Autumn Series week 2 round up
Test Rugby is not school rugby. When you have points on offer, you take them!
Yes the try from Manu Tuilagi, above, was very well taken from a Danny Care’s quick tap but that was the exception that confirm the rule.
It doesn’t happen often and the decision to go for the try rather than have a shot at goal twice in the second half was either very naive or showed a clear lack of maturity.
They didn’t score from it and if anything it boosted the Wallabies in their defence’s belief.
Apart from that the scrum battle didn’t turn out as expected. Joe Marler took a beating to the hand of Ben Alexander and the Aussie scrum found a new lease of life to play on the front foot.
Although England brought some urgency in the last quarter of the game, neither side offered much in attack as the defence took over in a hard fought battle.
So it came down to converting your field position into points and at this game the Aussie showed a lot more maturity.
For Wales it was another matter as to take your opportunities you need to create some first.
What has happened to the side that was promised the world not so long ago?
They offered nothing in attack being under huge pressure by the Samoans’ defensive line and when they made mistakes, they paid for it.
They knew how physical the Islanders were going to be and yet they didn’t front up to it.
They now face the All Blacks next week, just what you need when you are struggling! I don’t want to sound too pessimistic here but could we see a similar result as Ireland’s third test back in June?
Samoa deserve a lot of credit though and since the Pumas opened the door to a tournament extension Down Under, Samoa have to be next on the list.
With a lot of their players playing in Europe, they became a side much more about playing rugby than cutting heads.
The way they controlled the game on Friday was very impressive and the way they scored their chances was even more so (Test rugby!).
Their set piece is becoming stronger as well which gives them a good platform to attack from.
All this brings me to their clash with France next Saturday in what is setting up to be one of the game of the week as both team will go out to secure an unbeaten Autumn Series.
France were magnificent in the first half against the Pumas to score three superb tries.
But when the Pumas took the game up front in the second half, the worst was to be feared. That’s when the ‘South African’ Frederic Michalak took over.
Since his spell with the Sharks, which he led to the Super 15 final this year, the mercurial fly-half has returned a much more confident and mature playmaker.
When before he could be compared to players like Quade Cooper or Kurtley Beale he is now more of a Dan Carter.
He knows what he can and can’t do and trust his abilities. If it’s on he will go for it just like he used to but if it’s not he will either offload out wide or kick to relieve the pressure rather than force a play and put the team under unnecessary pressure.
He also kicks his goals which is crucial to be a world-class No.10.
I’m pretty excited about next week and the Six Nations to see how this French side develop.
Scotland were brave in their efforts once again but they need to start playing from the kick-off rather than chase the scoreboard all the time.
It’s quite frustrating to watch as they showed the last couple of weeks they can put the All Blacks or the Springboks on the back foot when they do so.
Do they have an inferiority complex against the big nations? I don’t think so but they need to stop trying to hold them out as it’s impossible to do for 80 minutes. If you score first and keep going, the opposition will be chasing the game and it’s much easier to control the game from there than having to play and risk mistakes.
Their reception of Tonga on Saturday should help them end their Series on a high tough.
NICK VERDIER
