5 talking points ahead of the Wallabies' trip to Europe
The Wallabies end of season tour kicked off with a morale boosting 63-30 win over Japan in Tokyo over the weekend. Some of the rugby on display was excellent to watch and Michael Cheika tested some players out in different positions and gave a couple of fringe players the chance to impress.
There will be sterner tests ahead as they head over to Europe to end their season, but some of the performances will have given the coach a reason to smile – as well as a good headache as to what to do when the bigger nations come up.
Here are five points from the game in Tokyo:
- Reece Hodge is becoming one of the first names on the squad list. A year after his debut the versatile Hodge has played wing, centre and now fly half. He was perfect off the tee on his first test start in the 10 jersey and he controlled the game well, ordering his forwards around, making sure he had runners where he wanted them, and his slight of hand for the inside ball for Henry Speights try was superb. His crunching tackle that led to Nick Phipps try also showed his prowess in defence meaning that teams will think twice before running down his 10 channel. Bernard Foley is no longer a shoe-in.
- Kurtley Beale suits the fullback role. Yes, Israel Folau is an incredible attacking weapon from the back and his aerial prowess was, at times, missed. But he was superb for the Waratahs at 13 and it would be great to see the effect he would have in the same role at international level. When Beale plays at 12, at times he tries to do too much – defensively he is moved either to the wing or fullback and Hodge has been used in the 12 channel as cover. However, at 15 he had a pretty free reign to get involved in the game as and when he wanted to. He has great feet and can spot a gap, his support line from Speight’s break to set up Samu Kerevi’s second try really encapsulated what he is about.
- This was the type of game that Tevita Kuridrani needed. A player that has been pretty non-existent in the past few tests attacking wise and defensively has been caught out a few times bounced back well. Yes, it wasn’t against the greatest opposition but he ran hard with ball in hand and was rewarded with a hat trick. His combination with Kerevi worked very well, the latter’s powerful runs bent or broke the Brave Blossoms line and Kuridrani was more often than not on his shoulder to continue the good work. Defensively his reading of the game was a lot better and he got his shoulder into tackles, a confidence booster ahead of Europe.
- The Wallaby set piece functioned well. Three scrums won against the head and a lineout steal was a good day out. Their own lineout was perfect, showing the work that Tatafu Polota-Nau has been doing as this was a weakness of his. They did mess a scrum up of their own but this was after a raft of changes had disrupted the flow of their game. One thing they will be slightly concerned with was the ability of the Japanese to drive a rolling maul. At times the Wallabies had no answer and Japan made easy yards around the rucks with their three tries coming from close range drives.
- Should Cheika have used a couple of youngsters? Stephen Moore has announced his retirement from test rugby. It would have been the perfect send off for him beating the All Blacks at his home ground in Brisbane – but he is still coming off the bench. With a World Cup only two years away new, younger players need to be blooded in the test arena to gain vital experience. A lot of players got minutes against the Barbarians in Sydney last week but playing a non-cap test match in front of a half-empty Allianz Stadium is a far cry from running out at a packed house in Japan. Karmichael Hunt is player that big things are hoped for, and it would have been nice to see him given a run. Time will tell if these decisions were correct or not – but this could have been a trick missed by Cheika.
Comments on RugbyPass
Looks like the Force twisted his leg…ahem arm
5 Go to commentsScotland should change their name to the Barbarians
2 Go to commentsThe game was already over leave the bloke alone ….from a Welsh fan 😀👍
2 Go to commentsShamefully the Toulouse players acted like footballers, falling down feigning injury at the slightest knock. About time refs penalised this play acting.
6 Go to commentsAnother non Scot for the anti Scot Townsend. Soon there will be no Scottish born and bred players in the National team.
2 Go to commentsGreat comeback to the playing field by Richie Mo’unga after the loss of his father. A great performance by Richie . I know him well and he is a great guy. On and off the field one of the greatest for the Crusaders. Scott Robertson would have loved him in his All Black’s side. A very missed player and person.
2 Go to commentsYeah nah he comes across as a funny bloke, but that stopped abruptly after the Nutcracker Prince debacle✋
2 Go to commentsAt this point I can’t watch him without thinking he’s a dirty slimebag. He should have been banned for the same amount of time that Quinn was out. It took Tupaea near on a fricking year to get fit enough to play again and his leg will never be the same. The other crap thing is that he was at ABs level and now he has to claw his way back there when he could have had several games under his belt.
5 Go to commentsThe Black Ferns 7’s have been without Captain Sarah Hirini now since Dec 23 in Dubai where she suffered a bad ACL injury - hopefully she is on the road to recovery for Madrid and Paris. Now also have Tyler King and Shiray kaka on the Injured List but the Team still found a way to win in Singapore and claim the overall Title.
1 Go to commentsUtter grub, hope he gets his leg broken. Shocking he is still playing after intentionally breaking quinn tupaeas knee
5 Go to commentsGreat to see NZ 7s teams finally coming into form and playing at the level that is expected of them.
2 Go to commentsChief Cheapshot on the market again.
5 Go to commentsCrusaders went all in to buy Hotham and Kemara staight from Hamilton Boys. Then they picked up Reihana and Hohepa; all have been dropped for superstar Havili, who is a very good fullback, that’s it. Ennor and Goodhue were schoolboy stars too but went backwards at the Crusaders. Maybe they have finally decided to give another poach Levi Aumua the ball?
14 Go to commentsJoe S has some talent to pick from. The Reds loosies look the best in Super? Aus might just give Razor a headache this year. Int. experience v Cantab greenhorn:) Should be fun.
14 Go to commentsEnd to end play, “THE FANS” this game was entertainment of the best. The conditions added to the spectacle.
1 Go to commentsSorry to say, but sadly the sadas were just ordinary and havilli at 10 as an abs selection just won’t cut it. He’s better suited in the centre’s and is a victim of past charge down kicks, he’s too slow under pressure. There’s better talent further north and I don’t mean dmac however I believe razor will sort him out. A feature of his presents on the park is the fact that the guys will follow him.
14 Go to commentsMarler was brilliant throughout both in the scrum and open play. His slap made virtually no contact with Ramos who milked it for a penalty when he could have been a decent sportsman and laughed it off, it was non-violent and shouldn't have been penalised. Smith failed repeatedly to kick when necessary and put up a couple of bombs into the TLS 22 that just handed back possession at key moments to the other side.
3 Go to commentsCros was outstanding and rightly awarded France TVs player of the match award. Mallia was brilliant as usual (the y is below the 6 on a UK keyboard and he deserves better than that). Level also seems to have been scored harshly as he walked the ball into touch under pressure from a Lynagh kick from well outside his own half which should never have led to a 50-22. Agree with BullShark that Dupont, while class at times, seemed to go missing for patches in the second half with props, hookers and wings frequently filling in at 9 as he couldn't get off the deck and up to the next ruck on time. A 7 by his standards at best, his kicking was also too long, too often. Kinghorn's overall contribution was worth well more than a five.
6 Go to commentsThe Harlequins team must be in minus figures. Did the reporter actually watch the game?
6 Go to commentsHow on earth did Walker escape a red card? Not dangerous? Dupont has his face in a mask earlier this season. Shocking decision. What is the point of TMOs? We had the Fassi ‘non-penalty try’ yesterday and now this.
2 Go to comments