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The Wallabies have completed a comeback of epic proportions, coming back from 31-7 down at halftime to beat Argentina 45-34 and avoid the wooden spoon in their final Rugby Championship test in Salta.
The Wallabies exacted revenge on the team that had beaten them at home just weeks earlier and were able to alleviate some of the pressure both the team and head coach Michael Cheika have come under in recent times.
An impassioned speech made by Cheika at halftime to his clearly struggling troops may have given the Wallabies the boost they needed as they came out of the sheds firing.
Can't say I've seen a more passionate coach than Michael Cheika #ARGvAUS pic.twitter.com/yume3POSrW
— The Rugby Pod (@TheRugbyPod) October 6, 2018
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The team and Cheika had been criticised heavily after a disastrous first half and the knives were out on social media.
You’re in good company
— Scotty Stevenson (@sumostevenson) October 6, 2018
Cheika is a mourinho man walking!!!! This is absolute filth #ARGvAUS
— Clint Stevens (@clintstevens123) October 6, 2018
After the match Cheika was asked what was said, to which he responded “I suppose it’s not really for the public.”
“This game is personal, everything’s got to have personal meaning and we needed to get some personal meaning for our game,” he continued.
“The first half it wasn’t there. Once the lads got some meaning behind what they wanted to do and some purpose, they played a heap better.”
“At halftime it didn’t look like Australia was going to do well. The boys who were wearing the jersey made a decision to try to turn that around and they were able to do that and that means something.
“When it means something, you sing louder. You run harder, you tackle harder. When it means something to you, everything’s bigger, louder, stronger and that’s probably why we were like that.”
Fox Sports commentator Nick McArdle said of the speech “I haven’t seen him [Cheika] like that. He was wild with emotion”.
Former Wallabies George Gregan and Phil Kearns agreed that Cheika’s actions were necessary.
“You don’t get that reaction from players if you do that every week and he shouldn’t be in that position every week,” Gregan said.
“There was no way they trained the way they played in that first half,” Kearns added.
Though the speech was unable to be heard, Kearns and McArdle tried to dissect what the visibly upset Cheika may have been saying to his players at halftime.
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“It’s been all about Michael Cheika this week and if he is going to save his job and if the players are going to play for Michael Cheika. Surely it has to happen in the next 40 minutes,” McArdle said. “Is he imploring his players, ‘show me something’!”.
“I think that’s all he can do,” Kearns replied. “Go back to the stuff that we’ve trained all week. We’re not playing like we train is probably what he’s saying.”
McArdle noted that in the changing rooms the Wallabies looked simply “devastated” while Gregan said they “look like a team that are down on confidence. and that’s definitely what they are”.
The second half saw a different Wallabies side emerge, as they roared back with five tries to claim the 45-34 victory and extricate themselves from the bottom of the table.
In other news:
Comments on RugbyPass
Anna, You are right, we need to have patience whilst the others catch up to England and France. Also it is the PWR that has been the game changer for England. the RFU put money into that initially at the expense of the Red Roses. I was sceptical at first but it has paid off in spades.
1 Go to commentsI think Matt Proctor became a 1 test AB in the same fixture. Cameron is quality and has been great this season, can’t believe’s he only 27. Realistically how would he not be selected for ABs squad this year. Only Dmac is ahead of him as a specialist 10. With Jordan out, it will come down to where and when Beauden Barrett slots back in, and where they want to play Ruben Love. Cameron seems an absolute lock in for the wider squad though. Added benefit of TJ-Cameron-Jordie combination at 9, 10, 11 too.
1 Go to commentsFarcical, to what end would someone want to pay to keep this thing going.
1 Go to commentsHavili, our best 12 by a mile, will be in the squad, if he stays fit. JB is the most overrated AB in the last 50 years.
61 Go to commentsWe had during the week twilight footy, twilight cricket, tw golf plus there was the athletics club. Then the weekend was rugby 15s plus the net ball, really busy club scene back then but so much has changed and rugby has suffered. And it was all about changing lifestyles.
6 Go to commentsIn the 70s and 80s my club ran 5 Senior sides plus a Vets. Now it is 2 sides with an occasional 3rd team. Players have difficulty getting to training now, not sure why and the commitment is not there. It seems to me more a problem of people applying themselves and not expecting to turn up and play whenever they want to.
6 Go to commentsROG’s contract is until 2027. The conversation about a successor to Galthie after RWC 2027 may be starting now. We can infer that Galthie’s reign stops then. He is throwing the Irish Coaching Job angle in because he is Irish. The next Irish coach MUST be Leo Cullen. As well as being the best coach available, coaching the vast majority of Irish Internationals week in week out, he has shown incredible skill at recruiting the best coaching staff for the job in hand. That was a failing in France. Cullen is a shrewd guy and if there is a need for foreign coaches underneath him he won’t hesitate. Rightly so. Ireland does need to start to bring Irish coaches through. Not just at the professional level but we need to train coaches to man new pathways for developing kids from schools/clubs up through the divisions.
8 Go to commentsNo Islam says it must rule where it stands Thus it is to be deleted from this planet Earth
18 Go to commentsThis team probably does not beat the ABs sadly Not sure if BPA will be available given his signing for Force but has to enter consideration. Very strong possibility of getting schooled by the AB props. Advantage AB. Rodda/Skelton would be a tasty locking combination - would love to see how they get on. Advantage Wallabies. Backrow a risk of getting out hustled and outmuscled by ABs. Will be interesting to see if the Blues feast on the Reds this weekend the way they did the Brumbies we are in big trouble at the breakdown. Great energy, running and defence but goalkicking/general kicking/passing quality in the halves bothers me enormously. SA may have won the World Cup for a lot of the tournament without a recognised goalkicker but Pollard in the final made a difference IMO. Injuries and retirements leave AB stocks a bit lighter but still stronger. 12 and 13 ABs shade it (Barret > Paisami, Ione = Ikitau, arguably) Interesting clash of styles on the wings - Corey Toole running around Caleb Clark and Caleb running over the top of Toole. Reece vs Koro probably the reverse. Pretty even IMO. 15s Kelleway = Love See advantage to ABs man for man, but we are not obviously getting slaughtered anywhere which makes a nice change. Think talent wise we are pretty even and if our cohesion and teamwork is better than the ABs then its just about doable.
11 Go to commentsCompletely agree. More friday night games would be a hit. RFU to make sure every club has a floodlit pitch. Club opens again Saturday to welcome touch / tag. Minis and youths on Sunday
6 Go to comments1.97m and 105Kg? Proportionately, probably skinnier than me at 1.82 and 82kilos. He won’t survive against the big guys at that weight.
55 Go to commentsThe value he brought to the crusaders as an assistant was equal to what he got out of being there. He reflected not only on the team culture but also the credit he attributed to the rugby community. Such experience shouldn’t be overlooked.
8 Go to commentsGood luck Aussie
11 Go to commentssmith at 9 / mounga 10 / laumape 12 / fainganuku 14
61 Go to commentsBar the injuries, it’s pretty much their top team …
2 Go to commentsDon’t disagree with much of this but it appears you forgot Rodda and Beale, who started at the Force on the weekend.
11 Go to commentsExcept for the injured Zach Gallagher this would be Saders best forward pack for the season. Blackadder needs to stay at 7, for all of Christies tackling he is not dominant and offers very little else. McNicholfullback is maybe a good option, Fihaki not really upto it, there was a reason Burke played there last year. Maybe Havilli to 2nd five McLeod to wing. Need a strong winger on 1 side to compliment Reece
1 Go to commentsTo me TJ is clearly the best 9 in the competition right now but he's also a proven player off the bench, there's few playmaking players who can come off the bench as calm and settled as he is, Beauden can, TJ can and I doubt any of the scrumhalves in contention can, if they want to experiment with new 9s I want him on the bench ready to step in if they crumble under the pressure. The Boks put their best front row on the bench, I'd like to see us take a similar approach, the Hurricanes have been doing similar things with players like Kirifi.
61 Go to commentsROG has better chance to win a WC if he starts training and make himself eligible as a player. He won’t make the Ireland squad but I reckon he may get close with Namibia (needs to improve his Afrikaans) or Portugal. Both sides had 1000:1 odds to win the RWC in 2023 which is an improvement on ROG’s odds of winning a RWC as a coach. Unlike Top 14 teams, national teams can’t go shopping and buy the best players - you work with the available talent pool and turn them into world beaters.
8 Go to commentsthat backline nope that backline is terrible why would you have sevu Reece when he’s not even top 5 wingers in the comp why have Blackadder when there’s better players no Scott barret isn’t an automatic the guy is more of a liability than anything why have him there when you have samipeni who’s far far better
61 Go to comments