RWC RANT NO.11

How good was the Australia vs Wales game? I don’t think there is one Wallabies fan who wouldn’t be bursting with pride after that game and to hazard a guess the Welsh wouldn’t be too disappointed with the galant effort of their boys either? Despite the old school try-less result it still had the tension of a Hitchcock thriller, gripping right until the end.

The Game
The Welsh (or was it purely Gatland?) were wise with their tactics, successfully instigating a series of copybook choke tackles, making good use of the high ball and engaging a consistently fast and accurate umbrella defence. The Irish effectively used the same tactic during the 2011 RWC to end the Wallabies campaign and it’s clear this is an issue that needs to be addressed. Whether you judge the Welsh effort as being effective and or successful is subjective, however, it did disrupt the Wallabies flow and slowed their ball dramatically but unlike the Irish, Wales didn’t win. An article I read this morning said Wales tactics gave the Wallabies next opponents an insight into their Achilles heel. It’s a valid point, especially amongst the backs a la Genia being rag dolled however, I can’t imagine these issues won’t be discussed and dealt with swiftly at training.

The Team
Clearly the Wallabies victory was epic but what was most pleasing was the grit, courage and determination, something that has been absent for far too long. This win has validated a number of things namely the team’s collective belief in themselves, the prowess of the brains trust, the ascendency of the Wallabies pack and the demolition of England was well earned and not a flash in the pan. I sincerely hope their level headed approach of focusing on one game at a time – a philosophy I advocate – isn’t populist lip service. Collectively they rallied together and got the job done and now advance to the preferred side of the quarter finals’ draw. As the #tag suggests ‘stronger as one’, is proving to be more than a marketing tag line and now part of the team’s culture, ethos and DNA. The Wallabies defence needs no analysis, two words sum it up pretty well – friggin awesome!

The Forwards
Surprisingly the lineout is still off and this is a priority, a must fix before taking on some less forgiving opponents. Our speed on the ground was poor, as was the throw and the calls need to be smarter. Ahh the Wallaby scrum, finally it has elevated itself to be of world standard no thanks to Ledesma. Of course it makes me smile but at the same time it’s where we should have been for the past 12 seasons. Clearly our adopted Argentinian brother has the ability to translate the complicated theory into practice. The breakdown work was adequate but not dominant and it needs to be; why the Wallabies are copying so many other teams and leaving their feet at rucks is beyond me, it isn’t playing to their strengths and definitely reducing opportunities elsewhere. The forward runners are still too one dimensional, virtually no tip ons, pops off the ground and the clean out was way less effective than it has been but to be fair I think Joubert played a part in that.

The Backs
I’ll have to watch a replay a few more times to decide if the Wallaby backs just had an off night or if the ‘hard up and in’ defensive structure successfully crowded the Aussies’ attack to a point where they lost all space to create. Not that I’m a backs expert but if the waves of basic second man plays aren’t working I thought some more unders lines running would be justified, short punches through on the toe in behind the centres with an aggressive chase or sweeping back in the opposite direction to catch some of the tight five napping would have been tried more often? Or may be Cheika is playing the biggest mind game of them all and only releasing certain plays and trying to win in certain ways until the semis and possibly the final, where the wrath of the Gods will be unleashed to not only do the unthinkable and win a RWC only having taken over the team 12 months prior, but to cement a place in history as the coach of the first Nation to win 3 RWCs? …And possibly receive a blank cheque from the ARU?

The Referee
I usually check who’s refereeing beforehand, but as the telecast began I saw Craig Joubert. As my shoulders slumped, the first words out of my mouth were, ‘bloody hell, looks like we’ll being playing South Africa in the quarters (the censored version). His refereeing style and interpretation of the laws are certainly unique. Interestingly, he made some really intelligent decisions but he also ignored many ruck, maul, obstruction and scrum infringements along the way. I take exception to him ignoring both captains’ questions. Maintaining control is one thing but being as arrogant as he is doesn’t do the game any favours. He wasn’t consistent with his adjudication, his in-game communication was extremely poor and some of his explanations epitomised his pomposity. I’m not criticising the yellow cards he dealt but there should have been 2-3 more. Moreover, he needs to realise, along with a few others, it’s not about him, referees are there to manage the game and not to try and be a superstar within it. I guess ego enjoys many faces but if Joubert is one of the elite, it’s a sad inditement on what’s likely to come. The quality of referees has been in decline over the past 10-12 years but I guess it is what it is?

This is proving to be one of the most enjoyable World Cups to date and based on the results thus far it is likely to be a great final irrespective of the teams. What I’d love to see is a final hosted by the Northern Hemisphere featuring two Southern Hemisphere teams, which is highly possible. I know, pure evil. 😈