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'Make your tackles Wallabies' - Australian fans react to Bledisloe II loss
The Wallabies have gone down fighting at Eden Park, losing 27-7 as their hoodoo at the Auckland venue continues at least for another year. A week on from the 16-all draw in Wellington, fans and pundits alike were expecting fireworks again in this decisive Bledisloe Cup test.
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While both teams had their moments, the All Blacks outclassed the Wallabies, and dominated the second-half in particular.
The first-half delivered entertaining rugby, which at times was quite similar to last week. The Wallabies looked the more threatening throughout the opening exchanges; attacking well and playing with front-foot ball, but this didn’t necessarily reflect on the scoreboard.
Australia showed plenty of fight to claw their way back into the contest after trailing 10-0, which speaks volumes about the potential of this side. When Aaron Smith crossed for his second try in as many weeks late in the first-half, it appeared as if the hosts had found their groove.
But seven minutes later, the Wallabies got themselves into an attacking position and made the most of it, with a Ned Hanigan break leading to a momentum-shifting try from winger Marika Moroibete. They played patient, calculated rugby and it finally paid off for them.
That being said, just as things were starting to click, an injury to Matt To’omua just before the break seemed to derail the Wallabies attack as their defence continued to struggle.
https://www.instagram.com/p/CGeNjQlgc21/
New Zealand dominated from the get-go in the second term, with Jordie Barrett crossing for a try less than two minutes into the half.
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Three tries to none in the second-half, or 17 points to nil, saw the All Blacks claim a much-needed win as they look to hold the Bledisloe for at least another year. They’re now just one win away from extending their supremacy over their Trans-Tasman rivals.
After the draw last week, fans were singing the praises of new coach Dave Rennie and the change that they could see in the new-look Wallabies outfit.
But this week, the attention has turned to the Wallabies defensive performance. The men in gold missed 40 tackles out of 146 attempts, and in key moments, it really cost them. Exciting talent Caleb Clarke ran 40 metres and broke five tackles early in one carry early in the second-half, which laid the platform for Ardie Savea’s try a phase later – two tries in six minutes for the All Blacks, it was always going to be tough coming back from that.
Fans on Twitter definitely felt that the Wallabies defensive woes were an issue on Sunday, with one fan saying that that was not ‘the standard of play we were after.’
Defence and tackling are a matter of attitude, which is exactly the Wallabies problem. Under the pump they don’t have the steel and resolve to work hard. Very soft and not befitting a National team.
— @sutchislyffe (@sutchislyffe) October 18, 2020
Make your tackles wallabies!!!!
— Justine Curatolo (@justinecuratolo) October 18, 2020
Poor very poor performance
— Dean Marsham (@DeanFonzy) October 18, 2020
Congratulations to @AllBlacks. Need to improve tackling @wallabies. Much better than no rugby though. Look forward to b m at he’s in Australia
— Nick D-M (@NickDM) October 18, 2020
I don’t and never will understand why kicking the ball back to the world’s best backline is advantageous…. especially one that’s just found Jonah Lomu 2.0 . Couple that with missed tackles and terrible hands…. we’d have gone down by 40 if Cheika was coach the only positive
— Matt Hamilton (@bargearse75) October 18, 2020
Not the standard of play we were after, either! Started with excellent intensity and intent, but dropped ball (including in contact), missed tackles, kicks straight into the hands of the world’s best counter-attackers, and a struggling lineout, handed it to the ABs.
— DrAshSays (@DrAshSays) October 18, 2020
Woeful performance…
— O.D (@Osama7500) October 18, 2020
Work on tackling, yeah?
— Caleb (Wear a Mask) Ahearn ??????? ??? (@Kiltsnbagpipes) October 18, 2020
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A pivotal moment in the match came just before half-time when inside centre Matt To’omua limped off the field injured. While he was replaced with the exciting Jordan Petaia, the Wallabies attack really missed the experienced playmaker. Fans still praised Petaia for his impact, but he doesn’t offer the same skillset.
The visitors played an exciting brand of rugby in the first-half, and while there were glimpses of this in the second, they struggled to develop momentum against a side that only grew in confidence as they game went on. If these fans reactions are anything to go by, then To’omua’s absence was a large reason as to why they struggled.
Oh dear, that’s Matt To’omua gone. Quite a loss for the @Wallabies just before half time: 10-7. #BledisloeCup #NZLvAUS
— Mr Shifter (@SecretChimp) October 18, 2020
Young team, a lot of growth to occur. They need time under pressure. Strong start, but with the loss of @mtoomua (please heal quickly!), structures fell apart, and Robbie Deans style play kicked in.. fro my uneducated opinion #BledisloeCup
— Mark Drehlich (@MarkDrehlich) October 18, 2020
Toomua a big loss for the wallabies. #BledisloeCup
— Kev Hearn (@Kev_Hearn) October 18, 2020
Probably gonna get lambasted for this, but @wallabies were a bit unlucky. Loss of @mtoomua was huge.
He is all that’s good about the decision making for the Aussie team. It will definitely be game on again in #Australia come 31 October. @MartinMyers @TandoManana @QSompondo— Francois De Wet (@Couch_Krit) October 18, 2020
Oh dear, that’s Matt To’omua gone. Quite a loss for the @Wallabies just before half time: 10-7. #BledisloeCup #NZLvAUS
— Mr Shifter (@SecretChimp) October 18, 2020
The third Bledisloe Cup fixture will be played in Sydney in two weeks time, where the All Blacks could potentially extend their hold on the Cup for another year. That match will be the first of two matches to be played in Australia, with the second being held at Brisbane’s Suncorp Stadium.
Comments on RugbyPass
Why cant I watch Rugby games please?
1 Go to commentsBeautiful shot from Finau, end of story. Gutted for Shaun Stevenson though.
4 Go to commentsThe Chiefs definitely didn’t win ugly. They had the superior scrum, a dominant lineout, and their defence was excellent once the Waratahs scored their two tries (thanks to some lucky refereeing calls mind you). They put pressure on the Waratahs lineout throughout the game, and the mind boggles as to why the referee did not award a yellow card or a penalty try against the Waratahs for repeated scrum infringements on their own try line before Narawa’s first try. And the Chiefs were slick with their passing and running angles on attack. It was a dominant performance all round, even with many questionable refereeing decisions.
1 Go to commentsWasnt late. Ref 2 assistants andTMO all saw it so who are you to say it was?
4 Go to commentsAre the Brumbies playing the Blues twice in a row?
4 Go to commentsBig difference from the Saders. Forwards really muscled up and laid a solid platform. Scooter brought some steel and I liked the loosie combination. Newell has been rather disappointing this season but stepped up big time - happy also to see Franks dot down. He should do that more often! Reihana had a good game and there seems to be more flair and invention with him in the saddle. McNicoll plays well from the back and is reliable plus inventive when he joins the line. Keep it up chaps!
3 Go to comments🤦♂️🤣 who cares who’s the best . All I know is the All Blacks have the star coach but have few star players now …
30 Go to commentsJe suis sûr que Farrell est impatient de jouer avec Lopez et Machenaud et d’être entraîné par Collazo… 🤭
1 Go to commentsAn on field red (aka a full red) in SRP must surely carry a bigger suspension than a red card given by the bunker as that carries a 20 minute team punishment. Had Damon Murphy abdicated his responsibility as a ref and issued both Drua players a yellow, which would have been upgraded to a 20 minute red by the bunker, that would have killed Australia and New Zealand’s push for the 20 minute red to be trialled globally from July this year.
11 Go to commentsEver so often you all post a Danny Care story that isn’t the announcement that he has finally re-signed for one more, victory tour season at Quins and I’m just like, “well you fooled me again!” My absolute favorite player ever, we need to make his final year at the Stoop (and Twickers) official already. I know he supposedly snubbed France but I won’t feel better until he signs.
1 Go to commentslate hit what late hit it wasn’t at all late and can clearly see he was committed before the tackle
4 Go to commentsChristian Lio -Willies 2 try perfomance was a standout. As was captain Scott Barrett. Up front was where the boys won it.They are a great team and players. Fantastic Crusaders , you can keep going.
3 Go to commentsI don't know how the locals feel about that? I guess if you call yourselves the Worcester Wasps that might be appease. But really we need more teams in the Premiership in my view so they are not padding it out as they are at the moment. It might curtail so many players going abroad as well
5 Go to commentsNZ 😭😭😭is certainly rivaling England for best whingers cup!😭😭😭 !!!
30 Go to commentsYup. New Zealand won 3 out of 10 world cups played. SA 4 out of 8 attempts 30 Vs 50 per cent.🤔🤔
30 Go to commentsShould've done this years ago. Change Saturday kick off times to around 11am. Up and off and back home before 3pm, limit travel time too. Allows players to actually do something else with their Saturday that's family oriented or being rugby fans they could ‘watch’ pro rugby. Increases crowds etc. How can anyone that enjoys grassroots and pro rugby have to choose between the two on Saturdays?
9 Go to commentsI bet he inspired those supporters just as much.
1 Go to commentsBen Smith Springboks living rent free in his head 😊😂
67 Go to commentsGood to hear he would like to play the game at the highest level, I hadn’t been to sure how much of a motivator that was before now. Sadly he’s probably chosen the rugby club to go to. Try not to worry about all the input about how you should play rugby Joey and just try to emulate what you do on the league field and have fun. You’ll limit your game too much (well not really because he’s a standard athlete like SBW and he’ll still have enough) if you’re trying to make sure you can recycle the ball back etc. On the other hard, you can totally just try and recycle by looking to offload any and everywhere if you’re going to ground 😋
1 Go to commentsThis just proves that theres always a stat and a metric to use to justify your abilities and your success. Ben did it last week by creating an imaginary competition and now you did the same to counter his argument and espouse a new yardstick for success. Why not just use the current one and lets say the Boks have won 4 world cups making them the most successful world cup team. Outside of the world cup the All Blacks are the most successful team winning countless rugby championships and dominating the rankings with high win percentages. Over the last 4 years statistically the Irish are the best having the highest win rate and also having positive records against every tier 1 side. The most successful Northern team in the game has been England with a world cup title and the most six nations titles in history. The AB’s are the most dominant team in history with the highest win rate and 3 world cups. Lets not try to reinvent the wheel. Just be honest about the actual stats and what each team has been good at doing and that will be enough to define their level of success.
30 Go to comments