'It's a cruel, cruel world when you're asked those questions two minutes after your World Cup is finished'
Michael Cheika has refused to announce his resignation as Wallabies coach despite their ignominious dumping from the Rugby World Cup after being outclassed 40-16 by England in the quarter-finals.
Australia huffed and puffed but had no answer for ruthless England, who scored four tries to book England a semi-final berth for the first time in 12 years.
The result on Saturday has almost certainly ended the five-year tenure of Cheika, who’s failed to get consistency from his team in the four years since leading them to the 2015 tournament final.
Cheika has said he would stand down if the Wallabies didn’t win in Japan but he was guarded on his future at a post-Test media conference.
“I’m being honest. It’s a cruel, cruel world nowadays when you’re asked those questions two minutes after your World Cup is finished,” Cheika said. “If you’d find it inside you to find a little bit of compassion to just ask more relevant questions … think about peoples’ feelings for a minute. Just chill.”
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Asked if the Australian public deserved an answer, Cheika said: “When the time comes, I’ll tell them. They don’t need to know today, it’s not going to kill them.”
England’s victory was built on an unforgiving defence and the control of five-eighth Owen Farrell, who kicked 20 points and was a class above underused opposite Christian Lealiifano.
Both pivots enjoyed perfect goal-kicking returns but Farrell’s eight successful shots included four conversions while Lealiifano only got to convert his team’s lone try along with three penalties.
Australia dominated many of the game’s statistics, forcing their opponents to attempt 181 tackles to just 78.
It's all over for Michael Cheika's Wallabies.
Here's how we rated the Aussie's #rwc QF in Oita ??#ENGvAUS https://t.co/0AKE0QvCgA
— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) October 19, 2019
However, turnovers and handling errors were a crippling factor – as they have been throughout the tournament – against opponents who were methodical every time they made an incursion into Australia’s territory.
Cheika again made no apology for his te am’s heavy ball-in-hand approach.
“Listen, that’s the way we play footy. I’m not going to go to a kick and defend game. Call me naive but that’s something we’re not going to do.”
Australia closed within a point of the lead early in the second half when brilliant winger Marika Koroibete bagged their try but England muscled up late to score the game’s final 23 points.
England are through to the #RWC2019 quarter-finals
– @alexshawsport rates the players #ENGvARG https://t.co/yVCn20cspT
— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) October 19, 2019
The result equalled England’s biggest ever win over the Wallabies and was sweet revenge for the pool defeat at Twickenham four years ago that knocked them out of the global tournament.
It was also the seventh straight win for England coach Eddie Jones over Cheika, whose erratic approach to selection at the tournament played a part in their lack of cohesion when it counted.
The Wallabies led briefly through Lealiifano’s first of three first-half penalties before the game broke wide open through May’s double in the 18th and 21st minutes.
The speedy winger’s second try summed up t he Test when a loose David Pocock pass was gathered by Henry Slade, who scooted 40m before a pinpoint grubber was collected with glee by the man celebrating 50 Tests.
Both sideline conversions were slotted by Farrell, who also landed a penalty before the break to put his team 17-9 ahead.
Koroibete’s try was set up by smart passing from Reece Hodge and Petaia before the former NRL winger scorched around Elliot Daly.
Just one point clear, England re-established control through Farrell, whose inch-perfect pass sent prop Kyle Sinckler thundering across.
A long spell of Australian attack came to nothing and England’s pack gradually took control, earning three penalties that all turned into three points as well as a late intercept try to Anthony Watson.
– AAP
Comments on RugbyPass
We’re building a bridge but can't agree where the river is.
2 Go to commentsfirst no arms shoulder or helmet tackle into his rib cage is going to be so very painful even to watch. go back to RU mate.
1 Go to commentsBulls by 5. Plus another 50.
3 Go to commentsJohan Goosen avatar. Cute. Surely someone at RP knows how to do a google image search?
3 Go to commentsCan’t these games play a little earlier? Asking for a friend.
3 Go to commentsIt’s impressive that we can see huge stadiums with attendance in the 40 000 to 50 000 region. It shows how popular this competition is becoming. What is even more impressive is the massive growth in broadcast viewership. The URC is one of the two best leagues in the World, the other being the Top14.
7 Go to commentsChristie is not Sottish, like the majority of the Scotland team.
2 Go to commentsHold the phone, decline over-rated. Is it a one game, dead cat bounce or the real thing? Has the Penney dropped? Stay tuned.
45 Go to commentsTotally deserved win for the Crusaders Far smarter than the Chiefs who seem to be avoiding the basics when it matters Hotham showed them what was missing and Hannah seems a real find - a tad light but that can be fixed over time
8 Go to commentsGreat insight into the performance culture with Sarries and I predict Christie will be a fixture in the Scotland team now for some time to come. However, he is slightly missing his own point around Scotland “being soft” when he cites physicality examples in defence of that slight. The issue is much closer to the example he referenced around feeling off before a game but being told “it doesn’t matter, you can still play well” by Farrell. Until Scotland can get their psyche in that square, they will carry on folding under extreme pressure…
2 Go to comments> We are having to adapt, evolve and innovate more than when we were in Super Rugby where there was only really one style that everybody had to play to gain the most success. Have = able to? Interesting what that one style might be? I thought SA sides still had bad tours now, or at least bad schedule, months away? Those extra few hours flights have to be a killer though, no surprise to see their sides doing so badly at the start of the season each year. I wouldn’t enjoy that unfairness as a supporter.
7 Go to commentsThe problem for NZ, and Aus, is they ripped up the SR model and lost a massive chunk of revenue that hasn’t been replaced. Don’t forget SA clubs went North because they were left with no choice, Argy unceremoniously binned and Japan cast adrift. Now SR wasn’t perfect, far from it, but they’ve jumped into something without an effective plan, so far, to replace what they’ve lost. The biggest revenue potential now lies in Japan but it won’t be easy or quick to unlock, they are incredibly insular in culture as a nation. In the meantime, there is a serious time bomb sitting under SH rugby and if it happens then the current financial challenges will look like a picnic. IF the Boks follow their provincial teams and head north then it’s revenue meltdown. Not guaranteed to happen but the status quo is a very odd hybrid, with the Boks pointing one way and the clubs pointing the other way. And for as long as that remains then the threat is real.
45 Go to commentsI think Etene has had some good tuition, likely while at the Warriors to be a professional that helped his rugby jump, but he was certainly thrown in the deep end way too early. Should have arguably 20 less SR caps, and therefor a way better record that he does at his age, but his development would have been fast tracked by the need to satiate his signing away from league. Again, credit to him and others that he has done it so well. Easy to fall over under that pressure in the big leagues like that but he kept at it when I myself wasn’t sure he was good enough.
1 Go to commentsAwesome story. I wonder what a bigger American (SA) scene might have mean for Brex.
1 Go to comments“Johnny McNicholl and the Crusaders” save a Penney. Who has been in camp this week and showed them how to play?
8 Go to commentsSo, reports of the Crusaders’ demise / terminal decline are perhaps just - slightly - premature/exaggerated…? 🤔 Will we see a deep-dive into that by the estimable Rugbypass scribes, and maybe one or two mea culpas? Thought not.
8 Go to comments1. The Chiefs are rudderless without DMac, which enhances his AB chances 2. Chiefs pack are powderpuffs. The hard men arent there anymore 3. They had their golden title chance last yr and wont threaten this yr. Gone in second round of playoffs.
8 Go to commentsHonestly, why did you have to publish such a foolish article the day they play us? 😂
45 Go to comments> They are not standalone entities. They are linked to an amateur association which holds the FFR licence that allows the professional side to compete in the league. That’s a great rule. This looks like the chicken or egg professional scenario. How long is it going to be before the club can break even (if that is even a thing in French rugby)? If the locals aren’t into well it would be good to se them drop to amateur level (is it that far?). Hope they can reset from this level and be more practical, there will be a time when they can rebuild (if France has there setup right).
1 Go to commentsWhat about changing the ball? To something heavier and more pointed that bounces unpredictably. Not this almost round football used these days.
35 Go to comments