Why Australian fans can be optimistic after Super season
The Waratahs 77-25 win over the Sunwolves has set them up for the Super Rugby Finals very nicely.
They were in second gear last week against the Rebels, lucky to win 31-26, but all the structures are in place to prove their worth as a finals team.
I think the Rebels are a very well coached team but lack the punch in the tight five to be a serious finals contender. The Rebels scrum was outpointed by the Tahs last week and completely monstered by a Taniela Tupou-inspired Reds scrum in their 37-23 defeat over the weekend.
The scrum, so long a problem for the Wallabies and Australian Super Rugby teams, is looking very solid for once. The Wallabies scrum was excellent against the Irish and managed to exert a lot of pressure at times.
Over the weekend the Brumbies clearly outpointed the Chiefs in the scrum battle, even with All Black Karl Tu’inukuafe at loosehead. Watching Tu’inukafe smash up the Highlanders with his power scrummaging and big runs in Suva the week before, I thought the Brumbies would be in trouble up front. Allan Alaalatoa handled him very well and was often getting over Tu’inukafe in the scrum contest. Nic Mayhew at loosehead for the Brumbies also surprised with his strong scrummaging. The Brumbies were unlucky to lose the game 24-19.
In Brisbane, Reds tighthead prop Taniela Tupou put on a display of power scrummaging and made life hell for Rebels No. 1 Tetera Faulkner. Tupou was so dominant. Even when he hit the ground first in a scrum collapse, referee Paul Williams gave him the benefit of the doubt and penalised Faulkner.
Tupou’s scrummaging was a lesson in tighthead play. Dominant engagement and all the weight through the right shoulder, locking the loosehead in tight with the right hand, elbow slightly down. When the weight comes on Tupou likes the inside angle, driving the loosehead out with his right hand and putting the weight more through the opposition hooker.
This enabled the Reds scrum to break away completely from the Rebels pack at times – but they were unable to keep the scrum straight and the ball at the Number Eight’s feet. Tupou is great off the bench for the Wallabies and will play many more Test matches over the coming years.
The lineout is still a problem for all Australian teams, with the Rebels possibly having the most effective lineout of the lot over the last two weeks. The Wallabies also had problems with accuracy and defending driving mauls from five metres out. So many times the Wallabies followed up a great scrum with a poor lineout over the course of the three-Test series against the Irish.
All Australian Super rugby teams have problems putting on an effective driving maul and defending a driving maul from a lineout. For a driving maul from lineout to succeed the jumper and two blockers have to be moving forward even before the jumper hits the ground, the focus of the drive has to be the ball and the maul can never be wider than the three players at the front.
So many times this season I have seen Australian teams trying to drive a maul that is four or five players across, too wide and no focus for a drive. New Zealand teams are generally defending the driving maul so much better and putting on a drive much more effectively. Maul defence and attack requires a narrow focus at the front and as many players directly driving on the ball or as close to it as possible.
Watching the Blues beat the Reds 39-19 and the Chiefs beat the Highlanders 45-22 you really saw the art of phase play that New Zealand teams do so well – an art that has been lost in Australia. When quick ruck ball is required, New Zealand forwards really blow past the ruck ball in numbers, taking out all opposition players and going a number a number of body lengths past the ball.
This gives the attacking team a number of benefits, it removes all the jackals and any chance of the opposition slowing the ball down, it also moves the defensive line back. The main benefit is really quick, clean ball with the opposition removed.
I watched the Brumbies get stuck in the pocket behind the ruck for phase after phase against the Chiefs, going nowhere. There were one out runners, no one supporting the runner with a hammer or latch and everyone stopping at the breakdown and unable to get past the ball. At one stage the Chiefs had knocked them back 15 metres after three Brumbies hit-ups. We do not attack around the ruck anymore in Australia nor do we really clean out and blow past the ball when required.
When Australian backlines have space and time they look fantastic, as the Waratahs did against the Sunwolves. Flat backline attack works. The very accurate long cut out passes from Bernard Foley and Kurtley Beale were great, as were the inside balls, and Israel Folau was given a free reign to hit into the backline anywhere.
The go-forward across the field is there, using the width of the field to make the line breaks. Best set play try so far goes to Dane Haylett-Petty last week against the Waratahs in the 36th minute from a lineout. Billy Meakes held the ball up as Tom English took an inside run towards him, Meakes then threw a flat pass to Haylett-Petty, hitting the line at full pace to score untouched.
Unfortunately, teams really know how to shut down this style of attack, as the Irish did in the third Test and the Chiefs against the Brumbies over the weekend, keeping them stuck in the pocket and moving backwards.
Australian backlines look great with space and time; we need better attacking systems to give them this. The old adage of ‘you must go forward before you go across’ comes into play, especially when playing very tight games against New Zealand and South African Teams.
Why not clean out instead of stopping at the breakdown every ruck, why not grab hold of the ball carrier and assist him through every tackle, why not just pick and go if you have cleaned out the ruck well. Why not double team the one pass off the ruck and put the go-forward focus here. All of this designed to break down the defence, get in behind them and let the backs do their thing.
Regardless, I can honestly say I am lot more optimistic at this stage of the season than I was at the start. Australia has some good young and tough forwards coming through, which we have not had for a while. It’s great to see the scrummaging across the board improve and gain some much-needed respect. Some good hard running backs are coming through – Jack Maddocks from the Rebels impresses with every outing. Still a lot of work to do but I definitely think Australian Rugby fans can feel a lot more positive than they did at the start of the season.
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Comments on RugbyPass
Thanks Brett, love your articles which are alway pertinent. It’s a difficult topic trying to have a panel adjudicating consistently penalties for red card issues. Many of the mitigating reasons raised are judged subjectively, hence the different outcomes. How to take away subjective opinions?
3 Go to commentsYes Sir! Surprising, just like Fraser would also have escaped sanction if he was a few inches lower, even if it was by accident that he missed! Has there really been talk about those sanctions or is this just sensational journalism? I stopped reading, so might have missed any notations.
3 Go to commentsAI is only as good as the information put in, the nuances of the sport, what you see out the corner of the eye, how you sum up in a split second the situation, yes the AI is a tool but will not help win games, more likely contribute to a loss, Rugby Players are not robots, all AI can do if offer a solution not the solution. AI will effect many sports, help train better golfers etc.
45 Go to commentsIt couldn’t have been Ryan Crotty. He wasn’t selected in either World Cup side - they chose Money Bill instead. And Money Bill only cared about himself, and that manager he had, not the team.
25 Go to commentsYawn 🥱 nobody would give a hoot about this new trophy. End of the day we just have to beat Ireland and NZ this year then they can finally shut up 🤐
13 Go to commentsTalking bout Ryan Crotty? Heard Crotty say in a interview once that SBW doesen't care about the team . He went on to say that whenever they lost a big game, SBW would be happy as if nothing happened, according to him someone who cares would look down.. Personally I think Crotty is in the wrong, not for feeling gutted but for expecting others 2 be like him… I have been a bad loser forever as it matters so much to me but good on you SBW for being able to see the bigger picture….
25 Go to commentsThis sounds like a WWE idea so Americans can also get excited about rugby, RUGBY NEEDS A INTERNATIONAL CALENDER .. The rugby Championship and Six Nations can be held at same time, top 3 of six nations and top 3 of Rugby championship (6 nations should include Georgia AND another qualifying country while Fiji, Japan and Samoa/Tonga qualifier should make out 6 Southern teams).. Scrap June internationals and year end tours. Have a Elite top six Cup and the Bottom 6 in a secondary comp….
13 Go to commentsThe rugby championship would be even stronger with Fiji in it… I know it doesen’t fit the long term plans of NZ or Aus but you are robbing a whole nation of being able to see their best players play for Fiji…. Every second player in NZ and AUS teams has Fijian surnames… shame on you!!! World rugby won’t step in either as France and England has now also joined in…. I guess where money is involved it will always be the poor countries missing out….
84 Go to commentsNo surprise there. How hard can it be to pick a ball off the ground and chuck it to a mate? 😂
2 Go to commentsSometimes people just like a moan mate!
3 Go to commentsexcellent idea ! rugby needs this 💪
13 Go to comments9 Brumbies! What a joke! The best performing team in Oz! Ditch Skelton for Swain or Neville. Ryan Lonergan ahead of McDermott any day! Best selection bolter is Toole … amazing player
12 Go to commentsI like this, but ultimately rugby already has enough trophies. Trying to make more games “consequential" might prove to be a fools errand, although this is a less bad idea than some others. Minor quibble with the title of the article; it isn’t very meaningful to say the boks are the unofficial world champions when it would be functionally impossible for the Raeburn trophy not to be held by the world champions. There’s a period of a few months every 4 years when there is no “unofficial” world champion, and the Raeburn trophy is held by the actual world champions.
13 Go to commentsIts a great idea but one that I dont think will have a lot of traction. It will depend on the prestige that they each hold but if you can do that it would be great. When Japan beat the Boks (my team) I was absolutely devestated but I wont deny the great game they played that day. We were outclassed and it was one of the best games of rugby I have seen. Using an idea like this you might just give the the underdog teams more of an opportunity to beat the big teams and I can absolutely see it being a brilliant display of rugby. They beat us because they planned for that game. It was a great moment for Japan. This way we can remove the 4 year wait and give teams something to aim for outside of World Cup years.
13 Go to commentsHi, Dave here. Happy to answer questions 🥰
13 Go to commentsDon’t think that headline is accurate. It’s great to see Aus doing better but I’m not sure they’ve shown much threat to the top of the table. They shouldn’t be inflating wins against the lousy Highlanders and Crusaders either.
3 Go to commentsSuch a shame Roigard and Aumua picked up long term injuries, probably the two form players in the comp. Also, pretty sure Clarke Dermody isn’t their coach. Got it half right though.
3 Go to commentsOh the Aussie media, they never learn. At least Andrew Kellaway is like “Woah, yeah it’s great, but settle down there guys” having endured years of the Aussie media, fans, and often their players getting ahead of themselves only to fall flat on their faces. Have the “We'll win the Bledisloe for sure this year!” headlines started yet? It’s simple to see what’s going on. The Aussie teams are settled, they didn't lose any of their major players overseas. The Crusaders and Chiefs lost key experienced All Blacks, and Razor in the Crusaders case, and clearly neither are anywhere near as strong as last year (The Canes and Blues would probably be 3rd & 4th if they were). The Highlanders are annually average, even more so post-Aaron Smith and a big squad clean out. The two teams at the top? The two nz sides with largely the same settled roster as last year, except Ardie Savea for the Canes. They’ve both got far better coaches now too. If the Aussies are going to win the title, this is the year the kiwi sides will be weakest, so they better take their chance.
3 Go to commentsThe World Cup has to be the gold standard, line in the sand. 113 teams compete for what is the opportunity to make the pool stages, and then the knockout games for the trophy. The concept is sound. This must have been the rationale when the World Cup was created, surely? But I’m all for Looking forward and finding new ways for the SH to dominate the NH into the future. The autumn series needs a change up. Let’s start by having the NH teams come south every odd year for the Autumn/Spring series games?
13 Go to commentsWhat’ll happen when the AI models of the future go back in time and try to destroy the AI models of the past standing in their way of certain victory?
45 Go to comments