“How good is afternoon footy?” Tim Horan was practically gushing when he delivered this rhetorical question shortly after the 3.45 pm kick-off in Sydney. The two-time World Cup-winning Wallaby didn’t need to provide an answer of his own. His love for the game, his love for the badge, was self-evident. The question that was left unasked, the question that runs through every facet of Australian rugby at present, is, how many people feel the same way as Tim Horan?
Pontificating over the health of the code in Australia has almost become old hat. Like pointing out that there’s a looming housing crisis in the country or that the ice caps are melting. And though even the most popular sports are far less important than those real world challenges, the current health and predicted future of rugby union remains a nagging existential concern.
Which is why it was pleasant, entertaining even, to simply absorb this contest against Georgia for what it was: good ol’ afternoon footy. There’ll be caveats attached to the 40-29 win. Just as there were caveats attached to the series win over the worst Welsh side in living memory. Beating a so-called tier two nation by 11 points at home while conceding four tries won’t compensate for the fate of the Melbourne Reds. It won’t bring back the young talent that has jumped ship for rugby league or brush aside the sense that a gulf now exists between the Wallabies and the truly top sides. Have these recent scrappy wins against limited opposition convinced anyone that next year’s British & Irish Lions series won’t be a resounding one-sided affair? Probably not. But can’t the rest of us jump on Timmy Horan’s shining bandwagon and simply enjoy some afternoon footy? Are we not capable of letting in a sliver of light?
How good was it? Pretty good in parts, to be fair. Rob Valetini, scorer of two tries, confirmed that he is the one genuinely world class operator in the side, perhaps the only Australian that would challenge for a place in the South African or New Zealand squads. His power, dynamism and work rate is something Joe Schmidt can build an identity around. It is clear he has been encouraged to play a leading role in the coach’s link-up play approach as he acted as a fulcrum on multiple wraparound moves, drawing in defenders and unloading passes at just the right time.
Around him the back row is starting to click. Fraser McReight also put in a shift of high quality which saw him steal turnovers off the deck, carry 64 metres with ball in hand and bag a brace of tries. Tate McDermott similarly impressed before he was hooked after the hour mark. The scrumhalf thrummed with an effervescence at the base of the ruck, offering a throwback to a bygone age when retired players didn’t have to act as cheerleaders and the product sold itself.
Sure, not everything worked. Ben Donaldson struggled to ignite his backline despite a deluge of front foot ball, often moving laterally and cramping his runners off his shoulder for space. His kicking was also erratic, missing a sitter in front of the poles and failing to find touch from a penalty nudge to the corner. He wasn’t helped by a lack of punch from midfield. Though Hunter Paisami scored an early try, the channel between first receiver and the tram needs work. So does the tight five. The absence of destructive grunt from the big boys compelled Eddie Jones to pull Will Skelton from the wilderness as if he were a retired secret service operative living in the outback. This dearth of big units in the engine could hurt the Wallabies down the track.
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How good was it? Now that we’re into our analysis there was a lot that wasn’t quite right. A ton of unforced errors and an inability to build through the phases kept Georgia in the contest. The visitors notched blockbuster scores, including the first of Aka Tabutsadze’s pair that went the length of the field, but this was as much a consequence of Australian profligacy and disharmony in the defensive line as it was from Georgian brilliance. Australia’s set piece also fell short, especially from attacking line-outs as if the moving parts in the machine were made in different factories and required some tinkering to make them fit.
But three wins out of three matches is something that Schmidt can hang his hat on. And for a man who has built a reputation on forging identities, on implementing cohesive plans and creating structure out of chaos, he’ll point to a team that served up some entertaining afternoon footy and is trending in the right direction.
