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Brett McKay is one of The Roar's good news stories and has been a rugby and cricket expert for the site since July 2009. Brett is an international and Super Rugby commentator for ABC Grandstand radio, is the voice of ACT club rugby, has commentated on Under-20s Championships, Women's Uni Sevens and National Rugby Championship coverage, and has written for magazines and websites in Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, and the UK. He tweets from @BMcSport.
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Well then… the completion of the Rugby Championship for the year and the obligatory non-Rugby Championship games last week brings with it one very harsh reality for the southern hemisphere nations.
It’s been a hell of a comedown for Wallabies supporters, with the best chance of claiming the Bledisloe Cup in years swept away in no time at all as a rampant All Blacks side produced a 57-point turnaround to retain the trans-Tasman trophy.
So South Africa have claimed The Rugby Championship for 2019, their first southern hemisphere title since 2009 and the first time they’ve held this particular trophy.
It’s the final week of The Rugby Championship for 2019, and though it’s not the biggest fish in the rugby pond this year, the interesting thing is that three quarters of the field can still reel it in this weekend.
Between now and the Wallabies’ first game of the Rugby World Cup – against Fiji in Sapporo on September 21 – they have three games to establish not just who will make the cut for the 31-man squad for Japan, but all the combinations and a first XV within it.
Well, wasn’t Week 2 the proverbial cat among the pigeons for the Rugby Championship.
“It was a win, but…” was how plenty of online and social media post-mortem commentary of the Wallabies began after Saturday night’s 16-10 over Argentina, and it’s wasn’t an unreasonable starting point.
The Rugby Championship is under way for 2019, and it’s crazy to comprehend, but after this weekend the competition will be beyond the halfway point.
Like every good crisis to engulf Australian rugby, reaction to the Wallabies’ loss to South Africa in Johannesburg has been a rush to stem the blood flow while forgetting about why the bleeding started in the first place.
Super Rugby is done, and the tipping panel’s attention now becomes international – and with far bigger fish to fry with a Rugby World Cup rapidly approaching.
Soon enough, maybe even as soon as this week, we’ll find out what kind of poker player Wallabies coach Michael Cheika really is.
And then there was one. A tenth successful Crusade for the people of the northern half of the South Island of New Zealand, and a long ride home for a very proud Jaguares playing group.
There’s one pretty important little element about dynasty teams, and it often gets overlooked with all the emotion and the what-ifs and the case-making for the underdog in the lead-up to finals matches.
After 18 rounds and two weeks of knock-out contests – and with only mixed success among it all – the final week of tipping Super Rugby in 2019 is upon us.
There’s a classic pick-up line in the last season of Seinfeld, where Jerry starts talking to a quite attractive woman at a party, and says, “You wouldn’t know it to look at me, but I can run really, really fast!”
The quarter-finals went with the seeds, and that can only mean one thing this weekend for the semis.
So often in the knockout stages of rugby tournaments – indeed, most sports if we think about it – the games themselves can become dour, overly-defensive, minimise-mistakes-at-all-costs affairs as teams knuckle down to progress to the next stage by any means necessary.
They say that the knockout stages are a whole new competition, then I can’t think of a better idea than winding the scoreboards back to zero from this weekend and starting again.
This column originally was going to be the one that lamented the decision-making of experienced Melbourne Rebels and NSW Waratahs players that frankly should know better, but it’s not.
I like it BB, fair to say the fortunes of South Africa have changed significantly in the last twelve months..
Rugby Championship wrap: Eighty minutes until the panic sets in?
Great stuff as always, Nick.
That final video is pretty damning, and just underlines the point I was making yesterday. You can actually see the moment where Beale hesitates before entering the ruck, and then adjusts to go into defensive clean-out mode. So he actively decides not to follow Koroibete into the attacking ruck, and instead gets ready to defend the turnover he’s just allowed.
And that’s in the 15th minute of the game. The score was 3-0…
All Black to the future at Eden Park
very nice of you, Mzili, I’d love to say we’re that well co-ordinated!
All Black to the future at Eden Park
OJ, I’m not making excuses for anyone, and I’ll repeat, this issue is not isolated to specific players like you’re trying to make out.
The attacking breakdown is a an all-of-team responsibility, just as defence is.
This isn’t about trying to win opposition ball (which is certainly part of the backrow’s and Hooper’s remit), but rather securing ongoing possession so that attack can be maintained.
Nor is Beale on his own in making errors that led to NZ turnovers that led to tries.
You want to keep scapegoating Hooper and Beale specifically, and you can knock yourself out, but they alone a long way from the reasons the Wallabies lost in Auckland. They were outplayed from 1 to 23..
The age-old problem at the heart of another lacklustre Wallabies performance
Right, so now you’re adding psycho-analysis to disrespect. Chin up… 🙄
With the Bledisloe Tests both poles apart, what did we really learn?
Why let people think you’re ignorant Ryan, by not clicking on the hyperlink that would answer your question, when you can make a comment like that and remove all doubt?
With the Bledisloe Tests both poles apart, what did we really learn?
None of this take away from that, Betty.
But why not try and identify the ‘why’, rather than just accept the result?
The age-old problem at the heart of another lacklustre Wallabies performance
Really good comment, Highlander, and I reckon your spot on about the toilers.
Scott Fardy was exactly this kind of player, too, and it’s why he keeps getting mentioned as someone that really hasn’t been replaced in the team over the years..
The age-old problem at the heart of another lacklustre Wallabies performance
Mzil, I reckon someone like Fiji is a good example – for a long time they used to get busted at the breakdown and have to rely on their attack only – but now that they’ve added a bit of breakdown mongrel to their game at all levels (Xvs, 7s, PNC, Drua), they’re a different prospect..
The age-old problem at the heart of another lacklustre Wallabies performance
Sailosi, I reckon my point above about the Brumbies tweaking their coaching set-up follows your point nicely…
The age-old problem at the heart of another lacklustre Wallabies performance
OJ, that’s a narrow-minded view and not what the problem was on the weekend. Trying to nail it down to specific players is to miss the bigger issues completely…
The age-old problem at the heart of another lacklustre Wallabies performance
It says plenty about attitude, Kannga, definitely..
The age-old problem at the heart of another lacklustre Wallabies performance
I think your second line nails it, Carlin – they were out-muscled to a degree, but it was more that the Wallabies were the slowest to the contest that caused the issue..
The age-old problem at the heart of another lacklustre Wallabies performance
And both come down to attitude, Bo..
The age-old problem at the heart of another lacklustre Wallabies performance
Plenty of truth in this, mate… :thumbup:
The age-old problem at the heart of another lacklustre Wallabies performance
yeah, agree Ricco. I brought it up only recently, but back in 2015, I thought we underestimated how well Fardy-Hooper-Pocock worked as a unit because the three of them all did bits of each other’s game and so it was a good balance. Hooper and Fardy carried, Fardy and Pocock pilfered, and Hooper and Pocock tackled themselves into the ground (and not that Fardy didn’t)..
The age-old problem at the heart of another lacklustre Wallabies performance
Don’t worry Chookmna, it’s not just you… :unhappy:
The age-old problem at the heart of another lacklustre Wallabies performance
Yeah, I think that has a lot of merit Paul…
The age-old problem at the heart of another lacklustre Wallabies performance
Consistently inconsistent, you might say, BB..
The age-old problem at the heart of another lacklustre Wallabies performance
yeah, I was the same BS. I only saw the second half live, and one of the first things I noticed on the resumption of play with the score already 17-0 was Coleman and Salakaia-Loto standing off a ruck and allowing Whitelock pretty much a free play at the ball, which he won, and from which the ABs countered.
Now, Coleman and Salakaia-Loto were by no means alone for the rest of the half, but as soon as I saw this live, it was ‘right, so this is the problem again…’ 🙄
The age-old problem at the heart of another lacklustre Wallabies performance
Ha, ‘we’ and ‘they’, Richie. Reckon that applies to a few supporters too…
The age-old problem at the heart of another lacklustre Wallabies performance
Dahl, even if it’s not Laurie Fisher per se, it’s worth observing the difference in the Brumbies game this year which has come from switching from a standard forwards/defence coach type set-up, to what they produced with Fisher looking after defence, the breakdown, and the contact area, and Dan McKellar focusing on set piece.
The days of straight forwards and defence coaches might be coming to an end..
The age-old problem at the heart of another lacklustre Wallabies performance
Oh, I am Cole!
In truth, a simple search for ‘attacking breakdown’ through old article returned dozens of articles over the time, but that also included Super Rugby articles, in which all the Australian teams have had their issues.
And in fairness, some of those references were positive!!
But I will admit, I was surprised at just how many times I’d referenced it as an issue for this group of players in an Australian jersey…
The age-old problem at the heart of another lacklustre Wallabies performance
Yeah, agree Riddler, but something happened around the time of Hodge’s first try last week, and they flicked the switch. I remember having the same concerns early on, but after that point, they were just much more switched on when it came to hitting rucks..
The age-old problem at the heart of another lacklustre Wallabies performance
I don’t think you can admit that at all, Doctor. I know it’s fun/cool to lay into the Wallabies again, but the truth is they currently have as much ‘right’ as any other team.
In fact, if nothing else, 2015 showed that a team with seemingly little form going into the tournament can find form within and go on a run as deep as you can possibly go…
Rugby Championship wrap: Eighty minutes until the panic sets in?