Wallabies on quest to unlock 'next level' defence
How to fracture the best defence in world rugby?
It’s a question the Wallabies have been asking themselves all week in Tokyo as they fine-tune for Sunday’s pool match against Wales, comfortably their toughest and most important game in the first month of the Rugby World Cup.
At stake is a probable top spot in pool D and the likelihood of an easier passage through the knockout phase.
Australian attack coach Shaun Berne this week conceded the Welsh stand alone statistically as boasting the best defence in the game.
The Six Nations champions conceded just five tries during their national record run of 14 straight wins that ended in March this year. Only once did an opponent go past 20 points.
Wallabies fullback Kurtley Beale said it is inevitable that the match will descend into trench warfare this weekend.
In the last 15 Australia-Wales clashes, just two have had double-figure winning margins, with attacking highlights often hard to filter.
Last November’s meeting was try-less 9-6 grind that ended the Wallabies’ 13-game winning streak.
The red wall represents one of the great puzzles for Beale, who reckoned victory will demand the right mix of pressure rugby and off-the-cuff strikes, all played out to the backdrop of what he expects to be suffocating tension at Tokyo Stadium.
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“At a World Cup, there’s so much pressure so it’s a matter of which team can stay in the battle longer,” he said.
“I feel like their defence has gone up another level … so it places a little bit more importance on us holding the ball, building pressure that way and hopefully matching them with fitness.”
When pushed, Beale agreed a pinch of flair would probably be needed to separate the teams.
The veteran fullback, one of several players guilty of trying too much early in the opening win over Fiji, said the coaching staff hadn’t changed their policy of backing players to trust their attacking instincts.
Beale said the risk and reward of playing expansively was on show in Sapporo, when a misdirected Samu Kerevi pass resulted in a long-range Fijian try.
Changes all round for the Boks #RWC2019 #RSAvNAM https://t.co/hBEm5d94eR
— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) September 25, 2019
“If Samu tipped that pass on, it’s a four-man overlap. We’ll keep backing ourselves and keep turning up for each other.
“It’s always going to go down to the wire. We know that and we’re prepared for that.”
Wales are taking heart from last November’s result, which ended a string of losses that had begun to weigh heavily.
Welsh prop Dillon Lewis said there was a feeling a curse had been lifted.
“It is massive to get those wins against the southern hemisphere teams and to get that win in the autumn last year against them is something we will be looking back on and seeing what we done right,” he said.
– AAP
Comments on RugbyPass
Pick Swinton at your peril A liability just like JWH from the Roosters Skelton ??? went missing at RWC
14 Go to commentsLike tennis, who have a ranking system, and I believe rugby too, just measure over each period preceding a world cup event who was the longest number one and that would be it. In tennis the number one player frequently is not the grand slam winner. I love and adore the All Blacks since the days of Ian Kirkpatrick when I was a kid in SA. And still do because they are the masters of running rugby and are gentleman on and off the field - in general. And in my opinion they have been the majority of the time the best rugby team in the world.
15 Go to commentsHaving overseas possessions in 2024 is absurd. These Frenchies should have to give the New Caledonians their freedom.
21 Go to commentsBell injured his foot didn’t he? Bring Tupou in he’ll deliver when it counts. Agree mostly but I would switch in the Reds number 8 Harry Wilson for Swinton and move Rob Valentini to 6 instead. Wilson is a clever player who reads the play, you can’t outmuscle the AB’s and Springboks, if you have any chance it’s by playing clever. Same goes for Paisami, he’s a little guy who doesn’t really trouble the likes of De Allende and Jordie Barrett. I’d rather play Carter Gordon at 12 and put Michael Lynagh’s boy at 10. That way you get a BMT type goalkicker at 10 and a playmaker at 12. Anyways, just my two cents as a Bok supporter.
14 Go to commentsThanks 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?
4 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.
4 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.
26 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 🤐
15 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….
26 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….
15 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!
4 Go to commentsexcellent idea ! rugby needs this 💪
15 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
14 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.
15 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.
15 Go to commentsHi, Dave here. Happy to answer questions 🥰
15 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 comments