Wallabies are toughest tactical test
3 Oct 2011
JON CARDINELLI says that the Wallabies will provide an intense examination of the Springboks’ largely untested tactical game.
Peter de Villiers was beating his chest after the Boks’ first pool win over the Welsh, describing the performance as ‘brilliant’.
He was at it again following the narrow 13-5 victory at North Harbour Stadium, declaring that the Boks would not face a challenge as physical as that of Samoa. The Wallabies and All Blacks, De Villiers chirped, would not demand as much blood, sweat and aggro at the point of contact.
Not for the first time in his controversial career, De Villiers has got it worryingly wrong. The Wallabies have beaten the Boks in seven of the 11 Tests since De Villiers came to power, which is a record superior to that of the All Blacks in the same time frame.
They have beaten the Boks five times in the last six games, and most significantly, have stood up to the Boks’ trademark physicality in all matches played in 2011.
The Aussies’ mental grip tightened when Ewen McKenzie’s Reds gathered momentum in the 2011 Super Rugby competition. The Reds overwhelmed two of the South African superpowers, the Bulls and Stormers. They dismantled the latter by playing direct rugby that was complemented by the tactical kicking accuracy of Wallabies halfbacks Will Genia and Quade Cooper.
National coach Robbie Deans promised that the Wallabies would ride the wave of the Reds’ success. He delivered on that promised by picking a team and implementing a playing strategy that ultimately saw the Aussies capturing the Tri-Nations crown.
Not much would have been read into that first Tri-Nations fixture in Sydney, but a full strength Bok side battled to combat the Wallabies’ physicality in the second Test between these two sides in Durban.
Notably, it was a game played in inclement weather. Like the Reds, the Wallabies showed that they could beat the best the Boks had to offer by playing a confrontational game. They showed that they could outplay the Boks tactically, and they showed that they had the mental steel to close out the game.
They’ve dropped a big game since then, losing to Ireland in wet conditions in the Pool C match played at Eden Park. This does not suggest that they lack the ability to excel in the rain. The win against the Boks in Durban is testament to the fact.
The forecast for Sunday’s quarter-final in Wellington is clear, but if you’ve spent some time in the New Zealand capital you will know that the weather can turn nasty in the space of a few hours.
The nature of the contest is also likely to influence the tactics of the two teams. The Boks have stuck to one playing style in this tournament, while the Wallabies have shown impressive variation. Their coaches are now talking about tightening up for the knock-out stages and plan to tackle the Boks’ physicality head on.
They have some versatile players in their pack, and should be able to match the Boks at the collisions and breakdowns. They have all the skills out wide, with Genia and Cooper capable of switching between a tactical kicking game and an all-out attack. Having Berrick Barnes at No 12 will also give the Wallabies more options in both departments.
On Monday, Australia’s director of coaching David Nucifora did not confirm Barnes’ selection for the quarter-final but said that the team would be picked with the opponent’s strengths in mind. Nucifora said that the occasion would demand a slight adjustment to their game plan.
Starting Barnes would allow the Wallabies a strong tactical kicking presence at inside centre. The Boks are fortunate to have Fourie du Preez and Morne Steyn in this respect, but will miss the kicking power and accuracy of Frans Steyn.
The Boks are yet to be tested up front at this tournament, and are yet to be challenged when it comes to tactical play. Their execution was poor against Samoa but they played a smart territorial game. They will need to up their intensity and accuracy levels when they meet the Wallabies at the coalface, and will also need to outplay the Aussies in the battle of the boot.
What will help the Wallabies going into this fixture is the fact that they’ve excelled in these departments in preceding games. Through the Reds, they subdued and conquered limited Bulls and Stormers teams. In the Tri-Nations, they were equally proficient in outbullying the predictable Boks and then putting the boot in.
From a South African perspective, it bodes badly for Sunday’s all-important quarterfinal at the Wellington Regional Stadium.
21 Comments
3 Oct 2011, 02:47 am
Well this article is a box of birds. Makes depressing reading.
3 Oct 2011, 02:50 am
The “Wobblies” have the wood on the Boks.
3 Oct 2011, 03:18 am
Will be interesting to see which team the Kiwi-neutrals back on this one. It might be a RWC’11 first and noone gets cheered……
Hopefully 1 half of the stadium dont turn up with the boorish aggressive who-dares-pat-me-on-the-cheek attitude shown in Albany on Friday. Didnt see a hint of that from the Aussies at Eden Park when the Seamus’lus O’Kiwis celebrated long in the night.
One things fer sure tho, and Kiwis should not (and wont) be lulled in to a false sense of security, that whoever comes out of this key QuarterF unscathed, will be brimful of confidence when they face the winner of Arg vs NZ.
3 Oct 2011, 03:35 am
Tackler has a woody
3 Oct 2011, 04:16 am
It’s really to hard to call this game. As a neutral I have no preference for who we meet in the semi as long as you blokes knock the **** through each other i’ll be happy, I think the Aussie backs are very dangerous and if their forwards can give them enough ball I feel the Boks will be in trouble. However the Boks forwards have been pretty good so far and the Aussies forwards not so much. I have a funny feeling Cooper might produce something f**kin magic this game
3 Oct 2011, 04:42 am
@Labok(Labok)-4: A very popular bourbon-and-cola canned drink in NZ it is too.
3 Oct 2011, 04:57 am
SA better smash Aussie up front if they don’t its byebye
3 Oct 2011, 06:35 am
Bring on butch coz I don’t think we will be able to squeeze the life out of them up front so more attacking wide will be more beneficial and butch can soften up quade.
3 Oct 2011, 07:13 am
@TheTackler(TheTackler)-6: Popular among dole bludgers and other down and outs.
3 Oct 2011, 07:52 am
@Labok(Labok)-4:
tackler is a woody…
3 Oct 2011, 07:54 am
Those dangerous backs will require quick recycled ball on the front foot… May not be forthcoming…
3 Oct 2011, 08:30 am
in order to win we need to defend the inside channel to stop cooper. james, de jongh ( x -factor more than j dv and sound on defense) and then jaque
morne steyn has always been poor in new zealand, give butch a go, the aussies are going to destroy morne!!!
3 Oct 2011, 09:05 am
@julz(julz)-8: Don’t hold your breath on Butch. It makes a whole lot of sense to play Butch but I doubt Bevis and Butthead 1 and Butthead 2 will see this. Butch will put a bit of “fear factor” into Cooper is one thing plus if Morne plays with JDV on the outside … the Wallabies will attack that channel all day long.
3 Oct 2011, 09:13 am
Hmmm… without Carter and McCaw, NZ won’t have the psychological advantage anymore. Argentina will feel less intimidated. I smell an upset!
PS: Without McCaw and Carter… in other words, the same team that lost in PE.
3 Oct 2011, 09:17 am
@Stormtrooper(Stormtrooper)-13: Butch hasn’t really played for weeks. I suspect if Morne gets injured at this stage, Lambie would probably become the first choice no10.
Urgh. Please don’t let that happen! With Kirchner on fullback we can just as well hand the cup over.
3 Oct 2011, 09:34 am
@Bouts(Bouts)-15: I’d play Ruan Pienaar at 15 before I played Zane.
3 Oct 2011, 09:40 am
The Boks are fortunate to have Fourie du Preez…..?
Eish, not so sure about this anymore!!!
3 Oct 2011, 10:36 am
It is the Boks who are genuine underdogs here, not worried on tight5 and if Brussow and Shalk continue it should negate loosies but f……en Spies better show up on Sun !!!!
Watch for a high tempo game with Oz moving ball away from tight 5. Their defence is good as well so if Boks get a chance it better be buried under the posts.
Hope JdV has a good game as he owes us one. Morne is slowly improving. Not sure what to say on FdP, he is waaaay off his usual standard and will face Genia who is the current world no1 on form. Lets hope he decides he can take contact … !!!
3 Oct 2011, 12:01 pm
“… while the Wallabies have shown impressive variation” –
Yeah, sure Jon – really good variation like getting pumped by Ireland …
We’ll see.
I’ll grant you one point though: without Frans we are much more predictable and less able to destablize oppostion structures and psyches. I’m still crying about it – hell, I would even keep that guy on the bench with an injury and bring him on in the last 5 minutes if it was a 2-point game.
3 Oct 2011, 12:02 pm
Side to play Aussies (Please no more injuries):
Beast
Smit
Jannie
Bakkies
Victor
Ratel
Schalk
Spies
FdP
Steyn
Habanna
JdV
Fourie
JPP
Lambie
Guthro
Bissie
CJ
Danie
Alberts
Hougaard
De Jongh
3 Oct 2011, 21:10 pm
“The Reds overwhelmed two of the South African superpowers, the Bulls and Stormers. “…. Fark Cardinelli…. Stormers, a superpower? Come now.
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