What they deserved?

Hmmmm. I reckon I’m about to swim against the tide of the average Wallaby fan here and say that the Wallabies got exactly what they deserved today. They were rubbish. Forget the grandstand finish and last week’s great escape for today they were shite, proper shite, shite of the highest order. If their was a cup for shiteness the Wallabies would be the current holders of said ‘Shite Cup’. So much so in my earnest and humble opinion, the scoreboard completely flattered those in Cadbury Gold.

For today’s match review, no blow by blow coverage, instead more general observations and the vibe of what unfolded today.

Frenetic frustrations.

In keeping with my contrarian views on this match, I thought the referee was outstanding. Did the team of MOs get everything right? Probably not. Did they get everything wrong? Definitely not. Did they let a game of open and expansive rugby develop? Sure did.

As for the man with the whistle, Christophe Ridley, bravo. Clear comms, unflustered and let the game develop. What I did think though, was that when you can’t execute basic skills, your passes are rubbish, your kicking is rubbish, your pushed passes are a) unnecessary and b) rubbish and you drop more pill than a Hunter Valley chemist in a long cold winter, well, you kinda get what you deserve. And the icing on top? The Wallabies learnt nothing from their last outing and their discipline was (wait for it) akin to that of a Liberal senator with leadership ambitions: rubbish.

And I thought Dirty Harry was very disappointing as captain in his game management with Ridley. So much so, that IMO, I reckon he alienated the man with the conch, perhaps to his team’s detriment at times.

Every Wallaby fan deserved to be frustrated at half time and not with the ref. Instead they should be frustrated at the display of a bulldog eating porridge masquerading as rugby that the Wallabies dished up.

Deluded falsehoods.

The Great Escape last week was a mirage in a sea of grim rugby realities. You cannot execute like shite, give the opposition a thousand point head start and expect to mow them down each week. It’s deluded, its a false narrative and you’re likely complete insane if you think it’s possible week-in, week-out. And so it proved today.

I don’t know how many contestable kicks we actually won, but I’d wager less than 20%. But I do know when we had quick recycles down the blind side we made metres. Which tactic do you think we employed more? I don’t know how you can get to international rugby and not clear a kick from a mark, or execute a pass, or take a tackle after a line bending run and go to ground and recycle again, as opposed to a miracle offload for instance. I don’t know how you can’t find touch on a penalty kick, or not grab the ball when you are 25m ahead of your own side’s knock on from a kick. And the darndest thing about these examples? No matter how many replays I watch, the referee didn’t cause any of them. Go figure!

The soft option here folks is to blame the ref, but here’s the simple truth: victories are earned through endeavour, tactics and the execution of skills and a game plan. Can any Wallaby fan on this page stare me square in the eye and tell me that based on the performance, the Wallabies deserved the victory today? Thought not.

Sure, our team showed lot of ticker, but today they also exhibited much rugby immaturity and to an extent, they got what they deserved. Actually, I’d go one step further, perhaps more than they deserved. For today the better team won fair and square. Well played, Los Pumas, you were deserving winners.

Did we even have 5 good players today?