Nick Frost. There’s 206cm worth of reasons why you have to see the bright side to the Wallabies despite the torture they twist into every Test they play.
The most inexperienced player in the starting line-up was arguably their best in the gutsy 16-15 escape against Scotland at Murrayfield on Sunday morning (AEDT).
His upside is huge just like his frame.
Why the zeal? Well, the Wallabies have a lot of players of the type that every other top nation has. They are players that don’t differentiate the Wallabies as having anything extra. Tellingly, in a number of cases, it shows what the Wallabies don’t have.
In Frost, the Wallabies have a figure that every country is hoping to unearth. He’s a towering figure but with the athleticism to make marks everywhere.
He stole lineouts to mess up the Scots, he dished off a lovely pass in the lead-up to the solitary James Slipper try, he covered ground to contribute. Earlier, this season we’ve seen him charge down kicks, surge into holes with his speed and back up as a support.
All are big ticks.
The Wallabies have lurched so much on the win-loss rollercoaster this season that it often obscures the gains when they are there.
A beanpole named John Eales emerged 15 months before the 1991 World Cup and was instrumental in the Wallabies winning the game’s biggest trophy.
The Frost timeline is similar. He may be the skyscraper who has emerged at the right time to help the Wallabies win a sudden-death quarter-final in France next year.
In Australian rugby, we have to first be realistic before talking fancifully about trophies and finals.
Wallabies vs Scotland was a Test between teams ranking No.9 and No.6 in the world. And it showed. You have to fix a whole of execution errors before thinking any differently.
If this were a weekend at Wimbledon, you’d be enthusiastic about the Wallabies winning a tense, tight five-setter between unseeded players on an outside court before the cameras crossed to a Federer vs Nadal blockbuster on centre court.
The scraping and heart shown by the Wallabies to claw back from a 15-6 deficit at Murrayfield must be rated highly. Coach Dave Rennie has that quality embedded in this team for us all to admire.
The Roar experts Brett McKay, Harry Jones and Jim Tucker discuss the Wallabies’ win in the Instant Reaction Podcast
The Wallabies are still a team of moments.
You had to love Tate McDermott’s early 20m dart from the ruck base, the maul-defusing defence, Taniela Tupou forcing a penalty over a Scot holding onto the ball, Slipper turning try-machine in the 2020s and Bernard Foley’s four-from-four goalkicking. There were moments from returning Michael Hooper as well with his mopping up of ball at lineouts and link play.
You had to hate no one backing up McDermott’s break, the dire ball presentation at ruck time in the first half and bungles in execution on attack. The skill execution was cringeworthy off a scrum when an average McDermott pass and an average Hunter Paisami pass turned into Foley being hammered and coughing up the ball. Oh, how Hooper would have loved to catch that bullet-like Nic White pass and burst clear in the final 10 minutes.
This is a five-Test tour and there were pessimists out there tipping a one-from-five ledger.
This Test against the Scots was always a real 50-50 Test on the trip north. It played out that way too because it was a toss up to the final missed penalty goal by the Scottish flyhalf.
Full credit to the Wallabies. It’s a valuable win that can only help confidence.
The reality is the Wallabies are now heading to the spotlight of centre court. They are still unseeded and playing the title favourites from France in Paris.
They were lucky so many unforced errors went unpunished at Murrayfield. It won’t be the same in Paris where the Wallabies have to tidy things up or pay the consequences.
Frost was playing just his sixth Test at Murrayfield. He’ll keep getting better. Let’s hope we get to see him play beside another point-of-difference lock in Will Skelton, at least for part of this next Test. Now that would be an exciting potential pairing.
Nick Frost is awesome and could be like a Victor Matfield. Every Matfield needs a (modern day) Bakkies so I’m hoping a combo with Skelton develops. A breakout season from Tom Hooper or a strong return from Swinton will see them start at 6. Plenty of good prospects in the pack.
Markus
Roar Rookie
I wish Rennie would have the resolve to stick with younger players in the positions where it becomes clear that the "old heads" are not providing greater skill, reduced errors or better decision making. Lolesio for example. His main critiques are standing too deep and lacking the decisiveness to manage the backline, both of which Foley is continually guilty of in addition to weaker defence and boot, while being 11 years his senior. And of course Frost. He still has plenty of things to improve on, but has not shown any less than the 30 year old Holloway or 34 year old Neville. I know he has had plenty of time for Swain, but I think that is a case where better decision making is a completely justifiable reason for selecting almost any other lock at this point in time.
Markus
Roar Rookie
Yes watching that replay Ollie Smith had already very clearly beaten the key defenders. By the time he got to Banks he could have almost just fallen over the tryline in front of him, and that is ignoring the two completely unmarked support runners on his outside ready to score the try.
Markus
Roar Rookie
Pocock's attacking breakdown work was completely unheralded as well. The Wallabies ball security has been terrible for near on a decade, with Pocock near singlehandedly covering the cracks whenever he was able to make the field.
Markus
Roar Rookie
Agreed. I actually like Swain, but for all Rennie's talk about physicality Swain is one that definitely needs to go work on his for an off-season. He isn't having the impact he wants to, and the cheap shots seem to be increasing as a result of the frustration of that.
Waxhead
Roar Rookie
@Deano No hate. Foley appears to be a very nice guy who isn't Test standard - no disgrace there. He's not been test standard since 2016. In all the Tests he's played since 2016 take an objective look. How many tries has he gifted to opposition - add on another one against Scotland. How many games has he lost for WB's - add on the Bled Test against NZ in 2022. How many missed tackles - how many crucial one's that led to tries? How many 100's of aimless on feild kicks that were short and innacurate? How many punts that went out on full outside the 22? How many attempted 22 exits that didn't make the 40m mark? How many penalty line kicks that didn't go out on full, or gained only 20m. How many poor passes, dropped balls and wrong options? How many mix ups with other backline players that led to opposition tries? How many times did the WB backline defence structures have to be adjusted to compensate for his inability to defend in the front line? If you look objectively over 5 yrs this will add up to 1000s. Quade was always better from 2014-21 and in 2022 Lolesio, Donaldson and Edmed are all better now imo :laughing:
Ken Catchpole's Other Leg
Roar Guru
He is brave. I grant him that.
The Ferret
Roar Rookie
He also stopped Caleb Clark from scoring one by simply being in the way for Clarke to trip over. That was he best moment in a test for a long time as that Saffa is a huge unit.
Mungbean74
Roar Rookie
Yep, similar to Yamanaka for Japan. They both have very handy left boots which are good for distance and accuracy down the left side. I agree! Use him more!
Bourkos
Roar Rookie
Ikitau could be used more often as well. His boot is usually very well aimed
Bourkos
Roar Rookie
Is Frost aggressive and abrasive enough? I'm not sure he'd do the breakdown duties required, otherwise he'd be great.
Bourkos
Roar Rookie
And Mitchell as per usual :laughing:
Bourkos
Roar Rookie
Agreed. Laurie's stamp was short lived from what I can see
Derek Murray
Roar Rookie
I actually thought he was good yesterday but agree with your comments on him otherwise
PeterK
Roar Guru
Frost has played 6 for the brumbies. At least as good as holloway or hanigan at 6.
savant
Roar Rookie
Breakdown is supposed to be Laurie Fishers particular area of expertise. I thought there was a massive improvement in the first game against South Africa, Laurie’s first. But we got bullied in the next. The same pattern was repeated against the All Blacks. Good in the first, bullied in the second. Clean outs and defensive rucks are the biggest problem in Australian rugby.
savant
Roar Rookie
Agreed but wasn’t that out of character for Kellaway? I can’t ever remember him doing that before. Something must have happened to cause that.
Nick Maguire
Roar Rookie
RH, Nah, that's all for now. Carry on!
Mungbean74
Roar Rookie
That’s where Donaldson looks like he has the goods, rather than dinky 35 meter kicks.
Barabbus
Guest
On a separate note. Holloway has been given a number of chances now. I don’t think he’s played one decent game in gold. Interested to see what they do at six. Hannigan’s previous test performances suggest he’s not up to it. Samu at six weakens line out. Not sure what we do about blind flank… I’d be tempted for Liam Wright or Seru Uru but that’s pretty unlikely.