Australia 30 defeated Wales 10
Sydney - 14 June 2003
After a rousing start by Wales, the Wallabies blew away their competition in the opening twenty minutes of the match with three quick tries, before dialling it back a few notches and playing beneath themselves for the balance of the game.
Which was most unfortunate for me, as I spent the first twenty minutes of the match sitting on a bus waiting to be shuttled (which, misleadingly, implies a frequent, speedy service) from the P3 car park to the Stadium at Homebush Bay, and then walking a good 750m from the bus stop to our seats at altitude (one can get a little breathy when trooping up those huge circular pedestrian ramps at pace). I believe we were somewhere near the construction field behind the North stand when the roar erupted for Wendell's first try. Ah well, musn't grumble - all part of the joy of attending rugby internationals in Sydney these days. Should have left earlier.
So what of this game which, in my preview, I had suggested could potentially be an embarrassment to the Wallabies if the failed to fire?
Well, I suppose it wasn't that bad, though one could imagine Eddie Jones and the rest of Wallaby Inc. gritting their teeth and running a finger round the insides of their collars during some of the less-than-inspirational passages of play.
Let's for a start give the Welsh their due. They played with a good deal of pride and commitment - a lack of genuine, world-class talent ultimately proving their downfall. Still, as has been pointed out, they are a young team with potential. Certainly, they were nowhere near as bad a team as had been made out in the press in the lead-up to this test.
So the Welsh acquitted themselves quite splendidly under the circumstances, and can walk away from this encounter with their heads held high.
The Wallabies showed glimpses of brilliance - or, perhaps more to the point, some of the Wallabies showed glimpses of individual brilliance. This team is still yet to click, and has a long-standing and deeply regrettable habit of playing down to the level of their opposition. Really, they should have won by 40 points - mind you, had Flatley and Roff had their kicking boots on, they very nearly would have.
I suppose the main point to be taken from this game was that there is still a long way to go before the Wallabies can be considered a genuine chance of winning the World Cup in November. But the signs are not too bad.
I was a little concerned to see our young and supposed ball-playing centres reverting to bash and barge tactics. Steve Kefu, at one stage, decided to charge at the line from about ten metres out when there was a two on one overlap to his left. Not smart. I agree with Eddie Jones' decision to retain Kefu and Morgan Turinui for this weekend's match against England, but I would be surprised to see either of these players in the starting XV come World Cup time. A fit Stirling Mortlock should have a mortgage on the outside centre role, and I would like to see Matt Giteau (when fit) play at inside centre during the Tri-Nations, as he has an uncanny ability of setting up the players around him.
In the backs, I thought that Sailor, Latham, and Gregan had excellent games. Turinui and Flatley were solid in defence but didn't show much in attack. Roff was industrious, whilst Kefu performed well below the form displayed against Ireland. It was good to see Nathan Grey go over for a try. Whitaker was quite outstanding in his brief cameo at scrumhalf, most especially in defence, as was Lote Tuqiri, who was sound under the high ball, and effected a couple of great tackles, including a try-saver.
In the forwards, Phil Waugh proved, yet again, that Australia is blessed with two of the very best openside flankers in the world. Toutai Kefu was heavily involved defensively and with several productive hit-ups. David Lyons played well, but has still not recaptured the form of a year ago. Daniel Heenan played exceptionally well on debut, and with Owen Finegan waiting in the wings, we should be able to field an in-form backrow at RWC. Nathan Sharpe had another good game, as did David Giffin. The front row scrummaged fairly well, certainly better than they did against Ireland, but they are still not dominating their opposition.
Overall, a B minus sort of performace. Without question, the whole team will need to lift itself if they are to overcome a boring but extremely confident, well-drilled and disciplined England this Saturday.
- Dan Fowell
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