If a body was a cynical type he may even think the AB’s lost in Sydney so that the Eden Park crowd was jam packed for the send off of some of the greats, on NZ soil.
There was just no comparison between the two games. In a nutshell, we kicked with our usual ineffectual aplomb and they scored. Not much of a game plan in hindsight.
Had to laugh when Kafe said something to the effect that with Gits on the field we now had a left-right boot options. This was followed by Toomua’s kick that saw Smith (the elder) scramble over.
We had started to look like we wanted to play Rugby and assembled 12? phases just before that kick but it had to be given to the opposition so we could practise our broken-field defense.
The tactical kick in Rugby for the Wallabies has to be the very last option and nobody should be willing to be the mug. When Ben or Aaron do it there is menace and opportunity, when Nanai does it it goes where it will do the most good. When we kick it very few know about it and the intent and skill are wasted. I would fine/fire/yank anyone who kicks outside the 22 and doesn’t gain ground or possession.
We blew that game, perhaps returning the favour, by being unwilling to play Rugby, tire them out with multiple phases, exploit momentary weaknesses, put the broken field runners into gaps, have fun deconstructing their game.
They certainly did muscle up on attack but we relapsed into magical play, again.
Good to see Bam Bam wearing headgear again.
Nick White looked less like he wanted to make every decision and his feet stayed planted for the pass but his service was not good enough at this level. Phipps should come back.
Horwill has no penetration, and hasn’t had any for 2-3 years. Kane and Skelton, now that’s the duo.
If Quade then only off the bench and only if the opp. has been put through the ringer. The bloke’s an emotional mess in NZ.
We are aware that Cheika is concentrating on the RWC but it would have been nice to get some silverware. He did not prep that squad well enough, that is aside from the selections.
Oh well, we know we have our share of Rugby players, it’s letting them develop into a self-driven unit that reacts in an effectual manner that seems to be the hardest part. Like what you see every time we play the ABs.

Nice article.
I see a definite improvement in the basics. particularly tackling, which in Rugby is; target the legs, get the player down and then squabble over possession. Lots of good things come from the ruck. The Ball and All tackle has such a high failure rate that its persistent use was the main reason why we leaked points.
The number of 80 minute players has gone up, oh for the days when 15 ran on and maybe 13 staggered off. This ‘luxury’ has created the ‘finisher’, a player with 20 minutes to assist in deciding the outcome and we have a few of those.
The support for mini-breaks is not as high as it is for the ABs (the benchmark). Cheika maybe needs to have a long chat about learning the others’ game, what they are likely to do, what are they capable of, what ‘tells’ are there etc. We still look as if we are more worried about positions than the actual play (and player) that is developing.
I blame the decade long form collapse on trying to emulate/channel/absorb the teams of the golden eras. What they didn’t realise is the amount of work and discussion those players and coaches invested in the outcome. That is the essence of team work and no sport exposes an underdone ‘team’ than Rugby. No amount of talent will be good enough until it is presented in the form of 15+ committed mates who will do everything and anything to get the job done. Going professional made it that little bit harder.
One other little note, the clean up of stragglers on our side of the ruck, much improved, any opposition need to understand that if it is a Wallaby ruck, get the hell out of there. That kind of cold aggression is vital.

Foley has been off for a while, his kicking probably the best indicator of that form collapse. However he will be kept around as Toomua will find a way to hurt himself, he’s too brave sometimes.
Phipps only had two bad moments and was let down by players not keeping their eye on the ball. Nick White showed he will kick away good possession every chance he gets and was damn lucky to have added 10 pts.
Drew Mitchell added very little, the Rooster continued his belittling form of old. That knock on showing he is not committed to helping the team.
Finally, at last, tackling has made a comeback. So many of our tackles concentrated on tying up the legs and preventing deeper penetrations. This gave the fetchers time to target the ruck and we looked like a Rugby team. But not every player is committed to this new addition, AAC was grabbing for the ball when run over by Milner-Skudder when he scored, perhaps his only blemish in the match.
The forwards need more drilling on passing till it becomes second nature. Quick rucks are negated when a loopy pass meanders across the sky to a player who was, until the pass, in a good position.
I suspect there is still a lack of communication, chatter, code words, in attack as some very promising raids fell short.
Cheika has shown he can prep a team at this level which was a bit of a surprise. There is at least 20% improvement available given the form shown last night and that makes Webb Ellis dreams all the more sweet.
Some, like me, doubted the Wallabies. Would they be fit enough, be smart enough, be free to think on their feet enough, be ready to play good solid basic Rugby well enough to take on their better schooled opposition and the answer is yes. A work in progress though, with a relapse only a game away. Wallaby Rugby is perhaps officially dying, Real Rugby taking its place.

Anybody recall the incident when Jannie threw a punch at another players head? His arm stiffened straight as the heel of his right hand contacted the back of the head/top of the spine of a retiring black player. A recent game, I think he was in Shark’s colours. No-one said a thing.

It boils down to the ability to play with a sense of teamwork when things get ragged. Of course getting things to go gnarly is another step up but that is for the future. At the moment it is having to rely on their basic skills when the speed and thinking goes exponential that fails the Wallabies, and that requires perhaps even waiting for the next squad.

The experiment with the X factor needs to be put to bed, it is hard work and building up the squad’s self-awareness that needs to be accomplished first. Not something that suits the punter mentality but this is Rugby, the game has no room for chancers, all that counts is cold-blooded execution. Cheika has the brief, he also has some runs on the board so it boils down to how many he can take with him after the Super season has ended.

One thing that needs doing is getting more fluency in the off-load game so runners can attract close support. We need most a bullocking 8 who bends the line and then delivers, would be nice if the all the forwards could join in. Yes, Hooper, McMahon are already there but we need 30 tuned up players for a successful RWC squad.

Our problem with the scrums is the inability of the IRB to write (preserve) the laws so that a fair contest can occur when possession is disputed. The scrum worked for millennia till some under-qualificationalist decided to make it a brawl and it has gone downhill since. The laws as they are today fail the game on many levels.
(a) The ref should not have to say one word.
(b) There is a mark, respect it.
(c) The ball must be fed straight down the middle over that mark and let the hookers strike.
Anything else is not Rugby and has done nothing positive for the game.
At the heart of Rugby is the notion of ‘contest’, it must be equal and only the constant use of skill, fitness, strength and guile over the eighty should be deciding factors in the outcome.
Rugby is at its best when broken play has scurrying minds trying to get the ball into the right hands, set pieces just restart that process and should be treated as a minor moment, not the protected, invaluable source of tedium and dross.

Night and Day separates them. No passengers, no time, no excuses. An examination (test) of the entire RU is what it is, simples.

Win-Win, cheers!

Please add Moore, Hanson, Phipps, Foley, Lealifano, AAC, Horne, Fardy, Horwill, Carter to that list WNM (inpo).

Perhaps alone on this site I don’t see this period as a loss. What I have seen is the steady disappearance of the fomula-driven game plans being replaced by a less structured fast ruck, quick passing game that was always Rugby. Set pieces are mere restarts, things can be made to happen but the skill, accuracy, pace required of the guerrilla game had been lost. You cannot retrain entire careers, bring thousands of hours of muscle memory undone overnight. Link did quite a good job and it is sad that he let things get out of hand however, if Cheika maintains this momentum (which he should) then things will improve.

If this ‘vision’ is accompanied by a pragmatic effort to continue to raise the quality (skill, fitness, decision-making) of the players then maybe it will work. I love this game because of what it has meant for the societies that supported it. A training method for leaders and team-builders, a social networking grounding, a builder of integrity, resilience, courage. Rugby is under threat from those who see it purely as a form of entertainment, a product to market, it has much more to offer. It is always the value, the substance, of the (ex) players that is our most profound contribution. Very few things can make that claim, we still can if we see it as a fundamental.

Could not agree more about this and would expand it to any kick outside to red zone – unless the team has an absolute first class kicker and everyone wants them to ‘do their thing’ then send them back to club. As soon as White made that kick (only about our fourth for the match by the way – new record?) it was over. The ABs just did what they do best, put points on the board, this time, enough.

Travesty? We know enough about Nic to understand that is his default option, he will take a lot of re-education to ever contemplate contributing to winning a world cup.

I hope Nobody puts his hat into the ring, his stature and deep understanding of the game should see the good ones improve, the marginals step up and the serial offenders sent packing.

Let’s test it to find out.

Hence Rastafarian, see, it all makes sense after all, Thx Alan.
Its also why I see pretty girls every day to brighten up my dotage.

Lovely piece Brett, cannot fault this though I do want to wade in against Simmons. He is still being penalised for lineout infractions and that is not good enough. I would bench him for Horwill though I also suspect Horwill is now too slow and not penetrating but he shouldn’t be, no solid reason why he should, but he was captain when he lost the gig so maybe he will step up. Phipps did have an uncharacteristically poor night but nerves, maybe? We did shut them down quickly, stopping momentum so the team is on the right track, just those handling errors, aaaargh! Beale did his thing, ran sideways, fooled no-one but himself and merely looked threatening.

The thing we never seem to be able to shake is the belief in kicking. Absolutely rubbish kicks, no intent to recover, nor put receivers under pressure, nothing tactically gained but still, up she goes, to nowhere. I watched the game with Dad in Canberra and we worked it out that team tactics are, with the ball in the air, nobody could score points with it, not much of a reason but we had a chuckle. A team near the top of the standings taking a punt rather than making it happen with ball in hand is going to be a nightmare to watch, and follow, and support.

I hope you are wrong about Higginbotham, especially against the Argies, his tendency to seagull and not being prepared to mix it up in the hard yards will be a major benefit to them. They are superbly drilled, fit and love the tough stuff, their bodies are hardened but Higgers, in the few S15 games when he was involved in pick and drive sessions seemed to get hurt, not enough to be replaced but enough for him to go absent for the next two phases. Hodgson for mine, 80 minutes of snarling graft, outright thievery and not one apology, give him vice a captaincy as well. He is just what Hooper needs, they would be fighting over who filched it, and move Fardy to 8. He and Matt can catch at lineouts too between Carter and whomever. You are perfectly right to argue with Spiro and Lord, they would merely rebadge the ‘Tahs and bugger the rest of the provinces.

The Argies are on an exponential curve in improvement, nothing is in the bag, thoroughly enjoyed there play so far Here’s hoping the ref refers to his dog next time he tries to rob them of a try AND they didn’t spit the dummy, which has happened previously, they just turned around and got on with it. This is a Rugby team, a nation, on the move.

If Pulver thinks KB should stay, can he explain why? Because he is what to Oz Rugby? All I see is a decent S15 player who didn’t make the leap to test level.

If anyone is thinking we are going to have easy wins against the Pumas, think again. They are playing skillful, fast, intimidating Rugby and just may promote the ‘Boks into the lead by denying us and our cousins wins or bonus points.

Last Saturday night. A team foxing, already celebrating. Link is not the man to take us anywhere, in his defence, probably too smart, he out-thinks himself and needs someone to tell him when to get real. My choice, Nobody, John has a lovely balance of humility and cold-bloodedness more than capable of sacking/benching those who undermine the team.

Definition of stupidity: Keep doing the same thing expecting a different outcome.

Link needed to shake things up and
White/Beale – Phipps/Foley would have been a decent start, allows for a Phipps, Toomua, Foley option too, breaking the line,
Skelton for Simmons another,
Izzy to 13 and
AAC/McCabe to 15.

Would freshen/sharpen some minds anyway.
Time to step up, Eden Park size steps too, and that includes the off-field crew.

All I can say is I told you so.
Kick away good possession and your opposition sees you as weak, weak-willed or weak-minded, neither is more important.
Who knows if the fly-half alteration worked but we do know that KB was not the game-changer he was touted to be.
Two yellows and still manage a draw, that’s a sister you would kiss.
The surface and conditions were not our favourite and it was one they would be more comfortable with so made more difficult.

Ok Link, Eden Park next, what have you got for us? Any more mind-games or just solid Rugby decisions. You have made it harder for yourself because now there is no more Nonu (the brick with hands) and Conrad will be back, that was a very good opportunity before the NZRU saw the light about ageing players and mis-placed loyalties. You know you have to win this one right? Before you go home tonight could you make sure that Nobody is or becomes an accreditted coach? Psst, Phipps (less emotional, thats a good thing at test level, right?), Skelton to start but only for the first 30, then Simmons, don’t touch Carter please, we want more front foot ball, oh, and coach Izzy about going low into certain tackles, KB is a lost cause in that department, won’t object if you drop him though, still a great impact player but needs the opposition to be slower, heavier than this lot.

The difference between these two squads is miniscule. We know each others’ game so well by now it will all come down to heart, will i.e. intangibles. If each of the WBs are ready for a 80 minute, no holds barred slugfest AND are smarter about it, more clinical, cold-blooded then they will be in the game.

Very disappointed with Foley’s demotion and even if there was any real reason for it then surely Toomua is ahead of the one dimensional KB?

Wrong-footing the ABs, yeah in what dimension is that? Hansen and Co are not even remotely bothered by what we do now and will only consider the best person for the positions in their squad. Some may call it arrogance, I would suggest it is focus, concentrating on what they can control. But Link has a history of liking mind games, and yes, it does make good copy for the chattering class, but the ABs do not listen to them.

Link has the upper hand right now as he is closer to the players but if any of them are exposed as chancers, more interested in creating thrills rather than solid Rugby, get isolated frequently and give broken field possession away then he should have his selection privileges taken away. This is serious and no time for high school points scoring.

Appreciate the thoughts and effort Mike.

In my feeble defence can I say I did probably err in the use of brevity.

I enjoyed your constant invocation of the ‘Ella’ example because what that era demonstrated is that when you get a group who are inspired by the ‘art’ of the game and seek the necessary supporting technical mastery of the ‘basics’ then finding ways to unravel, to delight and awe, to entertain, just come naturally. Foley and Phipps would have been welcomed by those players, (though as a Rebel member, in Phipps case, I am still working through the stages to acceptance).

Most commentators..? Well there always has to be the malcontent, the square peg who keeps insisting that if hasn’t been working then it has to be asked; what is it that is wrong? how do we fix it? what have we forgotten? etc.

What I hope every Australian coach, club official and a majority of players (those with any ambition anyway) will have learned is that Rugby is played better, more effectively, more successfully and more entertainingly with the ball in hand. Kicking it away only to avert a very clear danger or to a planned quick regather.

The possession game works – so all the ancillary stuff like running in close support, establishing legal techniques for quick ruck ball recycling, etc. is what builds upon that possession, creating pressure. The vice versificationalisms also apply when denying the opposition fast recycling, legally of course, anticipating what their close support need…

Rugby is a game created to develop fast accurate aggressive thinking where the team that does the best at that should give themselves a shot. Given the quality of youngsters we produce if they are also exposed to these lessons and are encouraged to practice them in the heat of the contest we should never be fearful of another WRC, TRC or Bledisloe again.

Time for our coaches at all levels to step up

Thoroughly deserved Matt, congratulations.
I suspect that without Matt this team would not have shown the steel they did.
Players like him make any coach look competent, so, developing his partners-in-crime (most pilfers etc.) should be the off-season’s no. 1 task.

What the others said: Class, sportsmanship, everything sport is supposed to bring out in us.

Thanks Brett, Jerry

Craig Joubert had absolutely no intention of making any bad calls, full stop, period.
What he saw, he called.
He did a great job and we are indebted to have him as a SH ref.

Todd was gracious, or as gracious as anyone could be when handed a last second loss in such an important contest, especially when his organisation were under no more pressure than they had overcome before. Anyone know if the comments were offered freely or in response to a question and then ‘beaten up’?

One of the best games all season. The qualities of New Zealand coached players was evident throughout and all those ‘little things’ kept them in the game despite the ‘Tahs advantages.

When Foley stepped up to the mark it reminded me of the things I had read about him, his dedication, his self-denial, his mental preparation, his choice of friends and training buddies all said; there is no better player on the field, in this situation, under this pressure, at this moment. Which only goes to add emphasis to the simple fact is that he ‘willed’ his mind and body to be ready when the call came. Nothing, not even freakish talent, can replace dedication, willingness to learn and prepare. That could have been anybody, but guess what, it wasn’t.