Exhilirating test pace will have English worried
Exhilirating test pace will have English worried
Marc Hinton
October 31, 2010
http://images.smh.com.au/2010/10/30/...r2-600x400.jpg Click for more photos Wallabies break All Black jinx in Hong Kong
James O'Connor scores his try in the last minute of play. Photo: Getty Images
It was easy to imagine Martin Johnson's pasty Englishmen turning an even whiter shade of pale as they watched last night's pulsating fourth Bledisloe in Hong Kong snatched brilliantly at the finish by the Wallabies.
The pace it was played at, the intensity, the skill level, they were all aspects that must have had the Englishmen glancing sideways in rather nervous fashion.
"It's us next," they would have been thinking as James O'Connor sensationally stole a scintillating 26-24 victory for the Australians with his try and then testing conversion.
But more than that, the fabulous Australian victory, achieved with a degree of assistance from some surprising shoddiness from the New Zealanders at the end, must have the English anticipating a backlash.
New Zealand's test winning streak is over at 15, as is the Wallaby one at 10. History in the form of the record book will not be the preserve of the All Blacks this year. But the Grand Slam will quickly shift their focus, and this defeat will also have steeled their resolve.
That should make Johnson's men decidedly nervous, as would the nature of last night's test.
It was a match that again showcased rugby under the latest law variations. Ball in hand, flowing, surging from end to end, backs and forwards running into gaps, defences stretched to the limit, and beyond. It was fast and frantic, and pretty much everything that is anathema to the English.
How they'll cope if the All Blacks can unleash this sort of rugby on them at Twickenham next weekend goodness only knows. Their usual tricks to slow things down and make it a contest of set pieces and endless kicks will not pass muster under the new regulations. Somehow they're going to have to find a way to dance to the beat of the new game.
The problem is this is the funky new beat of post-modern rugby, and the English prefer the slow deliberate cadence of the waltz. They are surely going to have to reinvent themselves, which in the case of those fellows is going to be akin to getting the leopard to change his spots.
Sure, they will have taken some heart from the way the Wallabies were able to carve open a surprisingly porous All Black defence in the opening stages of both halves, and then late in the piece when it counted. But it takes rather a vivid imagination to replace the streaking yellow jerseys of the Australians with the white ones of England.
Who knows? Maybe they'll surprise us. Maybe they'll buy into the madness and play the rugby they've been so reluctant to in the past. After viewing the wildly entertaining Hong Kong match (a disgrace that there were so many empty seats) how can they have reached any other conclusion?
The All Blacks will be gutted by this defeat, but perhaps in the long run it might be one they look back on as a key moment. Wins had been coming just too easily, and this was a painful reminder for Richie McCaw and co that they still have to take care of the basics to win tests. It also underlined Graham Henry's theory that these Wallabies will be their greatest threat next year.
It's not difficult after watching this surging contest to imagine these same two teams contesting a certain final at Eden Park next year.
Plus, it was a reminder that some of the All Black backup brigade are not where they need to be. Stephen Donald frankly will wished he stayed on the bench. He missed a handy penalty that would have sealed the deal; then should have found touch late which would probably have killed off the Wallaby threat. He didn't, and it came back to bite him and his team-mates where it hurts.
Isaia Toeava was also a defensive liability when he entered the fray and his shoddiness was costly. He was out of position and then slipped to allow Kurtley Beale to put Drew Mitchell away for his try. Then off Donald's missed touch-finder he made a hash of an attempted tackle on Beale that could have killed off that final surge. He looked well off the pace.
There's no doubt the All Blacks were rusty after recent inactivity by the frontliners, but the Wallabies had similar excuses. The truth is both sides mixed the sublime with the sub-par throughout a match that was more exciting than exquisite.
Still Kieran Read and Richie McCaw were magnificent for the All Blacks, as they have been all year. Cory Jane has a busy match before departing with that worrying shoulder injury, it was good to see Keven Mealamu charging around again and Ma'a Nonu again showed what a devastating attacking force he is.
And credit to the Australians. The monkey is off their back at last and on the strength of this effort, they deserved it. The theory they've been closing the gap certainly gains currency now.
But overall this was an All Black performance with too many errors and too little gumption when it counted. Mentally and physically they were off their own high standards. That at least will give the English a glimmer of hope.
One final thought: if that was to be the last of these matches played in Hong Kong, then that might be a good thing. Given the poor attendance and the woefully sub-standard playing surface, which didn't help the defending accuracy, it is hard to see how a return could be contemplated.
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