Well after shaking off my hangover, and coming to terms with that dreadful loss and the injuries to our players, I am back to write Monday’s rugby news. Firstly we will look at the Haggis Eaters Vs Italians, have a gander at the Dutch Dirt Farmers against the FISM’s, and then round out the morning with a bit of post-game review of the Wallabies, and again I will harp on Leadership. So grab your KWOFFEEEEE, sit down, and let us go for a ride.
Scotland V Italy
A very experimental Scotland handed Italy a defeat (25-13) in the first match of Scotland’s World Cup warm-up series at Murrayfield. The Haggis eaters were first on the scoreboard when Darcy Graham touched down a Ben Healy crossfield kick for a nice little try. However, almost straight away Itlay struck back with two Tommaso Allan three-pointers to take a slender 6-5 lead at oranges.
Scotland came out strongest after the halftime break but initially struggled to get through the staunch Italian defence. Ben Healy then put the home side back in front with a penalty kick in the 48th minute. Darcy Graham followed this by grabbing a second try when he dived over in the 56th minute. Monty Ioane then scored a try for Italy in the final 20 mins, which Tommaso Allan converted to cut the lead down to 2-points. Ben Healy iced another penalty kick to give Scotland some margin with five minutes remaining. Josh Bayliss then added the icing to Scotland’s night with a try in the final minute of the match.
South Africa V Argentina
A well below-par Springboks performance saw the Bokkes sneak over the line to beat Argentina 22-21 in their final Rugby Championship clash. Los Pumas demonstrated their strengths and for most of the game outplayed the South Africans, but for wasting opportunities and referump Andrew Brace blowing the pea out of it when Argentina was attacking in the 22, the FISM’s would likely have grabbed the W.
The Argies could only register three penalties via fly-half Santiago Carreras – who missed two more shots off the tee in the absence of usual goalkicker Emiliano Boffelli – and two late tries through wing Mateo Carreras and scrum-half Gonzalo Bertranou. South Africa scored tries through powerful lock Eben Etzebeth and centre Damian de Allende. With the game in the balance at 15-9 and Argentina pushing hard for a winning try, Manie Libbok grabbed a late intercept to ensure victory, despite the Pumas’ late try-scoring efforts.
Michael Cheika’s Pumas looked vastly improved, and the South Africans looked ragged in their game. Both teams will take a lot from this heading into the RWC.
Wallaby Dilemmas
In the first 30-odd minutes, there were signs of hope and positivity in the Wallabies game. That is until the Wallabies of old re-appeared. Let’s look at the key issues:
Injuries – Firstly let’s look at the injuries from that one. 7 A’s out at this stage for somewhere between 6-9 months. Tight Head Prop number one out! Tongan Thor, out for 7-12 weeks. So if we make the finals he may be back in time, but otherwise probably not. Tight head prop number 2 out! Our pack and our scrum are in trouble. On top of that Michael Hooper is probably out for most of the RWC as well with his calf injury. But at least we have a number of good players to replace him, and personally, I don’t think he should be in the squad anyway.
Selections – Eddie is going to have to make some serious decisions quickly. Firstly the injuries to Tupou and 7 A’s mean the pack has to change. I think our halves have to change as well. I would start with Cooper and Tate, and then look at Gordon and Lonergan or Fines. I no longer think Nic White is what we want. Our back row needs more balance. Tom Hooper struggled, and although is the big body Eddie wants, he is not yet ready for test rugby. He is a six and not a seven. Pete Samu and Fraser McReight should be bought back into the team. Fraser to start, Samu off the bench in his traditional role. Koroibete had a bit of shocker but keeps his slot, and Kellway the Ginger Ninja was a pass so stays.
Jordan Petaia was neither good nor bad, but I think should be persisted with. Kerevi and Bobby V put in good shifts and tried to make a difference. Skelton put in a fair effort, but to be honest I am not sure whether he is a starter or a finisher. The bench did about as much as it could. However, the game was pretty much gone by the time they came onto the paddock. Eddie has to find a way to balance the squad and resolve his injury crisis.
Discipline – Once again our discipline came back to bite us. Two cheddars do nothing for shedding the image of the Wallabies being the worst disciplined team on the paddock. I thought Wayne Barnes referumped the game very well and was very consistent. Our two yellows were well deserved and placed the team under enormous strain. We can’t beat the Kiwis with 15 players, we sure as hell can’t do it with 14 men for 20 mins. The strain this placed on our defence was immense. The fatigue it bought about was visible. That fatigue led to silly mistakes and dumb decision-making, and that led to the Kiwis banging down points with gay abandon. There is no short-term fix to this, but a cultural change needs to occur, and I am not sure Eddie can pull that off. Well certainly not in time for the Bill.
Leadership
All RDU readers have heard me bang on about leadership over and over again, and low and behold I am going to do it again. We have a leadership problem in this squad. Our captain didn’t start, and 7 A’s was made acting captain. When he left the field injured Tate stepped into the role and held it even with Slipper on the field. There were many captains and many voices, but not a unified one. At the 50 min mark, QC and Nic White came on. What became noticeable was that the players turned to Quade, he was calling the shots. The game at this stage was pretty much already shot, but this to me demonstrated presence.
After the game, Quade pulled the team together and gave a sermon from the mound. Have a look at the video Here. This highlights a number of things for me. Quade is the natural leader of this squad. The players listened intently and didn’t bat an eyelid. He is the onfield General and the calm experienced head the has the faith of the players. This highlights to me A. He should be our starting 10. and B. he should be our captain. Next match give him the reigns and the designated, as opposed to natural authority, and let him run. They already listen to him, so let him also start on field corrections with tactics and discipline. Because to be honest it can’t get any worse. So let’s do something about it. As we know the answer sure isn’t more Michael Hooper.
Other News
In other news, Fiji beat Samoa 33-19 in an interesting encounter in Apia. What made it interesting was the lightning-quick start made by the flying Fijians! The second half was played in belting down rain, which changed the tempo. The key take out from the game was the experience shown by the Fijians. Having the Drua in the SRP has certainly assisted them. They will be a challenge for all teams in their poll including us. Don’t be surprised if they pull one over us.
Well, enough of my mad ramblings. Enjoy your Monday, and have at it. BL Out!
