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Wallabies rookie Jock Campbell was the most “shattered” man in Paris after being run through for the decisive try in a one-point loss to France but showed enough positives to prove he’s worth persisting with.
On the other hand, veteran Bernard Foley, four games into his return as Wallabies flyhalf, had another low-key performance that failed to convince he’s the best non-Quade Cooper option available to Dave Rennie in the lead-up to next year’s World Cup.
Here’s who starred and who struggled in the Wallabies’ 30-29 loss.
The Roar rugby experts Brett McKay, Harry Jones and Jim Tucker name their stocks rising and falling from the Wallabies’ loss to France
Campbell was fended off by French winger Damian Penaud for France’s match-winning try with four minutes remaining on the clock, having earlier shown good strength and desire to score one of his own that gave the Wallabies a lead.
Campbell was upset afterward, blaming the defeat squarely on his botched tackle attempt, and the miss by Tom Wright that allowed Penaud to threaten the line.
“Pretty shattered, if I’m honest,” Campbell said. Asked where the game was lost he said: “Just the last tackle, just missed the tackle at the end, me and Tommy (Wright). It comes down to that. I’ve got to cop that on the chin and move on.”
Jock Campbell. (Photo by Xavier Laine/Getty Images)
His ownership of the error was praised by former Wallaby Drew Mitchell on Stan Sport.
“I really liked the way he spoke there. He owned it. He knew that he missed the tackle. He didn’t shift it on to anything else.
“We’ve all been in those positions where you feel like you’ve cost your team the game but he was solid under the high ball. He was really impressive in that area and some of his decision making was pretty impressive.”
Harry Jones, speaking on The Roar Instant Reaction podcast, chose Campbell as his stock rising from the game, although he felt the Queensland Reds player would have nightmares about the missed tackle.
“He’s a real fullback and he does fullback things as Hugo Keenan does,” said Jones.
“He’s not trying to always make a break. He collects the ball really well, the high ball in traffic. He seems undeterred by contact even though he’s not a big guy.
“He just seems to have a good read for the game. He finished his try really well. He had a lot to do.
“So the final one, being fended, will be his work on. He’s got to come into that aiming for those hips and when the arm comes out, he’s either got to slap it down and go through it or break it.
“Penaud is hard to tackle but no one’s going to fend you if you attack that fend. Jock Campbell will have a nightmare on that until he fixes it.”
Jim Tucker said Campbell’s technique issue has been seen before.
“It is a matter of learning but anyone who saw Australia A play Fiji earlier in the year – he got fended in a try situation there as well.
“You don’t have to be the biggest guy. And that shows up in the beautiful silky way he runs and takes that outside line and shows his pace. But if you’re not the biggest guy, you really have to blast into that guy’s hips, take the fend out of play, and that’s something he’s not done. So learn, or you’re not in the team.”
Foley was frustrating again at times, losing the ball right on halftime after Campbell opted for a risky play instead of kicking for touch to preserve a lead at the break.
From the Foley error, France marched down field and scored the first of their two tries.
But it wasn’t necessarily that moment or any other significant error with Foley. It’s just that his four Tests so far have surfaced the question of what is Dave Rennie hoping to get from his No.10s long term.
“Everyone’s bagging Foley,” noted Jim Tucker on the Instant Reaction podcast.
“He’s done some really good things. He made a nice covering tackle in the second half. It’s not a case of not putting in. Foley is really getting involved.
“But how have we not shifted in nearly four years from the last World Cup? We’re all lamenting that there’s not a conscious shift from what was not quite good enough last time.”
(Photo by Xavier Laine/Getty Images)
Brett McKay agreed.
“If what he’s bringing to the side is good goalkicking, Noah Lolesio can do that, Ben Donaldson can do that,” said McKay.
“Why are we still hanging our hat on a guy who most certainly won’t be in the next World Cup? He almost certainly won’t play after this World Cup.
“If Bernard Foley is definitely no better than the young guys, and I think that’s questionable whether he is or not, why aren’t we backing the young guys.”
Mitchell, a former teammate of Foley, felt he had been hampered by Rennie’s No.9 rotation, and wanted the coach to minimise changes against Italy next week.
“It’s a crucial game now for for the Wallabies to get one over the Italians in Florence before going into another big clash against the Irish,” said Mitchell.
“You need to start giving players an opportunity to start to combine. Bernard Foley’s had a different halfback every time he’s called for the ball. They need to start getting some combinations.”
Foley was brought off with seven minutes to play and Reece Hodge was thrust into the flyhalf role. Hodge kicked a pressure penalty but was also at fault in the lead-up to the last try.
“I’d say on the Hodge situation, bad call by Dave Rennie,” said Jim Tucker.
“I’d much prefer to have a tired specialist five-eighth for the last 10 minutes of a close Test than a Reece Hodge who’s just a spare parts guy.”
“I think it was a poor substitution taking Bernard Foley off,” said Mitchell.
“You’ve got seven minutes to play and you take your key decision-maker off. Not so much [about] Reece Hodge I’d get him on somewhere, but at 10 was a poor decision only because you’re taking your key decision maker in Bernard Foley off, the key communicator, the driver, the steerer of the ship.
“Having someone who’s not a 10 come on to play 10 in the most crucial moment of the game? I thought that was a poor decision.”
Harry Jones picked Hodge as his stock falling.
“Willie Le Roux came on tonight [for South Africa against Ireland] in Dublin and he lifted everything, looked at pace, didn’t make many mistakes. He just made the Boks better,” said Jones.
“Reece Hodge has to realise if that’s going to be his role there’s nowhere to hide. Mistakes are magnified. It’s unfair because when you have 70 minutes to distribute your mistakes over it’s not as bad but when you come in for 10 minutes or whatever it was… it just made me cringe a couple of those things.”
Taniela Tupou made it clear this week that his 2022 performances had fallen below his expectations, and he went a long way towards redressing that with a powerful display, starting when he won a scrum penalty at the first set piece.
“He won a couple of really important penalties in the first half had good impact around the ground, carried really well,” said Brett McKay.
“I thought that was a real step forward game for him tonight and the Wallabies needed a game like that from him because they didn’t have their work their workhorse upfront in Allan Alaalatoa.”
“Of course, there’s going to be positives, the Wallabies for 79 minutes for that game were strong,” said Drew Mitchell. “There was a lot to like. I thought the impact we got off our bench from Will Skelton, Jake Gordon, they got some solid minutes tonight.
“Taniela was big tonight, Pete Samu as well. We got some great impact off the bench as well as the guys who started the game, put them in a position to win the game.”
But not everyone performed off the bench.
Folau Fainga’a’s first lineout throw after replacing Dave Porecki was picked off, and then he was pinged for a throw when the game was still there to be rescued.
Tucker said a key part of a hooker’s game was to throw straight. “And he didn’t throw straight. And you can look at the [referee’s] decision as incredulous as you want but that was wide and he got called for it.
“Porecki was very solid there and that is the key thing. Nail your lineout.”
Harry Jones added: “It’s been a story all season, Fainga’a’s shaky line out throws. At some point it becomes a selection thing. Can you afford to have a hooker to close out the match who does not nail his throws? I don’t know.”
Tucker called out centre Len Ikitau as his stock rising and said the experience of playing the game would benefit several Wallabies leading into next year’s World Cup.
“When you look at the fact that Len Ikitau, Nick Frost, Dave Porecki were playing in front of 60,000 crazy Frenchmen for the first time – there’s a lot of young players in this side have never had a taste of playing in Paris – that’s really significant going to a World Cup in France next year when it comes down to a big quarterfinal.
“Australia’s fortunes will come down to a quarterfinal – you can close your eyes and have a guess at that now.
“So to be able to play in France, in front of those sort of fans, that sort of atmosphere, that sort of pressure, is significant.
“I thought Ikitau stood up really nicely. He had a very understated touch in that 95 metre try that was scored. Made his tackles. He’s a really accomplished Test footballer now. He keeps doing those understated things in every game.”