So then. We’ve all seen this movie before, haven’t we?
The up-one-week-down-the-next Wallabies have extended the cycle with another frustrating display that looked almost the polar opposite of the win in Adelaide last week.
And all the hallmarks of the 2022 losses were there, too: conceded early points, forced onto the back foot from the outset, compounded by unforced errors and penalties following penalties, allowing more scoreboard pressure into the contest, rinse and repeat.
The extreme distance between Australia’s best and worst might actually be growing.
For the fourth time in as many losses this year and mirroring all 11 losses recorded in 2021 as well, the Aussies couldn’t recover from a halftime deficit. Only once this year and once last year – in 21 games in all – have they been able to win a game coming from behind at the break.
In the end, the number spoke for themselves: 19 missed tackles, 16 points, ten turnovers, three lineouts lost.
Not a single point of failure, but yet another collection of failings spread across the park. Again.
And again, Dave Rennie was talking about collisions early in the press conference. Last week, his side dominated them. This week, they lost them early. Plenty to work on for the borrowed collisions coach, who at least this week was back in a familiar bucket hat.
“As you can imagine we’re pretty disappointed. It’s pretty quiet in there,” James Slipper said, fairly obviously, in response to a question about mood in the dressing room immediately after the loss.
“I made a point after the game that this one has to hurt a lot. I want the boys to hurt because yes, South Africa were good, but I just felt like we didn’t really play much rugby at all tonight.
“That ‘not winning the collision’ sort of talk really hurts me.”
James Slipper (Photo by Paul Kane/Getty Images)
I really like Slipper as captain. He wasn’t front of mind when I raised the point about at least having the conversation about whether Michael Hooper was still the best option back in July, but Slipper has fast become the clear and obvious leader for right now.
He’s saying what needs to be said, and he’s saying it publicly to challenge his players immediately after quite likely saying exactly the same thing behind closed doors.
On the never-ending search for consistency: “It’s a good question. I spoke during week about how we wanted to review last week and how we want to be a better rugby team.
“At no stage do we think we’re the finished product. Individually, we just need to have a look at ourselves.
“I’m confident we’re tracking the right direction and we just need a bit more polish and… we just need to execute under pressure.”
He’s always been pretty forthright, James Slipper, but after a loss he might be at his most brutally honest. To put it the same frank way he would, there’s just no bullshit about him.
“I just wanted the boys to realise how much it hurts and hold on to that and let that drive you into the future,” he said.
“We can be disappointed for a day or two but at the end of the day, we’ve got the All Blacks coming up in two weeks.
“If you’re still kicking cans around at that time, then that’s not going to help anyone. I want it to hurt but at the same time I want to be better. We’ve got to be better.
“I just put a challenge to the group, essentially.”
And there is no shortage of things to work on heading into said first Bledisloe Test on Thursday week.
Yet again, the lineout misfiring meant the maul was largely non-existent. As was the kick-chase. There wasn’t a lot of vision around the kicking, either, where space in behind the Springboks’ back three was mostly ignored and Reece Hodge’s boot went chronically under-utilised.
Tom Wright, Marika Koroibete, Rob Valetini each kicked the ball once. But so did Hodge.
(Photo by Cameron Spencer/Getty Images)
But maybe the biggest thing the Wallabies need to get into their heads and into their game is a willingness to roll the sleeves up and just graft.
If they can’t guarantee they’ll start a game well, then they need to find a way to get back into the contest. They need to grind and graft and pick and drive and tackle and clean out, and just concentrate on doing the really boring, unglamourous, underappreciated – but basically essential – stuff well so that they can get their hands on the ball, so that they can put the opposition back down their end of the field.
Teams with the scoreboard and plenty of possession and all their end of the field behind them are generally hard to beat. Australia have proved this 15 times in the last 12 months.
Grinding and grafting may not win you a Bledisloe Cup, but not being able to do it will almost certainly lose it.
Putting the head down and getting back into contests on the brink of getting away is going to be the difference between maybe winning Rugby World Cup pool games and potentially going deep into the knockout stage.
And if you want proof, just look at South Africa. Look at what they weren’t doing in Adelaide and what they did from kick-off in Sydney.
Look how they beat Wales in the 2019 semi-final, and how they wore England down in the final before ultimately running away with the Webb Ellis Trophy for a third time.
Ireland may well have some of the best structured attack in the game currently, but look at what they did to New Zealand in July before they started bombarding their line.
The Wallabies – and their fans are united in this – want nothing more than consistency, but it all starts with what they’re prepared to do themselves on the field when things aren’t going their way.
This has to be the biggest lesson from the hurt they should still be feeling today.
A new squad will be named this week, and it needs to come with a new attitude toward the unspectacular.
Guess
Roar Rookie
The ab are getting too smart as well..
Clifto
Roar Pro
Fair question Brett. It's just frustrating when it feels like we have the right ingredients (i.e. players) to have an incredible lineout...
Stu
Roar Rookie
Too many sterilised, throw-away buzz phrases ready for excusable losses. Rugby is a brutal beast these days - the honest truth is they could fix it but it’s just too physically painful for the individual. Some forwards, and backs, will just never commit to that level of pain, and currently, aren’t. Who can blame them when it likely comes with appalling personal injury? Collision sports are owned by desperate nations these days, and I doubt that’s ever going to be the Wallabies. They’re amazing, but they’re not stupid. :stoked:
MickDonovan
Roar Rookie
Yeah we went for both Friday and Saturday, on Friday we got to meet some of the Rabbitohs Indigenous players at their captains run, it was pretty great.
Dusty10
Roar Rookie
Yes that's true. It's not that we can't attack well, i think it's more that we don't. At least not regularly. I really enjoyed the passing interplays between our forwards that game, the hole-running was great, and Paisami was far more creative. He was very good, and it meant Ikitau was brought into the game with his brilliant speed and footwork. Then, the following week, back to one-out crash-ball running, straight into defenders. I think like many people I just find myself wondering why? For me, after much thought, it really comes back to the 10. The 10 sets the tone for that backline in attack, and makes life either easy or difficult for the forwards. Brett made the point that our attacking clean-outs weren't great, and I absolutely agree. But I'd also say that if your backline is running good lines, making breaks, getting the defence moving backwards and disorganised, the cleans become so much easier. The dysfunction in the backs causes problems for the forwards because they are predictable, they don't place pressure on the defence, they are getting dominated in the tackle, they are getting swamped behind the gain line, and the forwards are running backwards to go through the gate and try to clean. We just look like a bit of a shambles at times. With Larkham and, lately, even with Cooper, we seemed to have more runners in motion, more options, creating more uncertainty. That makes the forwards' role easier. The entire team benefits. I don't presume to have all the answers, not by a long shot, but I suspect that if we get out attack functioning we will actually fix a bunch of other things too...
Double Agent
Guest
That's probably because like you not many oz Rugby fans are also AFL fans.
Passit2me
Roar Rookie
On the contrary, just how bored do you think then opposition would then be with only half a crowd turning up, or zero crowd.
Passit2me
Roar Rookie
You have missed the tries off line out mauls we have scored this year and to some extent last year? We are very structured and well drilled in this area now thanks to the Brumbies coach and player influence. I am an old school Fisher fan though. Someone who remembers and so can perhaps restore our proud Wallaby culture. We are now 8th, just ahead of Wales and Japan.
Wallabies_Larkham
Roar Rookie
Dusty we have seen in patches what we can do if we get LQB..a case in point is mcreight first try in Bok test in Adelaide
Wallabies_Larkham
Roar Rookie
"Geoff Parling available to coach?" GP was the WB forwards coach in 2020 but I really wish RA/DR could maybe make arrangement with Rebels to keep him for longer..
Wallabies_Larkham
Roar Rookie
Whitey got done by that great pass from DDA of all people and that created the space for WLR and Mapimps to run at Tommy Wright..Tommy then did not trust his inside men (AK and Whitey) because of the big space left by Whitey..and so that made it easier for Mapimps to score..
Wallabies_Larkham
Roar Rookie
Jez I am wonder if the players we have are strong in certain areas but cleaning out is not really a strength of theirs even at club level perhaps...if we play a possession type of game then cleaning out is a non-negotiable...
Wallabies_Larkham
Roar Rookie
"The breakdown was already in trouble" Laurie F must be so filthy about this happening...
Wallabies_Larkham
Roar Rookie
DR really backed himself into a corner with that 6:2 split..
Wallabies_Larkham
Roar Rookie
Even the boklings captain is substituted and Cane was substitute a number of times now so there is no need for a player to play the entire game just because he is the captain...
Rodkafer
Roar Rookie
I think the issue is they didn’t follow the plan in the first place PK rather than through sticking to the plan
Ad-O
Guest
Its not about graft or grind its about quality. The Wallabies have enough to knock off one of the big boys if they don't bring their A game. But if a team like South Africa turns up the heat the Wallabies cant live with them.
Fox
Roar Guru
I had a feeling that is how you would respond Brett but all good my end...I don't think all my points are invalid but I guess well shall both see next test which as I said should be close either way. That is hardly writing Australia off at all and as for test 2 com'on Brett you know as well as anyone if not more, that Eden Park is extremely hard for anyone - even Ireland - to win at for overseas sides.
Fox
Roar Guru
Well two winning games Nick – Ryan was on board when the front was changed and the AB’s beat the Boks on Joberg. Samisoni has been a revalation hasn’t he Nick. And Dane Coles was good when he came on – best game or time on field hehas had in a while. He is still the best lineout thrower the AB’s have He looked like he’s shed a few pounds as well since the 1st test this year. He’s not the future anymore but he is a shrewd and niggly player that could be effective in a bench role. Fair call Nick overall but equally Reiko made 8 tackles missed one – ran 100 metres – 4 line breaks – beat god knows how many defenders – was instrummental in setting up the first 3 tries then scored one himself and then the massive break in the second half to set up anothet try. And he was in the thick of it too…clearing the ruck at one point – going second man into the ruck as he got there first and when it was needed. I think he had an outstanding game at 13 defending or no defending and in that game he did defend well. He can only play what’s front of him. Two MOTM performance in 3 games ain’t bad at 13 Nick and one of those was against the Boks. Sure more work ahead but surely we can all give him credit when it is due. Foster spoke to about how he seems to have his confidence back and he said he thought it was because he is getting more involved in the game overall. I think De Grut is a real find Nick and young as well and I think he deserves some credit in the formt row. Also, it was nice to see Brodie Retallick say that this was the 1st time in 18 months he actually felt 100% fit and his body back to where he wants it and he played like it so that is promising for the AB’s becuase at his best he is bit of a freak at lock. I think Sotutu will start next match. I am looking forward to seeing him play. He had his best season this year. IMO the best passing forward in NZ – passes like a 10 both sides. No bad for an 8.
Brett McKay
Expert
Mick, this is what I wrote, right here..