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Opinion
The Wallabies’ triumph at Murrayfield draws a line in the sand. They will not allow close games to slip through their fingers.
This game was as much about starting the northern tour strong as it was about reinstalling pride after a disappointing Rugby Championship. It will taste a little sweeter knowing it was just a two-point loss a year ago on the same pitch.
The win was as unrefined as they come and without strike weapon Marika Koroibete the backline failed to fire. Thankfully, the forward pack went to work and got the job done in tight.
Tate McDermott weaved, ducked and dodged his way through Scottish defence early in the first half,
but coach Dave Rennie would swap both piercing darts for quicker, cleaner ball from his halfback.
McDermott’s distribution game was not up to scratch. He arrived late and waited for the ball to be presented neatly as opposed to Finlay Christie in the All Blacks game who pushed, shoved and pulled his own players to get his hands on the ball. It may seem small, but ruck speed is the difference between front-foot ball and a stagnant attack.
(Photo by Mark Kolbe/Getty Images)
The Wallabies’ pack, players one through to eight stood up and showed grit. Line speed was great in defence and Jed Holloway had his most impressive showing of the year. It wasn’t flashy but it was a proper blindside flanker performance, he tackled hard, ran dominantly and slowed Scottish ball, holding players up in almost every tackle.
Cadeyrn Neville and Nick Frost galvanised after detractors (including myself) had their doubts about the pair’s physicality in the Australia A series in Japan. They were both tireless, hungry, and relentless at lineout time.
In the backline, no one stood up more than Len Ikitau, who continues to go from strength to strength. His defence was perfect (9/9) and his left-foot step beat the first tackler every time. If his centre partner Hunter Paisami is a hammer, Ikitau is a needle, threading his way through defences and stitching together the Wallabies D-line. z
Nic White came on in the second half and restored some ruck speed, giving the Wallabies front-foot ball and attacking opportunities, but poor ball handling let the visitors down.
Grit and determination was what won the Wallabies this game, coming back from a 15–6 deficit to win 16–15. Despite a high penalty count (15), the potency of the penalties was low.
Because the Wallabies won collisions in defence, they were rarely offside in their own half. This allowed for
pressure-relieving penalties down the Scottish end which were not in range of penalty kicks. This small shift shows progress in a big way, and it speaks to mindset growth and execution.
But poor ball security at the ruck and ball-handling in play staunched any momentum the Wallabies had; they
were their own worst enemy.
The Wallabies, especially Taniela Tupou, can count themselves lucky after Blair Kinghorn missed a penalty goal attempt in the 79th minute. But he was easily the better five-eighth of the night behind a back-peddling pack.
Bernard Foley will want to improve on an underwhelming and shaky performance. He often played too deep, a very different picture to his valiant efforts in Melbourne in September.
Tupou came on a scrummaged well but got penalised twice and missed three tackles. However, overall this was a better performance from the replacement prop.
A side note: Luke Pearce had an amazing game as referee. He was clear in his communication, fearless and methodical in his decision-making and quick to resolve matters which other referees have laboured over. His decision to award Glen Young a yellow for his high clear-out on McDermott and only a penalty for Paisami for a failed intercept showed he is a rugby lover as well as a match official.
He showed he understands the game is about more than arbitrary law implementation and demonstrated a clear “feel” for the game.
In the grand scheme of things, the Wallabies are a step ahead from where they were a year ago, but they have a longer injury list and fresher faces. It shows the leadership group made the right choices, keeping the scoreboard ticking over with penalties and not chance their arm against a staunch Scottish defence.
The series against England and the NT last year were full of close games. Learning to close them out is an asset for this young Wallabies side heading into a world cup.
Discipline will need to be perfect in Paris next weekend and the physicality and skill execution will need to go to another level but one thing this group isn’t short on is belief. A win in France may be a stretch too far but a arm-wrestle going down to the wire is a pass mark for the Wallabies who are currently ranked ninth in the world.
Join The Roar rugby editor Christy Doran, former Wallaby Matt Toomua and a cast of regular and special guests as they look at the biggest issues in the game on The Roar Rugby Podcast. If you’re looking for great odds on the next game check out Aussie bookmaker PlayUp. Chances are you’re about to lose. Set a deposit limit.