Foley’s a freak
Australia came into this World Cup unsure of who their first choice five-eighth was. Michael Cheika trialed both Bernard Foley and Quade Cooper in the lead-up to the tournament with varying degrees of success. Neither staked a strong enough claim to become the obvious selection, though Cheika seemed to always have a touch more faith in the playmaker who guided his Waratahs to the 2014 Super Rugby title, compared with the high-risk New Zealand-born Queenslander.
Any doubt over Foley, and his sometimes wayward goal-kicking, was completely silenced at Twickenham. The former sevens star was outstanding, easily the best player on the pitch and a class above his English counterpart. Foley scored two tries, showing smarts and enough strength to burrow over the line, along with a cool hand with the kicking tee.
The 26-year old had the game of his life in arguably the most important match of his career. His personal haul of 28 points, out of Australia’s total of 33, was phenomenal and is unlikely to be bettered by another Wallaby in south-west London anytime soon. Australia has had classy 10s in Michael Lynagh and Stephen Larkham lead them to previous World Cup wins before. Maybe, just maybe, Foley can do the same. Quade who?
Time to take Wallabies scrum seriously
It’s long been the joke of world rugby, a statement that gets rolled out every time the Wallabies play a Test: not only can’t Australia scrum, they have the worst scrum of the top teams of the world. No longer. Cheika, and his Argentine scrum doctor Mario Ledesma have done a fantastic job in rebuilding and refining the tight eight, making the scrum a weapon and no longer an embarrassment.
Australia showed, in the win over England and throughout the Rugby Championship this year, that their scrum can hold its own. There was shock and disbelief when the Wallabies won key penalties late in the game against the feed, against a country where scrimmaging is a source of national pride – England enjoys scrums about as much as Australia enjoys good coffee and beaches.
Credit, apart from Cheika and Ledesma, also goes to young prop Scott Sio who has made a big difference. Sio comes from great stock – his father Tevita played for Manu Samoa in the 1991 tournament. Considering Scott has only been playing professional rugby for four years, after making his Test debut in 2013, the 23-year old has learned quickly on the job and been a great addition. Australia’s forward pack is now working as a unit at scrum-time, not just a front row, and they have been putting in the hard yards to improve at the set-piece. It’s clearly paid dividends. The challenge now is to do it against Wales and consistently in the rest of this tournament.
Kid Dynamite blows up
Like some kind of Benjamin Button, Matt Giteau appears to be turning the clock back as he enters the twilight of his career. The playmaker, who made his debut at Twickenham way back in 2002 as a green 19-year-old, was once the golden boy of Aussie rugby. Nicknamed “Kid Dynamite”, he had the talent, the swagger, the confidence and the looks as one of the world’s best. And he was paid handsomely, for his star power and silky skills. But it all went wrong for Giteau under Robbie Deans and he departed to France to join Toulon in 2012. We expected to hear no more of the crafty Canberra product on the international stage.
But the ARU’s back-flip and Cheika’s introduction has seen Giteau return to the fold. And he has came back a better player – more mature, wiser and experienced having played alongside English World Cup winner Jonny Wilkinson for several seasons in the south of France. It has certainly showed with the Wallabies as his pivotal kicking, ball-playing and passing ability helped kick-start the Aussie attack against England. With Foley was under pressure, the 33-year old stepped into first receiver and calmed things down. He immediately knew when to kick, when to pass, when to run, when to make the right option while his scramble defence was effective. With Giteau’s versatility allowing him to play 12, 10 or even 9 at a pinch, along with 97 caps of international experience behind him, the Wallabies have a real utility weapon that few of their opponents can match.
Proper contenders
Say it softly, quietly, whisper it in the halls of Nudgee College or down in stands at Coogee Oval – the Wallabies can win this World Cup. They are real contenders up there with the All Blacks, Ireland, France and South Africa. Some might say they were always one of the favourites coming in, after taking out the Rugby Championship and beating New Zealand in Sydney. Look at the world rankings they might say, and Australia sit second behind the defending champion Kiwis. But looks can be deceiving and the Wallabies have consistently been horribly inconsistent over the past five, six years. They have been unable to string good performances together against world-class opponents.
Cheika had undeniably made progress with this team heading into the tournament but most were unsure just how far, while he juggled his Waratahs commitments as well, he had gone. Doubt no longer. This team can beat the best teams in the world, they can win away from home and have a set-piece to be proud of. They have the best 7 and 8 combination on the planet, barring Ritchie McCaw and Kieran Read, and their backline oozes class.
They side has depth off the bench and there is a real physical edge to their play, as well as a solid defence, that wasn’t always there in the past. Oh and their hooker and skipper, Stephen Moore, also goes all right.
Australia again has a national team it can be proud of, one that not only entertains but can also win key games and won’t lie down when the pressure’s on. Can they go all the way? That remains to be see but the Wallabies aren’t dark horses any more. The Kiwis, French, Springboks and Irish will have taken notice of this rising squad, and of their demolition of England, and have been warned.
