The stats for the 2nd half mean nothing , the game was lost in the 1st half .the beauty parade of 50 plus players in the initial camp is ludicrous and demeans the Wallaby Jersey . We need to go back to a selection panel that picks the best players on form and capability . The coach then works with what he is given to mould into a winning combination . We are paying the price for dragging in guys who's time had passed then recalled for the world cup and beyond only to come up short . The names mean little at this juncture ie. players/coaching staff , a mindset/mantra reset on what process the Wallaby program actually is well overdue. I'm just tired of watching fans walking out of ANZ stadium looking like they just witnessed a car crash .
A camp is just a camp and doesn't demean the jersey in my opinion. You gotta know what you have to work with before you can make a squad selection and also give the rest a heads-up on where they belong in the system and what's required of them to make the step up.
What is more disconcerting is that despite the final selections being a little bit off perhaps, there are not too many to write home about. Cheika however seems to believe in picking what he perceives to be the best and making a game plan work around them which is far too complicated, at least when looking in from the outside, rather than picking the best in each position and aligning a plan for those players and up skill them over time by communicating to the unions below him over what the requirements are for those players.
Get the pack and your defense right and the battle is more than half won. If you have limited players then you employ a limited game. It can still be extremely effective. Most of SA victories over the great foe is due to simple, understandable, but highly effective game plans deployed demonically by the players on the field who are all too aware they lack the skill to keep up otherwise so they make up for it with precision and passion.
Those days now too are also seemingly gone, but it can still throw a spanner in the works from time-to-time.