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Well, what a difference a week can make in the fortunes of twenty two committed and proud Australian men!
While I still 100% stand behind my comments following the England match, especially with regard to some individuals, I must say credit where credit is due.
Last night these men stood up to the huge pressure of the fear of failure, of being in the record worst Australian team, and played the Irish with passion and flair as we used to expect them to.
We need to remain realistic about the situation, Ireland are not England (and are certainly not world best New Zealand) and we still have to play Six Nations Champions Wales next week, so the cork stays in the Champers for now.
There were still some problems in the lineout and scrum and some defensive glitches with the backs in cover defense however, the signs are looking better.
I was impressed that following a fairly stodgy first half the Wallabies came out in the second and threw the ball around as of old and chanced their hand.
One great bonus to have come out of this game and the tour in general has been the blooding and performances by the debut and junior players so far.
None of them appear to be overwhelmed by the occasion and they have all shown signs of continuing to vie for places when our injured stars return.
The front row was a vastly improved unit and both starting props looked like they owned their spot.
The second row continues to gel and work together with awareness for the others position on the paddock. Unlike the props they have a genuine equal on the bench.
Individually the back row all showed good signs however, I am still disappointed at the insistence on using both Waugh and Smith at the same time and Roe is not the answer as a starting blindside.
The inside backs had a generally good game with some kicking errors but good defence and good communication. Some of the moves seemed a bit stilted and over produced for a rebuilding team with excellent outside backs to use however, in the main they pulled it off.
The outside backs remain our shining lights from the tour and must be allowed to continue to shine next week.
And so individually:
Greg Holmes, a great first start from the big Queenslander and for mine showed enough to keep Dunning out of the twenty two next week. You cannot expect these players to develop at a satisfactory rate if you keep pulling the rug out from under their feet every time they have a good game. Rating 6.
Brendan Cannon, a vast improvement for Cannon with the throw in to lineouts and the tight head scrum can definitely be blamed elsewhere (see below) as he didn’t have a stable platform to work from on that occasion. Set for a second coming under Mitchell and Darwin at the Western Force. Rating 6.
David Fitter, well what a relief to see that he lived up to all the support that he has been getting from Western Force supporters to have a start! And isn’t it excellent to see a tight head with a bit of agro and passion in a Wallaby jersey? The commentators bagged Fitter a little for his early flare up however I applaud it. He saw a mate get a cheap shot and he stood up for his mate as all good enforcers should. The Ref saw it for what it was, didn’t penalise him and told them to get on with the game. For me no further evidence of his ability is required than seeing what happened at the first scrum following his substitution. Collapsed scrum to the Australian tighthead side of the scrum, reset, tight head win to Ireland! Up until that change the Australian pack had held their own and had even shown some dominance at times. Fitter showed great aggression in the loose around the ground and had displayed impressive power in the ruck and maul.
He has earnt the right to start again against Wales and must be retained in the Wallaby Squad next year. Rating 8.
Hugh McMeniman, the rise of McMeniman continues with a great game. Again had a couple of errors in the lineout and will be a better player for the experience. His crash-up basically made Mitchell’s first try and as with last week his improved strength held him in good sted. Rating 6.
Nathan Sharpe (vc), this was Sharpe’s best match of the year and a return to the previous form that he became an automatic selection for over the season. Sharpey would have known he had to show something on this game with the rise of McMeniman and approaching return of Vickerman next season. This he did in spades and was arguably the best Wallaby forward for the second consecutive match. He had a big hit on his opposite number, although it must be acknowledged in Sharpe’s defence that the injury occurred when Malcom O’Kelly’s head hit the ground rather than in the tackle itself. Rating, 8.
John Roe, again Roe had a workman like match with good defensive efforts and good ground coverage. For mine he still lacks the size and aggression of Elsom or general skill and match awareness of Fava. The form he did show however, does promise good things for the Reds this season and he will be a better player for the exposure. Rating 6.
Phil Waugh (vc), not much changed for Waugh since last week, a good game, but we’re used to that. At least the penalty rate was slowed a little and he is ever reliable in defense. Rating 5.
George Smith, Smith continues to shine in broken play and appears to have sorted out his handling glitches from the start of the season. Was instrumental in some of match winning phases of play and had a generally good match. By now my feelings on the “7 Waugh, 8 Smith” scenario should be well known and I stand by that here. It is a stop gap measure and not a long term solution so make the change Eddie. Rating 7.