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Opinion
Wins like the Wallabies’ 30-28 triumph over England in the first Test of the Ella-Mobbs Trophy series often leave you walking a tightrope of reactions.
On one hand, there’s the very Australian tall poppy default position of not wanting to over-egg the pudding, but on the other hand, there truly aren’t enough superlatives in the world to describe how good that performance was under the many very trying circumstances that presented in the thirty minutes or so either side of kick-off.
It really was an incredible win. “A famous victory” as Sean Maloney rightly lauded when Pete Samu smashed over for the winner three minutes from time.
Somewhere on Sunday, amidst the flurry of post-mortem articles and analysis and podcast discussions and TV panel chats, I read or heard someone say something along the lines of, “I don’t think anyone in Australia would have thought they could come back and win after a red card…”
Or something to that effect.
And I thought it was odd thing to say, given the Wallabies did exactly that against France a fortnight short of twelve months ago, in the third and deciding Test of that series in Brisbane last year.
(Photo by Cameron Spencer/Getty Images)
On that night, the Wallabies played – and won – with a man down for 75 minutes after Marika Koroibete was sent off for a high tackle on Les Bleus no.8 and captain Anthony Jelonch.
And you might even argue that the Wallabies had to work harder for the win that night, given the lead changed hands a number of times, and wasn’t decided until Noah Lolesio kicked the winning penalty in the 78th minute.
But the Wallabies were already up against it by the time Darcy Swain completely lost his marbles and bit down on the copious amount of bait England lock Jonny Hill has cast his way.
Quade Cooper was already sitting on the bench in his tracksuit, Tom Banks was quite likely on his way to hospital, and Allan Ala’alatoa might not have even officially failed his HIA by the time Swain was sat down for the match.
“Everything that could go wrong for the Wallabies, did,” I wrote in my ABC Sport TV script for Sunday night’s bulletin, satisfied I’d come up with the perfect descriptor. And it was, so perfect in fact that I read it several more times in several articles and match reports by my colleagues by the time the package aired around the country.
But it was one of those nights! When Swain was shown the red card, I couldn’t help but wonder what was next? It was an absolute miracle that the Wallabies had managed to level the scores at halftime.
And though it took them a bit more of the second half to finally start seeing reward from the scant possession they’d had to that point, the momentum swing was rapid and significant when it came.
Marika Koroibete wins a kick restart, and Jordan Petaia scores in the right corner three minutes later. Billy Vunipola is yellow-carded for a high shot on Michael Hooper, and Folau Fainga’a pilots a lineout drive soon after.
How Brett, Harry and Jim reacted to the game immediately after the full time siren
The Wallabies pack wins a massive scrum penalty after a reset, and Samu steps and jinks and crashes over three minutes later to seal said famous victory.
So where does it compare? I don’t know, and I don’t really know how anyone really puts one win above another given the abundant variables in play in any one game of rugby. “It’s gotta be in the top three” is always a comment I get a get a laugh from, as if there’s some kind of record that’s been kept over time. What did it overtake?
With all that said, the obvious parallel is that France win last year, given the Wallabies similarly had to defend for so much time with 14 men. And coming in the deciding game of a three-Test series gives it an extra gravitas that helps keep it in the memory.
I immediately thought of the 2015 Rugby World Cup pool game over Wales, too, in which the Wallabies spent what felt like an eternity of the second half, but was maybe only a few minutes defending on their own line with 13 men.
Wherever it ranks, this win in Perth had a common thread with those similarly incredible wins in Brisbane and at Twickenham. When the final whistle was blown, you could only sit back and go, “wow”.
Angus Bell of the Wallabies. (Photo by Cameron Spencer/Getty Images)
“How the hell did they win that?” was muttered to my TV on fulltime, and I’m sure I wasn’t alone.
Dave Rennie used words like character and calmness and leadership and belief and expectations and theatre in the post-match and they’re all completely appropriate.
Media colleagues around the country have written of a maturity within the Wallabies, and of this win being a new benchmark.
Jim Tucker noted here on Sunday that “England won the physical battle early but the Wallabies roared back and weren’t going to be bullied”. Geoff Parkes noted yesterday that “cohesiveness is slowly building”.
All of it is true, and none of it takes away from the point that the Wallabies still have so many areas for improvement even just this week, let alone the rest of this series and into The Rugby Championship.
They probably won’t be happy with missing 22 of 167 tackles for an 87 percent efficiency, and they’ve have liked to have got more pay from the 17 tackles busts and two line breaks that they did create.
Their passing was mostly excellent in the final quarter as they began to claim more and more ascendancy, but in the first hour there were plenty that didn’t quite hit their mark – though crucially, not as many as did England, where for a period of time either side of half time, Owen Farrell seemed only to catch passes with his back facing the Australian defence.
I don’t know when I first wrote of the Wallabies that they’re now only as good as their next game, and it remains as true as ever. But the time for the focus to turn toward the next game, and which inevitable injury- and suspension-enforced changes need to or should be made can wait for one more day.
Because this felt like a Wallabies win completely deserving of all the worthy celebrating; a win that will no doubt fuel this playing group for the rest of this England series and beyond.
It really was another moment of wow.