Welcome fellow G&GRs on this Hump Day. No test this week, although the As are playing Japan, I’m hoping they win this game and the Wallabies win a week later, that’d make me very happy. The last games of the Rugby Championship have been done to death and we just have to accept that we see things differently with the referees and how they adjudicate the games. I was happy with all the refereeing of the games in the Rugby Championship and while there may’ve been a couple of decisions that I wondered about, none of them cost any team a win or a loss and none of them had as big an impact on the games as the decisions of the players and coaches so, overall, I was OK with it. I do find it amusing that we seem to find so many decisions against our team and very few against the dirty opposition. Only fair I suppose, but still funny.
I’ve decided to base today on opinion rather than fact and have a look at how I thought each team from the Rugby Championship performed, where I think they were good and where they need to improve (the HR way of saying where they were bad). I’m looking forward to the NH games and seeing where the teams finish up. The Wallabies have a battle on their hands as, while they’ve been battle hardened with the Lions and RC games, three of the five teams they meet are well above them in world rankings and will prove very hard. Also, some players seem a bit worn and I think selections and management of the players’ loads will decide a lot in these games. As we saw last year when Joe first came on board, the Wallabies do seem to take a step up on tour and if they can reduce their mistakes and have better discipline they could surprise.
The ABs are having a go at the Grand Slam and while they don’t play anyone above them in the current world rankings, they haven’t impressed overly much as yet under Razor, so it’ll be an interesting tour for them as well. Again selections and management of the main 15 will be key to their success or not.
Rugby Championship in review – one person’s view
The Rugby Championship was certainly closer than it has been in the past with the Wallabies sitting at the top of the table for a short time. With all teams seeming to lose games they weren’t meant to, and then winning others they weren’t meant to, it was a very close tournament and even in the last weekend it could have gone to either the ABs or Boks. All four teams put on some good games at times and it was great to see a closer competition that kept people engaged right up to the last game. Going from last to first here is my read on each team and where they ended up. I’m sure there’ll be disagreement on some of this, but this is an opinion site and that’s to be expected. Happy for you all to tell me where I got it wrong.
Argentina – Los Pumas
Games: L. W. L. W. L. L. Position – Last. Won at home against the ABs and away against the Wallabies but lost both games against the Boks. They only managed 2 bonus points and had a points differential of -52
I think Argentina will be very disappointed in this tournament. They lost their first game but then had their first win against the ABs at home and looked very good doing it. A couple of injuries to key players didn’t help but they still managed to beat the Wallabies in Sydney after succumbing to them in Townsville. They got smashed by the Boks in South Africa and, while giving away home support to get the money in England at Allianz might’ve helped their bank balance, it did nothing for their game and was the final nail in the coffin for their tournament. At the start of the tournament there was a lot of talk about how they had improved and that they could end up coming 2nd if things went their way. However, the injury to flyhalf Tomas Albornoz in the 2nd test against the ABs hurt them a lot and while they played very well at times, discipline and key decision making went against them too often.
I think they struggled a bit with team cohesion and while they do well with their team playing in different competitions and only coming together for tests, when they do come together they need their top players on line to get that cohesion going. They were very good with their top 23 on the field and some of the tries they scored with great interplay between players were fantastic to watch. They also had some very good forwards who took the play to the opposition. However, their depth got challenged and I think it was the lack of cohesion when they lost some of their top 23 that hurt them the most. Argentina lacks a strong local competition and while I can understand the reasoning behind going away from Super Rugby, the lack of time together has certainly hurt their team’s performance.
Australia – Wallabies
Games: W. L. W. L. L. L. Position 2nd Runner Up (always sounds better than 3rd) scored 3 bonus points and only a – 13 points differential, both of which kept them above the Argies despite having the same win/loss record.
For me the Wallabies showed a lot of improvement in some areas, but went backwards in others. They started well with a fantastic win in South Africa and while they lost 2 out of the next 3, both losses were close and could have gone either way if little things had gone right for them. The showed at times that when they get it right they can score tries from anywhere and threaten all teams. They just couldn’t do it enough. They won a very good game in Townsville and got a bonus point for their effort. The biggest change for me this year was the way they kept pushing in all their games and didn’t drop the intensity like they have done a bit in the past once they got behind. Discipline became an issue as the competition went on and while I don’t think they did that badly, the inability to read the referee and adapt to the game seems to hurt them more than it hurts other teams.
In general the forwards went well and there’s some depth in the 2nd and back row that there hasn’t been for a long time. The front row still struggles at times when the reserves come on and while Joe and his team got more out of Tupou than anyone else has in the last 5 years, for me he still doesn’t dominate nearly as much as his reputation and the media says he will. My biggest issue with the forwards was the continual selection of Skelton who for me adds nothing to the team and has never done any of the disruptive play in gold that so many say he is capable of. He disrupts the lineout and while does hit hard at rucks, he’s so slow around the field that he only gets to one in four. I’d rather have players like LSL, Frost, Williams and Swain who hit every second contest and offer a whole lot more overall game.
The backs struggled a lot more this year. Injuries to Wright and Kellaway were especially damaging as both of them were demonstrating a lot of very good play. Wright, while not as rugby smart as Kellaway, shows the ability to create something from loose play and is able to both see the gaps and then also take them. Losing both of them hurt as it forced other changes that didn’t quite go as well. I thought Jorgensen was very good and while he struggled a bit in the unfamiliar #15 position, for me he was still one of the best out there in every game he played. The constant changes at #9 and #10 didn’t help and while there was a lot in the media about the #10, I think a lot of the issues start at #9 where distribution was a bit slow and ill directed. Australia really needs to develop depth at 9. Losing Tate hurt a lot and while I still see him more of a finisher than a starter his loss made a big difference. I thought the midfield also struggled. Ikitau played well at times and always gave 100% while looking dangerous every time he had the ball. However, I don’t think #12 is his best position and I think when he plays at #13 his ability to create gaps for those outside him is better than his ability to punch in the midfield. JAS is still for me far too inexperienced to be playing at this level. Sure he’s a big powerful player with some good skills and as he showed a couple of times, if he’s given space he can be dangerous. However, he was contained easily by both the Boks and ABs and his inability to read the game and instinctively get where he needs to be causes the backline to falter at times.
After a great start to the competition I think Australia will be a bit disappointed where they ended up. They are definitely improving and if the development that has occurred with Joe continues to grow under Kiss they will start creeping back up the standings and will be very dangerous in the next RWC at home.
NewZealand – All Blacks
Games: W. L. W. L. W. W. Position 1st loser with three bonus points and a tiny positive points differential of 8. Good enough to get above Australia but a huge deficit when compared to the Boks.
The ABs under Razor and his team haven’t really hit the road running and still seem to be short in a lot of areas. Their discipline has been poor and to me they don’t seem like the synched up ABs of the past. While they did well to get where they did in the competition after that poor showing in Argentina and some very good plays at times, it looked more as though they were relying on individuals to do something special rather than creating the scenarios where the good players could take advantage of what was created. To me the players don’t seem to understand exactly what their role is and, more importantly, what everyone else’s role is. Far too often players seemed to get the ball unexpectedly, not really sure what to do with it and so just crashed aimlessly up into contact. One of the shortfalls I see is that in the past if the opposition make a mistake the whole team seemed to be able to immediately switch from defence to attack and when they counter attacked there was always multiple players supporting the ball carrier. I didn’t see a lot of that this year and it’s a bit of a worry that things have changed so much so quickly.
One of the most disappointing things for me has been the lack of development of the team moving forward. It’s almost as though the management of the team is more scared of losing than they are of moving forward and they keep seeming to be looking back to the past for the solution rather than looking forward. This was especially true when they got hit with injuries and started bringing back players who they had previously moved on, some for very good reasons. While I get the need for experience, I think bringing in experienced players who have a negative experience isn’t as helpful as bringing in players who are growing and moving forward. The trouble with relying on the past is that it will never be a sustainable option and all it does is make the jump to the new that much bigger when it’s forced to occur. At the same time, they have brought in some good changes and while it appears to be forced rather than part of a planned move, there are signs that in some areas they are going well. #6, #7, #10, #12 and wing are still areas where I see a lot of issues that need to be resolved and it’ll be interesting to see how this develops through both the AB XV and AB team as the Northern tour progresses.
South Africa – Springboks
Games: L. W. L. W. W. W. Position 1st with three bonus points and a massive +57 points differential which gave them the win in the competition.
Congratulations to South Africa. They played some fantastic rugby at times and while they would’ve been disappointed at missing the win at Eden Park which was clearly targeted by their coaching team, the game they played in Wellington was one of the highlights of the competition. They’ll be happy both with the win and the way they’ve brought through some players to create a huge pool they can dive into; however, they’ll be a bit disappointed at some of their play. They had a lot of discipline issues at times and while they are developing some very good players, they are also being let down at times by some they should’ve been able to rely on a lot more.
I think the Boks biggest issue is trying to decide what game they want to play. They still excel to me in the power game and while they do some stupid things trying to show their innovation – midfield lineout for example – they’re very good when they knuckle down and power through the opposition. It’s not always pretty, and not always a lot of points but certainly brings more Ws than Ls. With Tony Brown in the coaching team they’re starting to develop a more expansive game and when it goes right it looks awesome; however, I think they struggle at times because this is not their instinctive game and they make mistakes that can be exploited. The Argies showed in that last game they can do this at times and while the Boks won that game there were a couple of times they looked decidedly average when things didn’t quite click.
The Boks are a very good side that is led well and is building some great depth. Whether they can continue this domination through to the RWC will be interesting as they still seem to rely on some old and bold, especially in the forwards, and how they develop and move forward from them in the next couple of years will be interesting.
Enjoy the week and let’s look forward to the coming games.
