'A game based on errors': Wallabies' short-term struggles will reap rewards
Just a couple of years out from the Rugby World Cup in France, the Wallabies have shown throughout 2021 that they’re a team capable of contending for rugby’s ultimate prize.
While they may be coming off back-to-back losses against Scotland and England, there’s no denying that the Wallabies are building to something special.
After starting the season seventh in the world rankings, the men in gold rose as high as third in a year where they’ve beaten international powerhouses including France and South Africa.
Individuals have also benefited on the back of the side’s success, with captain Michael Hooper and centre Samu Kerevi both including in the four player shortlist for the men’s 15s Player of the Year award.
While he’s already cemented his status as a legend of Australian rugby, it’s time Michael Hooper was immortalised on an international level after a season deserving of such prestige. #Wallabies https://t.co/T7Ng5VxfNw
— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) November 16, 2021
Coach Dave Rennie has also been nominated for World Rugby’s Coach of the Year, while Test rookie Andrew Kellaway is one of four Breakout Player of the Year finalists.
While these individuals have been recognised for their individual contributions this season, there’s no denying that the Wallabies have an impressive list of players both in and out of the current squad in the United Kingdom. Fraser McReight and Harry Wilson were to big names not included in the Spring Tour squad, with both young players expected to star in the future.
James O’Connor is one player who has missed a lot of rugby this year, having been ruled out for a lot of this year through injury. 31-year-old O’Connor has started at flyhalf in the last Two tests, and is expected to command the Wallabies attack from flyhalf on Sunday morning [AEDT] as well.
But with the World Cup now less than two years away, O’Connor recently commented on how the depth that the Wallabies have built will serve them well moving forward.
“For sure. I think the depth in the squad is only growing, even some of the guys who have [been] left at home who haven’t come on the Spring Tour,” O’Connor said.
“There’s a lot of guys who have sort of had a taste of Test footy now and who have been around the system who know, I guess, our structures, and know what it takes to win Test matches and how to compete at that level. It’s a huge step up from Super, not only on the playing field but on the training field, the demands are so much more.
“We’ve got 40-50 guys who have been around the squad, it’s only going to put us in better shape leading into this World Cup and leading into the future.”
Even though they’re coming off two losses, the Wallabies aren’t too far off being able to win these Tests.
The 15-13 loss to Scotland at Murrayfield was clearly very close, as was the loss to England for much of that Test. While the score reads 32-15 to the hosts, only seven-point separated the two sides before a Marcus Smith penalty goal with seven minutes to play.
“The margins are very small over here.
“I guess [it’s] a game based on errors whereas sort of the game back home, we’re trying to more so manipulate defences and open up more creating attacking opportunities. Over here, it’s probably flipped the other way but then again it’s getting that balance of you still have to have the ball to win the game.
After already losing one Super Rugby captain to career-ending concussion symptoms, the Melbourne Rebels are taking an ultra cautious approach with Matt Toomua. #Wallabies #MelbourneRebels #SuperRugbyPacific https://t.co/tmzszQSeTM
— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) November 17, 2021
“You still want to dominate possessions as well. So for us, playing in front of 80,000 at Twickenham, even just coming into the stadium, a lot of the guys were just overwhelmed with how unreal it was like, what a spectacle.
“It’ll definitely help the group improve because what the plan and what the goal is World Cup, that’s what everyone’s sort of aiming towards.
“If it’s (the World Cup) over this side of the world, it’s only going to be better because I remember playing in France as well. They have full stadiums, similar footy. The decks can change from one week to the next.”
Should O’Connor line up at flyhalf for the Wallabies this weekend, he’ll create a little bit of personal history for himself.
O’Connor made his first appearance for the Wallabies in the 10 jersey a decade ago on the Spring Tour, also against Wales at the then called Millennium stadium.
“It was a short Spring Tour, it was after the 2011 World Cup. I think I’ve spoken about it before, it was all attack.
“We just went all out and yeah, it was a great experience for me, I really enjoyed playing there. I think I always enjoy playing at, well it’s not Millennium anymore, Principality (Stadium).
“It’s an awesome atmosphere, they bring a lot of people into the city, there’s a huge buzz about it.”
The Wallabies will be without captain Michael Hooper for this test match, with the star flanker having been ruled out through injury. Prop James Slipper will instead captain the Australians against Wales.
That Test will kick off this Sunday at 4:30am [AEDT].
Comments on RugbyPass
Wow, that’s incredible. Great for rugby.
1 Go to commentsYou probably read that parling is going to coach the wallaby lineout but if not before now you have.
13 Go to commentsIf someone like Leo Cullen was in O’Gara’s place I don’t hear Boo-ing. It’s not just that La Rochelle has hurt Leinster and O’Gara is their Irish boss. It’s the needle that he brings and the pantomime activity before the game around pretending that Munster were supporting LaRochelle just because O’Gara is from Cork. That’s dividing Irish provinces just to get an advantage for his French Team. He can F*ck right off with that. BOOOOO! (but not while someone is lying injured)
1 Go to commentsDid the highlanders party too hard before the game? They were the pits.
1 Go to commentsWhat a player! Not long until he’s in the England side, surely?
1 Go to commentsHe seems to have the same aura as Marcus Smith - by which I mean he’s consistently judged as if he’s several years younger than he actually is. Mngomezulu has played 24 times for the Stormers. When Pollard was his age he had played 24 times for South Africa! He has more time to develop, but he has also had time to do some developing already, and he hasn’t demonstrated nearly as much talent in that time as one would expect. If he is a generational talent, then it must be a pretty poor generation.
4 Go to commentsThe greatest Springbok coach of all time is entirely on the money. Rassie and Jacques have given the south african public a great few years, but the success of the springbok selection policy will need to be judged in light of what comes next. The poor condition that the provincial system is currently in doesn’t bode well for the next few years of international rugby, and the insane 2026 schedule that the Boks have lined up could also really harm both provincial and international consistency.
16 Go to commentsJake White is a brilliant coach and a master in the press. This is another masterclass in media relations and PR but its also a very narrow view with arguments that dont always hold water. White wants his team to win, he wants the best players in SA and wants his team competitive. You however have to face up to the reality of a poor exchange rate and big clubs with big budgets. SA Rugby cant compete and unless it can find more money SA players will keep leaving regardless of Springbok eligibility and this happened in 2015 - 2017. Also rugby is not cricket. Cricket has 3 formats and T20 cricket is where the money is at. When it comes to club vs country the IPL is king but that wont happen because the international calendar does not clash with the club calendar in rugby. So the argument about rugby going down the same path as cricket is really a non-starter
16 Go to commentsNZ rugby seem not to have learnt anything from professional rugby. Super rugby was dying and SA left before they died with the competition. SA rugby did a u turn on their approach to international players playing overseas and such players are now selected for Bok teams. As much as each country would love to retain their players playing in local competitions, this is the way the world is evolving my friends. Move with it or stay 20 years behind the times. One more thing. NZ rugby hierarchy think they are the big cheese. Take a more humble approach guys. You do not seem to have your players best interests at heart.
3 Go to commentsBeaches? In Cardiff? Where?
1 Go to commentsHe is right , the Crusaders will be a threat. Scott Barrett, ( particularly), Fergus Burke , Codie Taylor, ( from sabbatical) etc due back soon for the Crusaders. There are others like Zach Gallagher too. People can right the Crusaders off, Top 8 , here we come !!
1 Go to commentsWe will always struggle for money to match the other sides but the least the WRU can do is invest properly in Welsh rugby. Too much has been squandered on vanity projects like the hotel and roof walk amongst others which will never see a massive return. Hanging the 4 pro sides out to dry over the last decade is now coming back to bite the WRU financially as well as on the pitch. You reap what you sow.
1 Go to commentsWhat do you get if you cross a doctor with a fish? A plastic sturgeon
14 Go to commentsWhat happened to feleti Kaitu’u? Hasnt played in a while right?
1 Go to commentsGregor I just can’t agree with you. You are trying to find something that just isn’t there. Jordie Barrett has signed until 2028. By the end of that he would have spent probably 11-12 years on Super Rugby and you say he can’t possibly have one season playing somewhere else. It is absurd. What about this scenario, the NZR play hard ball and he decides to leave and play overseas. How would that affect the competition. There seems to be an agenda by certain journalists to push certain agendas and don’t like it when it’s not to their liking. I fully support the NZR on this. Gregor needs to get a life.
3 Go to commentsHope he stays as believe he can do a great job.
1 Go to commentsMake what step up? Manie has a World Cup winner’s medal around his neck and changed the way the Springboks can play. He doesn’t have anything to prove to anyone. The win record of the Boks with him in the team is tremendous. Sacha can be wonderful and I hope he has a very succesful Bok career, but comparing him to Manie in terms of the next Bok flyhalf is very strange. Manie is the incumbent (not the next) and doing pretty incredibly.
4 Go to comments00 😍 U
1 Go to commentsSabbaticals have helped keep NZ’s very best talent in the country on long term deals - this fact has been left out of this article. Much like the articles calling to allow overseas players to be selected, yet can only name one player currently not signed to NZR who would be selected for the ABs. And in the entire history of NZ players leaving to play overseas, literally only 4 or 5 have left in their prime as current ABs. (Piatau, Evans, Hayman, Mo’unga,?) Yes Carter got an injury while playing in France 16 years ago, but he also got a tournament ending injury at the 2011 World Cup while taking mid-week practice kicks at goal. Maybe Jordie gets a season-ending injury while playing in Ireland, maybe he gets one next week against the Brumbies. NZR have many shortcomings, but keeping the very best players in the country and/or available for ABs selection is not one of them. Likewise for workload management - players missing 2 games out of 14 is hardly a big deal in the grand scheme of things. Again let’s use some facts - did it stop the Crusaders winning SR so many times consecutively when during any given week they would be missing 2 of their best players? The whole idea of the sabbatical is to reward your best players who are willing to sign very long term deals with some time to do whatever they want. They are not handed out willy-nilly, and at nowhere near the levels that would somehow devalue Super Rugby. In this particular example JB is locked in with NZR for what will probably (hopefully) be the best years of his career, hard to imagine him not sticking around for a couple more after for a Lions tour and one more world cup. He has the potential to become the most capped AB of all time. A much better outcome than him leaving NZ for a minimum of 3 years at the age of 27, unlikely to ever play for the ABs again, which would be the likely alternative.
3 Go to commentsJake White talks more sense than anything I've read in the last 5 years. Hope someone's listening.
16 Go to comments