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It’s hard to know what to take out of the Wallabies thrashing at the hands of a brutal Springboks B-team at Loftus Versfeld.
More than anything I was struck, through bleary eyes of the cold morning, by just how bored I was watching them. In the first international of a world cup year, with a new coach and nearly all positions up for grabs, the Wallabies put in their most lacklustre performance of recent memory.
Wallabies fans, much like English cricket supporters, have an almost superhuman tolerance for disappointment. Losses, particularly at the hands of a ferocious (and, lest we forget, world champion) South African side, are nothing new. But to lose so flaccidly, seemingly without throwing a punch, is a truly upsetting regression.
Much has been said of Eddie and his preferred style of play. But if possession rugby is dead, then bury me with it. I’d rather watch the Wallabies lose a hundred times with ball in hand than a single repeat of the utter contempt for possession we witnessed last night. If we start to win, I’ll change my tune; I’ll worship at the altar of Eddie. But if I have to watch the Wallabies lose, as I usually must, I’d rather watch them lose with some heart and audacity.
The problem with a kick-heavy game plan is it relies heavily on an aerial contest we’ve not picked a side for, as well as a set piece strength we clearly lack, particularly against one as strong as South Africa. Even if we had picked the players who are good at contesting in the air (Marika has never been strong there and Suli…well, we’ll get to him later), if the goal is to force a mistake off the kick receipt, you’re still ending with a scrum which, at this point, is far from a sure thing.
Whilst the constant box kicks and punching to the corners caught the Boks off-guard in the first 15, from that point on they simply adjusted, and used their superior mid-field strength to draw Wallabies defenders in before using their speed out wide to attack from deep within their own half. Territory rugby only works if you keep the other side in its own half-perhaps this is a point so obvious as to be condescending, but it’s one worth remembering after the scenes of Sunday morning.
Then there is the obvious exhaustion toll of constant defence. By the end of the game, Australia had made nearly triple the amount of tackles than its opponent (146-67), which undoubtedly contributed to the late-game defensive slips and penalty count blow-out (13-3).
As for the side, there were issues across the park. Allan Alaalatoa, while strong in defence, couldn’t find his footing and frequently faceplanted in the scrum. Will Skelton, as he often has in gold, looked overawed and a (giant) shadow of his dominant French self.
Michael Hooper, the lion-hearted martyr of Australia’s last decade, was ineffectual, consistently propelled out of the tackle zone by a thundering Andre Esterhuizen like a toddler thrown from a swing into a rose bush. The only forward in any way matching the Bok’s intensity was Rob Valetini, attacking the wall of green with Ardie Savea-like vigour for the full 80.
In the backs, Quade Cooper, whilst solid, seemed indecisive. Reece Hodge looked rushed and failed to have anywhere near the impact of his opposite number. And Tom Wright…well, at least he made his tackles.
Then there was Suli. In a backline held together by the ever-reliable industrial strength glue that is Len Ikitau, the rugby league convert had one of the worst run-on debuts any player could dream of. While supporters may say that they weren’t his fault-the opposition winger scoring three tries on your side doesn’t just happen.
I’ll give him the first one (the Wallabies were seriously outnumbered), but Kurt-Lee Arendse’s second and third tries came from clear defensive misreads, not to mention weak shoulders into contact. It’s clear that Vunivalu either doesn’t trust the men inside him, or he lacks the rugby union vision to understand when he needs to come in and when he needs to stay on his wing. Add to that his second half yellow/penalty try, and you just have a man who doesn’t understand what he’s doing in the game. His inclusion is baffling and frankly insulting to the glut of hard-working Australian wingers who have outstripped him on pace, devotion, competitiveness in the air, defence, and vision throughout the Super Rugby competition.
The one bright moment came in the final minutes, as Carter Gordon crossed the line with the kind of Giteau-esque glee you wouldn’t expect from a man in a team that was 40 points behind. Whilst I won’t jump aboard the ‘Gordon for starting 10’ train quite yet, it was gratifying and uplifting to see the apparent understudy flyhalf take so easily to the field, albeit when the game was more than gone.
It is my sincere and deeply felt hope that this article may be looked upon later in the year as a whinge, a premature heralding of the end of days, an unnecessary snide towards a new team just finding its fee t…but I feel without an improvement in intelligence and intent (and as always, improved execution of basic skills, but that’s for another time), it’s going to be another long year for Aussie rugby.
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.