There were some positive signs from the Wallabies last weekend, unfortunately offset by some negatives. I’d prefer to be writing a positive piece focusing on the promising signs for the Wallabies but the continued inconsistency and failure to execute the basics well can’t be ignored – no wonder the coach, players and supporters are all frustrated.
Quade Cooper made a huge difference to the Wallabies attitude in attack, partially offset by the fact that his defence has shown no improvement for the Wallabies this year.
The support and organisation in attack was better, offset by poor ball retention that wasted good opportunities to add points.
Kurtley Beale’s attack was really good, partially offset by his poor defence and his weakness with the high ball. James O’Connor has really stepped up in an unfamiliar role but I would still prefer a specialist winger in the starting side.
Stephen Moore, Ben McCalman and James Slipper made a positive impact off the bench, offset by a lack of impact by Rob Simmons. The Wallabies lost so much when Sharpe left the field.
Having watched the game again in detail this morning, I’m even more amazed at the decision to leave Moore on the bench in the second half. Faingaa had little impact in attack, missed 4 tackles and looked tired over the last half an hour.
The Wallabies missed 32 tackles and lost possession 13 times – neither of those statistics are good enough, particularly when you consider that the opposition missed 19 tackles and only lost possession 6 times. The difference in just those two statistics alone is enough to explain a 13 point loss.
I hope that a new skills coach can address the basic requirement that the ball must be treated liked gold and I hope someone works out that a specialist defence coach would be a positive move for the Wallabies.
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