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'Anyone can beat anyone': Rennie upbeat ahead of France challenge after downing Scotland
Wallabies coach Dave Rennie said he was relieved after Australia’s nail-biting 16-15 win over Scotland, but insisted that they need to be better.
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Scotland were ahead on the scoreboard and playing with momentum mid-way through the second half, after flyhalf Blair Kinghorn scored 10-points in 11 minutes.
But disaster struck for the hosts in the 56th minute when replacement Glen Young was controversially shown a yellow card for a clean-out on Tate McDermott.
The men in gold marched down the other end of the field and within that 10-minute period, had reduced the deficit to just two-points.
A Bernard Foley penalty in the 71st minute gave Australia the lead for the first time in almost half an hour, before Kinghorn had a chance to win it at the death.
Murrayfield appeared to be abnormally loud as the Edinburgh pivot lined up a shot at goal, which he sent wide left.
Almost 12-months on from their two-point loss at Murrayfield, the Wallabies had gotten their five-game spring tour off to a winning start.
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“A bit of relief, especially with Blair Kinghorn lining up and a hell of a lot of noise in the crowd,” Rennie said after the match.
“We’re happy to hang on. Proud of the effort because at 15-6 we’d given up a soft one straight after half-time, but we fought our way back in and got our nose in front.
“We can be a lot better. We had a lot of possession down in their 22 and we didn’t convert,” he added.
“We’re going to have to be better against France obviously, but it’s been a hell of a lot of hard work from a lot of people and it’s nice to get a result for the group.”
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The Wallabies recently lost a Trans-Tasman battle with the All Blacks in Melbourne at the death, and did what they could to address some areas that could make a difference.
Rennie said the team has “broken our whole game down” as they look to develop some consistency during their Northern Hemisphere tour.
“We’ve looked at areas where we think we can make shifts and that will make a genuine difference to a result,” he said.
“The key for us is to back up tonight with a better performance. We know we’ve got a lot more in us.
“World Rugby at the moment, there’s not a hell of a lot in them amongst the top eight sides, and anyone can beat anyone on any given day.
“We’re happy we stayed in the fight and found a way to win.”
Australian captain James Slipper, who scored just his third try in 124 Tests, echoed his coaches’ comments about winning a tense Test such as this one.
“We’ve had a season where we’ve lost a fair few games in the last 10 minutes,” Slipper said.
“It was nice to actually come out on the right side of the scoreboard tonight so that’s probably the most pleasing things.
“The character shown by the boys just to hang in there and keep creating opportunities and we took enough.”
While the victory did snap the Wallabies’ three match losing streak, their next Test might just be their toughest yet.
Next Sunday (AEST) the men in gold will take the field at Stade de France, and take on next year’s Rugby World Cup hosts.
Scrumhalf Antoine Dupont is set to lead Les Bleus throughout their November internationals campaign.
“It’s hard to get a gauge on their Japanese tour so really we’ve focused on their Six Nations where they were very impressive,” Rennie said.
“We know they’re going to kick a lot, they play zero rugby down their end of the field, but it does create opportunities.
“We’re going to have to look after the ball well. We want to play against them, they prefer to play without the ball they’re very similar to South Africa.”
Australia are also set to play Italy, Ireland and Wales before their 2022 season ends.
Comments on RugbyPass
Thanks for the write up. Great to see the Rebs winning, I am a little interested in how they will go against the remaining kiwi teams, I think they’ve only played Hurricanes and Highlanders but how great to see these players performing!! I also see Parling has a job beyond June 30! A good move by RA? Also how do you fix the Rebels previously scratchy defence?
81 Go to commentsbe smart - go black
13 Go to commentsNext week the Crusaders hopefully have Scott Barrett back. Will be great to have the captain back. Hopefully he will be the All Black captain as well.
12 Go to commentsExciting place to be for the young fella. I expected he was French Polynesian when I saw him included in the France 6N squad (after seeing him in NZs), and therefor be strong grounds we might loose him to rugby down here. Good, in that he is good enough to warrant such a profile, and from a journalism’s fan interaction aspect, to finally get a back ground story on the fella. Hope he has settled into NZ OK and that at least one rugby country will fit with him to help his development, which, if so, he should surely continue for a few years, and then that he can experience France to it’s fullest with a bit more maturity and less reliance on family than you would have at his current age. A good 3 or 4 years before he would be ready for International duty if he wanted to wait. Of course he already sounds good enough to accept a call up, and to cap himself, in the more immediate future (he’d have to be very very good in the case of the ABs), and he’ll get a great taste of that being with the Canes who have a bunch who are just a few years further into their career and looking likely Internationals themselves.
13 Go to commentsI remember towards the end of the original broadcasting deal for Super rugby with Newscorp that there was talk about the competition expanding to improve negotiations for more money - more content, more cash. Professional rugby was still in its infancy then and I held an opposing view that if Super rugby was a truly valuable competition then it should attract more broadcasters to bid for the rights, thereby increasing the value without needing to add more teams and games. Unfortunately since the game turned professional, the tension between club, talent and country has only grown further. I would argue we’re already at a point in time where the present is the future. The only international competitions that matter are 6N, RC and RWC. The inter-hemisphere tours are only developmental for those competitions. The games that increasingly matter more to fans, sponsors and broadcasters are between the clubs. Particularly for European fans, there are multiple competitions to follow your teams fortunes every week. SA is not Europe but competes in a single continental competition, so the travel component will always be an impediment. It was worse in the bloated days of Super rugby when teams traversed between four continents - Africa, America, Asia and Australia. The percentage of players who represent their country is less than 5% of the professional player base, so the sense of sacrifice isn’t as strong a motivation for the rest who are more focused on playing professional rugby and earning as much from their body as they can. Rugby like cricket created the conundrum it’s constantly fighting a losing battle with.
3 Go to commentsOh wow… “But as La Rochelle proved in winning in Cape Town this season, a cross-continental away assignment need not spell the end of days.” La Rochelle actually proved quite the opposite. After traveling to Cape town and back they (back-to-back and current champs) got mercilessly thumped the next week. If travel is not the reason, why else would a full-strength powerhouse like La Rochelle get dumped on their @r$e$ one week later?
26 Go to commentsYou know he can land a winning conversion after the full time siren is up. (Even if it takes two attempts.)
5 Go to commentsA very insightful article from Jake. I would love to know how South African’s feel about their move to Europe. Do you prefer playing in Europe or want to go back to Super Rugby?
3 Go to commentspure fire
1 Go to commentsA very well thought out summary of all the relevant complications…agree with your ”refer the Cricket Test versus 20/20 comparison”. More also definitely doesn't necessarily mean better!
3 Go to commentsMust be something when you are only 19 y.o and both NZ and France want you. Btw he wasn’t the only new caledonian in french U20 as Robin Couly also lived in Noumea until 17. Hope he’s successful wherever he chooses to play.
13 Go to comments“Several key players in the Stade Rochelais squad are in their thirties” South Africans are going to hate the implications of that comment!
5 Go to commentsI know Leinster did a job on La Roche but shortly after HT Leinster were 30-13 ahead of them and at a similar time Toulouse were trailing Exeter. At 60 mins Leinster were 27 ahead but after 67 mins Toulouse were only 19 ahead before Exeter collapsed. That’s heavier scoring by Leinster against the Champions. I think people are looking at Toulouses total a little too much. I also think Northhampton are in with a real chance, albeit I’d put Leinster as favourites. If Leinster make the final I expect them to win by more than ten and with control.
5 Go to commentsHey Nick, your match analysis is decent but the top and tail not so much, a bit more random. For a start there’s a seismic difference in regenerating any club side over a test team. EJ pretty much had to urinate with the appendage he’d been given at test level whereas club success is impacted hugely by the budget. Look no further than Boudjellal’s Toulon project for a perfect example. The set ups at La Rochelle and Leinster are like chalk and cheese and you are correct that Leinster are ahead. Leinster are not just slightly ahead though, they are light years ahead on their plans, with the next gen champions cup team already blooded, seasoned and developing at speed from their time manning the fort in the URC while the cream play CC and tests. They have engineered a strong talent conveyor belt into their system, supported by private money funnelled into a couple of Leinster private schools. The really smart move from Leinster and the IRFU however is maximising the Irish Revenue tax breaks (tax relief on the best 10 years earnings refunded at retirement) to help keep all of their stars in Ireland and happy, while simultaneously funding marquee players consistently. And of course Barrett is the latest example. But in no way is he a “replacement for Henshaw”, he’s only there for one season!!! As for Rob Baxter, the best advice you can give him is to start lobbying Parliament and HMRC for a similar state subsidy, but don’t hold your breath… One thing Cullen has been very smart with is his coaching team. Very quickly he realised his need to supplement his skills, there was talk of him exiting after his first couple of years but he was extremely shrewd bringing in Lancaster and now Nienaber. That has worked superbly and added a layer that really has made a tangible difference. Apart from that you were bang on the money… 😉😂
5 Go to commentsNot sure exactly what went wrong for him at Glasgow but it’s pretty clear he ain’t Franco’s cup of tea. Suspect he would have been better served heading out of Scotland around the same time as Finn, Hoggy and Jonny!
1 Go to commentsBulls disrespected the Northampton supporters and the competition. Decide quickly, fully in or out.
26 Go to commentsI wonder if Parling was ever on England’s radar as a coach? Obviously Borthwick is a great lineout coach, but I do worry he might be taking on too much as both head coach and forwards coach.
1 Go to commentsJason Jenkins has one cap. When Etzebeth was his age he had over 80 caps. Experience matters. He will never amount to what Etzebeth has because he hasn’t been developed as an international player.
2 Go to commentsSays much about the player picking this gig over the easier and bigger rewards offered to him in Japan. Also says a lot about the state sanctioned tax benefits the Irish Revenue offers pro rugby players, with their ten highest earning years subject to an additional 40% tax relief and paid as a lump sum, in cash, at retirement. Certainly helps Leinster line up the financial ducks in a row to fund marquee signings like this!!! No other union anywhere in world rugby benefits from this kind of lucrative financial sponsorship from their government…
5 Go to commentsTrue Jordie could earn a lot more in Japan. But by choosing Leinster he’ll be playing with 1 of the best clubs in the world and can win a champions cup and URC…..
6 Go to comments