue to support Izzy's right to make a fool of himself, as long as what he says isn't abusive or threatening. And even though I think he has now lost the plot. Offensiveness is humanity's daily default position. Kids should learn to grow up not being bothered by it. Or not being bothered by most of it. It's character building, having to deal with offensive people & offensive comments. And the self-serving, contradictory, hypocritical, offensive inequalities of life.