Before we go all gloomy – as we inevitably must – here’s a little nugget of hope after the Wallabies’ record-breaking 67-27 loss to Argentina on Sunday.
The previous highest points conceded by a Wallabies team was 61 against the Springboks in 1997 – and just two years later the team lifted the Webb Ellis Cup at Twickenham.
Sure, the team humiliated that day boasted a few legends – George Gregan and Stephen Larkham among them – and in comparison this current crop is short of star power.
But if there are any optimistic fans still left out there after watching this steaming pile of Schmidt, then there’s a straw for you to clutch.
The rest of us can carry on with the feeling akin to waking up with a massive hangover, recalling we had a bit of fun early on in the evening before it dawns on us through a blistering headache that ended the night with us doing something deeply shameful. Oh, that’s just me?
ARGENTINA BEAT WALLABIES 67-27: MATCH REPORT
WALLABIES PLAYER RATINGS
Joe Schmidt and some of his players might want to suggest the opening 30 minutes, where the Wallabies went to a 20-3 lead, was a noteworthy positive, but this was an obliteration – and, let’s get real, worse than anything we suffered under Eddie Jones at the World Cup.
“The strangest thing about today’s result was, at the half time mark, I thought this is the time we’re finally seeing a little bit of the Joe Schmidt fingerprints being put on this side,” said former Wallaby Stephen Hoiles on Stan Sport.
(Photo by Daniel Jayo/Getty Images)
“Their attack looked excellent for 30 minutes. They were sweeping down the short side. They were really good in their depth down the short side.
“I finally started to think we’re looking like the Wallabies that Joe Schmidt wants us to be. We just couldn’t do it for long enough.
“That’s what’s hard to cop because I did feel as though there was some improvement. The first 30 minutes, we’ve all got mates that are up early watching it – everyone was commenting on how good a Test match we were seeing.
“Argentina were good enough to go on with it longer. We didn’t have the experience, maturity or the physicality and defence to be able to play like that for longer than 30 minutes.”
Schmidt has called up 16 debutants in his seven Tests so far, and thanks to an easy July still holds a positive 4-3 win record. Even though the All Blacks have lost back-to-back matches against the Springboks, can anyone see these Wallabies troubling Scott Robertson’s wounded team this month?
Schmidt has defended his selections of rookies as needing to spread the depth of the national team. It would be unfair to blame the one debutant in Santa Fe – Josh Canham – for the magnitude of the defeat. But the chopping and changing has made this team vulnerable to a well drilled and committed opponent.
However, there are four players who help explain the predicament Schmidt finds himself in. On the positive side, Taniela Tupou and Angus Bell are performing – just not for long enough. Tupou lasted 36 minutes and Bell was off at halftime, with Australia leading.
On the flip side Schmidt could expect more from Allan Alaalatoa and Marika Koroibete.
DIAMONDS
It is back-breaking work sifting through the rubble on Sunday to find anything gleaming in the dust.
The starting front rowers of Taniela Tupou and Angus Bell won some plaudits – but is it just because when they departed their replacements were blown away? Can the pair be rated as diamonds if they can’t even last a full half in the furnace of Test rugby, whatever the mitigation?
Tupou and Bell were strong in the scrum and the Tongan Thor showed a few deft touches in attack. But worryingly he was off before half time having called time on the Test himself.
(Photo by Daniel Jayo/Getty Images)
His replacement, Allan Alaalatoa, said Tupou’s early exit on 36 minutes was not premeditated. Whether it was the heat or an injury issue went unexplained.
“No, it wasn’t the plan. I think the plan was just to see how the big fella goes,” said Alaalatoa. “Just to make sure that he went out there and went as hard as he could. I thought he did really well for the 30 or so minutes that he was on. He put his hand up to come off.”
Bell was replaced at halftime by James Slipper.
It would be a stretch to call Ben Donaldson a diamond, but he was among the Wallabies’ better players in that initial surge. With Noah Lolesio sidelined it was all there for Donaldson to take command.
He helped create Andrew Kellaway’s try – the Wallabies’ second after a maiden Test five pointer from a bemused looking Carlo Tizzano – with a great switch of play, and most of the carnage on the scoreboard came after his 56th minute departure.
“I thought Ben controlled the game really well in that first 30,” Schmidt said. “He kicked well, put a couple of long kicks down, one through the middle that bounced on really well that allowed us to keep the pressure on them territorially. He linked up well, took a good gap because he’s got that acceleration.
“He maybe just moved away from his support a little bit and in the backfield he’s still got a few things to learn about making sure he’s positioned right and competing for the ball in the air and directing the players in front of him.”
Donaldson was replaced by Tom Lynagh while Reds halfback Tate McDermott had come on for Jake Gordon also at the 56 minute mark.
McDermott’s try showed the best of his game – a quick decision to tap and go from a scrum freekick with dazzling feet throwing just enough confusion into the minds of would be defenders.
Who else earned their pay cheques? Skipper Harry Wilson kept carrying to the final siren, while Rob Valetini worked hard as usual – but they were outplayed by the impressive Pumas back row.
ROCKS
When a team is humbled so brutally you have to take a look at how they’re being coached and sent out to play. The defence was a shambles as Argentina popped off 17 offloads to the Wallabies’ two, having the freedom of the area close to the ruck.
“The concerning thing for the Wallabies five minutes into the second half was the ease of [Argentina’s] first two tries,” noted Hoiles.
“Twice there, we get done at the ruck defence because we’re going backwards and we’re having a bit of a sniff at the breakdown. This is where you start to see it really open up. The offloads, the post-contact, the number of times the Argentinians got their arms free and made easy metres.”
James Slipper and Alaalatoa were bossed around in the scrum – Slipper was equalling Gregan’s caps record of 139 and Alaalatoa was in his 74th game, so experience can’t be an excuse. Alalaatoa unfortunately has not bounced back from his pre-World Cup injury as well as Australia would have hoped.
Alaalatoa isn’t the only big name struggling this year.
Winger Koroibete, who was apparently mulling retirement from the Wallabies after the World Cup, put in back-to-back shockers in Argentina. Australia’s only overseas player in the current squad isn’t the force he was two seasons ago.
On Sunday, he made a handling error that was unforgivable and there was a worrying sign when he got into space and charged towards the left hand corner only to be mown down by the excellent Pumas flyhalf, Tomas Albornoz.
J(Photo by Luciano Bisbal/Getty Images)
The Wallabies are a hot mess, and Schmidt’s public solution – about it coming down to the pride of his players – seems a little simplistic. Hopefully, he has better ideas behind closed doors ahead of the All Blacks double header.
“It’s really the way the team respond now,” he said. “They are proud young men and incredibly proud to represent the Wallabies so they will want to put their best foot forward.
“It will be a pretty sombre flight home and it’s a long flight home so tomorrow morning we’re up very early and heading home and we get a chance to get a little bit of a breather, at least the players do, and then try to hit the ground running in the week we prepare for the Bledisloe Cup.”