This was published 7 years ago
Rugby Championship: Wallabies pay the price for being second class at the ruck against Springboks
By Paul Cully
1. Wallabies pay the price for being bossed at the ruck.
Don't waste your time speculating about Reece Hodge's missed penalties, the Wallabies lost in Pretoria because they did not match the Springboks at the ruck after putting themselves in some excellent attacking positions.
The legality of some of the Springboks' ruck pilfers looked questionable, especially the timing of Adrian Strauss' entry, but this is Test rugby and if you don't get rid of bodies you will cough up the ball.
This Boks side is limited, but they did bring aggression to their one-on-one tackles - except when the Wallabies cleverly isolated Morne Steyn with Samu Kerevi's carries - and the post-tackle contest. Bath flanker Francois Louw was the dominant presence here, and the Wallabies simply did not match him. It was a hugely influential area the visitors did not get right.
Clinical with the boot: Morne Steyn.Credit: Gallo Images
2. Big ticks for starting props, and Genia and Haylett-Petty.
There was some lovely interchange play between Scott Sio and Sekope Kepu, most notably for the only try of the game. The big Brumby was so much busier than in previous games, and when Kepu begins to run and get passes away it gives the Wallabies another dimension.
Stephen Moore, too, had his most effective game for a while.
I'm not convinced about the second-row options - Adam Coleman isn't yet at the level some say he is - but the front-row trio were positive and influential.
As for Will Genia, his crucial first-half turnover, just as the Boks were getting a roll on, was just as important as his darts and swift delivery. There was one questionable kick but his physical commitment to the cause is beyond doubt.
Dane Haylett-Petty was probably the Wallabies' most dangerous back, although the amount of space teams continue to find out wide against the Wallabies is a concern.
3. Tom Robertson switch makes sense.
I was little concerned before the game when I saw that Julian Redelinghuys had returned to the Boks 23. The squat, powerful Lions tight-head can scrum, and he clearly had James Slipper in some discomfort in the latter stages of the game. For all of Slipper's ball-carrying qualities, he has never quite nailed his scrum duties at Test level in the way he does at the Reds, and the coaching panel were clearly vindicated in their decision to give Sio the time to find some better form.
Robertson is an impressive young prop. Physically, I think we're only seeing the absolute tip of the iceberg with him, and if he does make the switch to No.1 he looks to have the application to make a success of it.
Improvement: The Wallabies played, in Michael Cheika's eyes, some of their best rugby of the year.Credit: Gallo Images
4. Pumas' injury makes next week far less daunting.
Argentina No. 8 Facundo Isa produced the best performance in a beaten team this year with his great effort against the All Blacks on Sunday. He outpointed Kieran Read with his bruising ball carries, and has a massive work rate to complement his direct approach.
Unfortunately for the Pumas, he hobbled off with a painful leg injury in the final minutes, and must be rated as extremely doubtful for the Wallabies clash at Twickenham next weekend.
If the Wallabies will miss Sean McMahon, Argentina will miss Isa even more. He has probably been the most impressive No. 8 in the tournament so far.
5. Wallabies midfield yet to click.
There has been a lot of focus on whether Quade Cooper and Bernard Foley are working as a partnership, but it's the lack of understanding between No.12-No.13 that is just as much as a concern.
In the Argentina v All Blacks test, the sense of Ryan Crotty (No.12) and Anton Lienert-Brown (No.13) working together was palpable. They hunted defensively as a unit, and Crotty scored a nice try from a Lienert-Brown offload.
With Bernard Foley and Samu Kerevi, it's hard to escape the feeling that they are two fine individual players playing slightly separate games. That's to be expected, but it probably highlights that the No.12 jersey has been Australia's long-term problem position, with the Wallabies caught between picking a ball player or a ball carrier, and never quite finding the man who can do both.
Will be missed: Sean McMahon will be out with injury for the Argentina clash.Credit: Getty Images
Team of the Week
1. Scott Sio (Australia)
2. Adrian Strauss (South Africa)
3. Owen Franks (New Zealand)
4. Patrick Tuipulotu (New Zealand)
5. Brodie Retallick (New Zealand)
6. Oupa Mohoje (South Africa)
7. Francois Louw (South Africa)
8. Facundo Isa (Argentina)
9. TJ Perenara (New Zealand)
10. Beauden Barrett (New Zealand)
11. Francois Hougaard (South Africa)
12. Ryan Crotty (New Zealand)
13. Anton Lienert-Brown (New Zealand)
14. Israel Dagg (New Zealand)
15. Ben Smith (New Zealand)