Bob Dwyer Rugby Workshops

Saturday. 18th July, 2009

Eden Park supposedly holds some form of hoodoo over Wallaby teams. After all, we have not won there, now, for 28 years. Well, let me say that we have no chance of breaking the hoodoo, if we don’t play well and we certainly did not play well yesterday.

In my preview last week, I said that I was concerned about the quality of the Wallabies’ attack, or, rather, their lack of attack. There was, I said, far too much kicking for my liking. However, I anticipated that the next stage of the Deans’ work-in-progress was to achieve just this.

I was wrong! For about 75 of the 80 mins yesterday, the Australian attack was awful. Fundamentals of the game were conspicuous only by their absence.

After first phase, we do not have an attacking ‘line’ at all. We have an attacking ‘zigzag’.  “Pass and back-up” appears to be a phrase from a foreign language not understood by our players. Consequently, we are incapable even of taking the overlap - and there were plenty available.

Cross-field running complicates even the most simple opportunity and one almost certain try was butchered because of this lack of understanding.

We must spend a massive amount of time on our kicking game at practice. Our ‘attack’, after all, is based on little else. Did Sterling Mortlock, Lachie Turner or Drew Mitchell actually play in the game yesterday? Oh yes, they did. I saw them occasionally on kick return and kick chase. How can we use the power running of Mortlock or the speed, elusiveness and skill of both wingers, if we rarely construct opportunities for them?

I believe that good attack consists entirely  of ‘asking questions’ of the defence - the better the questions, the more difficult for the defence to come up with the correct answers. We saw very early in the game, when there was more than one answer possible to the question posed by Berrick Barnes’ ball-carry, that the New Zealand defence was most uncertain. We tried only once or twice thereafter, but the timing of entry and the depth of running of the ‘extra man’ - on most occasions involving the blind-side wing – was sadly awry.

On one occasion, late in the game, after a quick ball turn-over from a New Zealand knock-on, we had a two man overlap on the left. The ball went from Burgess to Giteau with ‘five on three’ to his left. R

The result was a kick from Giteau and a scrum to the All Blacks. This was a ‘no brainer’ with the advantage clearly to the Wallabies. You simply cannot win important games playing like this.

This was one of the serious short-comings of the Wallabies’ performance yesterday. Another, perhaps even more simple than the first, was the flagrant conceding of obvious penalties by our players. In the past, I have lectured my players on my view of such disregard for the laws of the game. I believe that such actions are an insult to one’s team-mates, as if one has said; “I don’t believe that you can adequately defend this play, unless I cheat!” And what an insult this is!

Immediately after the resumption of play, following the half-time break, one such infringement occurred, when a Wallaby player, laying on the ground, replayed the ball, even though the ruck had been in progress for some 15 or 20 secs. Two minutes later, another thoughtless and senseless infringement occurred. A half-time lead of three points had become a three point deficit in the space of three minutes – six vital points gifted thoughtlessly to this most difficult of opponents!

Towards the middle of the second half and still trailing by the same three points, the Wallabies were awarded a penalty, smack bang in front of the posts, with an almost sure opportunity to draw level. Did we pot it straight over? Not on your life! We went to touch and promptly knocked on in the ensuing ball-carry. When we appear to do little else in attack but kick, I find it absolutely unfathomable that we don’t take the kick that offers an almost certain three points. Oh, by the way, some seven minutes later, we did choose to take the kick for goal, this time from a more difficult spot - and miss!

In between these two events, we managed yet again to play the ball while on the ground, for yet another three points for New Zealand.

If ever there was a game there to be won, this was it!

We were poor in ambition, poor in execution and poor in discipline. And we almost won!

Certainly we worked hard, with courage and determination, and that kept us in the game, but, as I once read, “It is necessary to risk failure, in order to achieve success!”

To win the Tri-Nations, you will have to win away from home. This was a huge opportunity squandered.

I cannot avoid mentioning the referee, Mr. Jobber from South Africa.

I watched this game in Central France, at the home of Luc Roussillon, the President of Montlucon Rugby Club. The commentators were therefore French and their commentary, plus that of my host, were filled with; “Mais non! Le noir est au pelouse!”. “But no! The black is on the ground!” and “Il joue le ballon au sol!”, referring to yet another All Black player playing the ball whilst on the ground. For the most part these indiscretions went unpunished.

My host also confided in me that he considered Richie McCaw an excellent player, but he felt that he played outside of the laws far too often. Now, where have I heard that before? I was more than pleased to have this confirmation, from an unaligned viewer, of my own observations.

The All Blacks deserved their victory, not the least reason being that Australia were poor. They had some good performances, including that of Conrad Smith who went up yet another level from his consistently top-quality offerings and McCaw always makes a huge difference.

But they were far from great, and that’s the disappointment!