We all like a good old fashioned bit of last-gasp, TMO-based drama on the rugby field, and that’s exactly what we got on Saturday as the ‘new-look’ Wallabies (basically meaning the return of the old guard) snaffled an unlikely win against South Africa in Brisbane on Saturday. I say unlikely not because this is a classic Springbok side, but at 10 points down with only 20 to go and with a dominant green pack, you would have made a decent return on predicting an Aussie comeback.
In truth, the return of the ‘old guard’ for the Wallabies – that is, the return of Matt Giteau, David Pocock, Will Genia, Quade Cooper, Jame Horwill and Drew Mitchell was a bit of a mixed bag. Cooper showed some nice touches, as did Matt Giteau, but the punch the Matt Toomua brought to the game when he came off the bench surely penned him in to start at 12 ahead of one the two more experienced campaigners. Will Genia wasn’t great and was eclipsed by the speed of Nick Phipps when the Waratahs scrum half made his bow, whilst Mitchell didn’t get much of a chance to show off – but Dave Pocock was superb from the bench, pilfering pill all over the park, whilst Horwill added some much needed stability after big Will Skelton had had a clumsy 50 minutes.
It was the opposite for South Africa, who were blooding some fairly inexperienced players with some more established names as they attempt to settle on some combinations for the World Cup. Of particular note was a centre partnership of Jesse Kriel and Damian de Allende who had just two caps between them, and the wily Schalk Burger starting at number 8 in the absence of the colossal Duane Vermeulen. But it was the old boys who saw the visitors dominate the opening 60 minutes – despite the hosts having plenty of possession. The likes of Burger, Marcel Coetzee and Bismarck du Plessis were brutally physical in the contact area and smart at the breakdown, killing any Wallaby momentum, and this saw them bludgeon their way (with the help of a dominant scrum) to a 6 – 0 lead. Adam Ashley-Cooper stuck back with a well worked set-piece try, but Eben Etzebeth then got on the end of a glorious Willie Le Roux flick pass to cross for a score in the corner to give the Springboks a well-deserved half time lead. A lead which could have been bigger if Quade Cooper’s ballsy-yet-stupid flick pass on his own line had gone properly punished.
The South Africans carried on their dominance into the second half, as debutant Kriel weaved his way through 4 Wallaby defenders for a superb individual try. However, the introductions of Pocock, Phipps and Toomua slowly arrested momentum back from the hosts, and even the scrum began to show signs of parity – almost dominance. If that wasn’t enough to make your head explode, the sight of Pocock and Hooper playing together on the same team would be. Pocock was immediately a menace over the ball, whilst Hooper was rampaging around like an enraged rhinoceros, undoubtedly aware that his place is under threat with the return of the ACT man. But it was Hooper who helped turn the tide, burying Burger with an outstanding hit behind his own line and then crashing over for a score himself following the resulting scrum. It put the Wallabies 3 points behind with 10 left to play and, after Giteau had shanked a penalty, Tevita Kurindrani managed to wriggle his way to the line in the last play of the game enough for Nigel Owens to send the decision upstairs to the TMO. In an excruciatingly tight call, it looked as if the edge of the ball just scraped a couple of blades of whitewashed grass, but that was enough to send the Aussie crowd potty and claim a 24 – 20 comeback win for the hosts by the narrowest of margins.
The previous day, in Christchurch, it was a much more predictable affair as the All Blacks cruised past the Pumas in Dan Carter’s and (possibly) Richie McCaw’s final games in front of their adoring home-town fans. Again, it wasn’t vintage All Blacks, but it was a step up from their lethargic arm-wrestle with Samoa the week before. In truth, the hosts dominated proceedings and crossed twice in the first half, McCaw himself crashing over following a lineout move and then Ma’a Nonu thundered through three defenders to get across the chalk after the visitors had frustrated the Kiwis for 20 minutes with some superb defence. All the while, Dan Carter was showing poise and control as he continued to play his way back into top form, but the same couldn’t be said of the Argentine fly-half Nicholas Sanchez, who – by his high standards – had a stinker, kicking the ball out on the full to heap more pressure on his already beleaguered side.
After the break, the hosts continued their dominance as Charles Piutau finished a well worked move and Keiran Read profited from a catastrophic breakdown in communication to scoop up a loose ball and cross himself, but the Pumas did restore some pride as skipper Agustin Creevy bundled over twice following lineout drives. Lineout drives which Steve Hansen would later claim are ‘bloody’ boring and insinuated that they all involve obstruction. You’re right Steve, all teams should only play the way the All Blacks want to. The hosts weren’t about to let their party be pooped, however, and when debutant hooker Codie Taylor powered over for a memorable try, the icing was on the cake in a 38 – 19 win.
Player of the Weekend: Michael Hooper. Unheralded for the Wallabies, but he was energetic and brutally physical throughout. Now we all have to get used to Pocock and Hooper starting together in the same team. Yuck.
Try of the Weekend: Beating four players to score from 30 metres out isn’t a bad way to introduce yourself to Test Match rugby. Take a bow Jesse Kriel.
By Mike Cooper
Follow Mike on Twitter: @ruckedover
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