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Beale concussion a worry as Australia grind it out in the Shizuoka rain

By Online Editors
Australia's Marika Koroibete collides with Georgia's Giorgi Kveseladze in Shizuoka (Photo by Dan Mullan/Getty Images)

Marika Koroibete’s sizzling solo try stole the show but the Wallabies otherwise battled to see off Georgia 27-8 in their final World Cup pool match in drenched Shizuoka.

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Victory on Friday may have come at a cost too for the Wallabies, who lost full-back Kurtley Beale to a likely concussion, while Isi Naisarani was shown a yellow card that could yet warrant a further sanction.

The match was spoiled as a spectacle by rain and swirling wind, conditions which are suspected to be a precursor to Typhoon Hagibis, which is forecast to strike much of Japan on Saturday.

A slippery ball didn’t stop the Wallabies attempting an enterprising brand, barely kicking the ball in general play. They had difficulty breaking down the stubborn Georgia defence in the first Test between the two nations but eventually out-scored them four tries to one.

It was in the 60th minute that the match burst to life when winger Koroibete unleashed one of the tries of the tournament. With his team leading by the half-time score of 10-3, the former NRL star collected a loose ball inside his own half and beat four defenders cold in a thrilling surge to the line.

(Continue reading below…)

Georgia responded against the run of play with a sharp try to winger Alexander Todua before Jack Dempsey and Will Genia crossed inside the final 10 minutes to seal the outcome.

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Australia’s enjoyed about 80 per cent of the game’s possession and territory but spilt chances and stubborn opponents prevented them from building a lead they could relax with until late. There will be concern about Naisrani’s open-armed hit that caught Mamuka Gorgodze on the jaw in the 35th minute.

French referee Pascal Gauzere told the back row his failure to wrap his arm was flawed, continuing Australia’s struggles with high shots at the tournament. They have tallied three yellow cards in their last two games.

There were milestones, meanwhile, for two veteran forwards. Lock Rob Simmons became the 11th Wallabies Test centurion when he came off the bench while it was the 75th and final Test for Gorgodze, regarded as one of the finest tier two forwards in the game.

Australia ran into a Gorgodze-inspired Georgian brick wall throughout the first quarter and suffered a casualty when Beale was forced off when copping an accidental knee to the head from David Kacharava in the 13th minute. The dazed full-back didn’t return and must be in doubt for next week’s quarter-final, probably against England.

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The scoring began 10 minutes later when half-back Nic White darted over following waves of Wallabies attacks. Five-eighth Matt To’omua landed the conversion on the way to a three-from-five return with the boot.

To’omua emerged as one of Australia’s better performers, mounting pressure on coach Michael Cheika to start him at No10 in the knockout games.

– AAP

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Jon 8 hours ago
Jake White: Are modern rugby players actually better?

This is the problem with conservative mindsets and phycology, and homogenous sports, everybody wants to be the same, use the i-win template. Athlete wise everyone has to have muscles and work at the gym to make themselves more likely to hold on that one tackle. Do those players even wonder if they are now more likely to be tackled by that player as a result of there “work”? Really though, too many questions, Jake. Is it better Jake? Yes, because you still have that rugby of ole that you talk about. Is it at the highest International level anymore? No, but you go to your club or checkout your representative side and still engage with that ‘beautiful game’. Could you also have a bit of that at the top if coaches encouraged there team to play and incentivized players like Damian McKenzie and Ange Capuozzo? Of course we could. Sadly Rugby doesn’t, or didn’t, really know what direction to go when professionalism came. Things like the state of northern pitches didn’t help. Over the last two or three decades I feel like I’ve been fortunate to have all that Jake wants. There was International quality Super Rugby to adore, then the next level below I could watch club mates, pulling 9 to 5s, take on the countries best in representative rugby. Rugby played with flair and not too much riding on the consequences. It was beautiful. That largely still exists today, but with the world of rugby not quite getting things right, the picture is now being painted in NZ that that level of rugby is not required in the “pathway” to Super Rugby or All Black rugby. You might wonder if NZR is right and the pathway shouldn’t include the ‘amateur’, but let me tell you, even though the NPC might be made up of people still having to pull 9-5s, we know these people still have dreams to get out of that, and aren’t likely to give them. They will be lost. That will put a real strain on the concept of whether “visceral thrill, derring-do and joyful abandon” type rugby will remain under the professional level here in NZ. I think at some point that can be eroded as well. If only wanting the best athlete’s at the top level wasn’t enough to lose that, shutting off the next group, or level, or rugby players from easy access to express and showcase themselves certainly will. That all comes back around to the same question of professionalism in rugby and whether it got things right, and rugby is better now. Maybe the answer is turning into a “no”?

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j
john 11 hours ago
Will the Crusaders' decline spark a slow death for New Zealand rugby?

But here in Australia we were told Penney was another gun kiwi coach, for the Tahs…….and yet again it turned out the kiwi coach was completely useless. Another con job on Australian rugby. As was Robbie Deans, as was Dave Rennie. Both coaches dumped from NZ and promoted to Australia as our saviour. And the Tahs lap them up knowing they are second rate and knowing that under pressure when their short comings are exposed in Australia as well, that they will fall in below the largest most powerful province and choose second rate Tah players to save their jobs. As they do and exactly as Joe Schmidt will do. Gauranteed. Schmidt was dumped by NZ too. That’s why he went overseas. That why kiwi coaches take jobs in Australia, to try and prove they are not as bad as NZ thought they were. Then when they get found out they try and ingratiate themselves to NZ again by dragging Australian teams down with ridiculous selections and game plans. NZ rugby’s biggest problem is that it can’t yet transition from MCaw Cheatism. They just don’t know how to try and win on your merits. It is still always a contest to see how much cheating you can get away with. Without a cheating genius like McCaw, they are struggling. This I think is why my wise old mate in NZ thinks Robertson will struggle. The Crusaders are the nursery of McCaw Cheatism. Sean Fitzpatrick was probably the father of it. Robertson doesn’t know anything else but other countries have worked it out.

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