Michael Cheika had to raise his voice at half-time in Australia’s win over the US Eagles in Chicago on Saturday. At the interval a reasonably strong Wallabies team, featuring Matt Giteau and Kurtley Beale but sparing the locals the ordeal of Israel Folau, led by only 14-10.
“There was the odd loud word, yes,” said Cheika, the Australia coach, though he added: “There usually is in the dressing room. I think we lost our way with the decision-making a bit. I thought the lads improved their detail in the second half.”
They did, scoring five tries to none. But the first came shortly after the Eagles back-row John Quill – on for the rested Samu Manoa – knocked on at a five-metre lineout, as a 23,112 crowd bayed for blood. “We started off quite well and then we couldn’t get that back,” said Cheika, of tries by the half-backs Bernard Foley and Nick Phipps which preceded the Eagles’ strongest patch. The Americans tackled hard with Manoa, Thretton Palamo and his New York-born centre partner, Seamus Kelly, leading the way.
There were no injuries to report and the Eagles hits were fair – the only one to tip, literally, into the unsafe came from the relatively slight Takudzwa Ngwenya. When not flying off his wing to grab anything in green and gold he played a large part in the impressive try by Mike Petri which closed the gap to four points at the end of the first half.
“You don’t panic,” Cheika said. “We have worked hard on our fitness. Once we got over the initial heat bit and working that out we started to get into a bit of rhythm.”
Will Genia was a major contributor, replacing Phipps to increase the Wallabies’ pace and threat around the breakdown. “Cheik’s really good,” the scrum-half said. “He just said: ‘Go out there … and have a little bit of a nibble.’”
Nonetheless, the home team were entitled to be disappointed – and not with the crowd, which though nearly 40,000 short of that which watched them lose 74-6 to the All Blacks in November, was still one of the largest ever to watch a game of rugby in the US. “Second half we put pressure on but we didn’t capitalise [and] compounded it by allowing them to score,” said tThe US coach, Mike Tolkin,, whose team have three wins from seven going into the World Cup, where they aim to knock down Samoa, Japan and Scotland in a physical looking Pool B likely to be dominated by South Africa. “We could have turned the screws a little bit but we didn’t and they turned them on us.”
Cheika’s team will train at the home of Notre Dame’s football team in Indiana, before the flight to England. He compared the Eagles to Fiji, the banana skin in the World Cup pool of death, who he said posed “a massive threat”. The Eagles’ big hits provided useful practice.
“I expected nothing other than a tough battle,” Cheika said. “The USA are very much an improving side.”
USA Scully; Ngwenya, S Kelly, Palamo (Niua, 75), Wyles (capt); MacGinty (Suniula, 71), Petri; Fry (Kilifi, 56), Fenoglio (Thiel, 56), Lamositele (Baumann, 58), Dolan (Stanfill, 58), Peterson, McFarland (Barrett, 38), Duratolo, Manoa (Quill, 40).
Try Petri Con MacGinty Pen MacGinty. Sin-bin Peterson.
Australia Beale; Tomane, Speight, Giteau (Cooper, 55), Horne (Naiyaravoro, 70); Foley, Phipps (Genia, 46); Slipper (capt), Polota-Nau (Hanson, 58), Holmes (Smith, 56), Douglas, Simmons (Mumm, 46), McCalman, McMahon, Palu (Carter, 50).
Tries Foley, Phipps, Mumm, McMahon, Beale, Cooper, Naiyaravoro Cons Foley 6.
Referee J Peyper (SA). Att 23,112.
