Written by Lachlan Gre, courtesy of rugby.com.au Source article
It took an individual piece of magic from Tom Wright to separate the Wallabies from Wales in a classic Sydney showdown.
Wright’s 69th minute try against the run of play stretched the margin from two to nine points, cruelling any late Welsh hopes and paving way for a winning start to the Joe Schmidt era .
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Warren Gatland’s side weren’t far off though in a 25-16 arm wrestle and a massive battle looms next weekend in Melbourne.
Here’s what we learned:
1. Winning ugly better than losing pretty
Here’s two truths to get started: this game won’t go down as one of the great Test matches, and Aussie fans don’t care – they’re just happy to see a win.
Neither the Wallabies nor Wales were at their best with Australia guilty of conceding too many penalties at the breakdown and lineout.
Meanwhile the Welsh were their own worst enemies – chiefly, poor handling and offside infringements – and Australia’s pressure ultimately proved the difference.
The late defensive efforts of Rob Valetini and debutant Isaac Kailea, Charlie Cale’s 77th minute lineout steal, and death turnovers from Fraser McReight and Josh Flook are exactly what Test match wins are built on.
2. Set piece signs are Wallaby gold
One area the Aussies did fire early was up front with Taniela Tupou chief destroyer at scrum time.
Assisted by veteran James Slipper in his record-breaking 135th Test cap, the “Tongan Thor” smashed through Gareth Thomas and Dewi Lake early doors to paint a picture for referee Pierre Brousset that rarely faltered.
Australia finished with two scrum penalties and a tighthead while demonstrating good signs at lineout time (two penalties aside) with captain Liam Wright and Jeremy Williams influential.
The Wallabies hit 12 of their 13 lineouts and spoiled four Welsh throws – solid stats for an opening Test hit-out.
3. Right man, right place, Wright time
Mercurial is a strong and often overused term in rugby circles.
However, Tom Wright’s 69th minute break was miraculous given his limited involvements in the lead-up.
Save a few errors, the Brumby went largely unnoticed the previous 68 minutes before pulling a Lazarus and rolling the Wallabies’ stone 60m downfield for a try.
There wasn’t much on when Wright received a cut-out ball from Tom Lynagh – but few see space the way Wright can on his day.
If you blinked you might have missed it – a good swing of the hips and Welsh jerseys parted like the Red Sea.
The smile was breaking across Wright’s face before he’d even touched down.
4. “Don’t get cocky, kid”
There’s shades of Star Wars to this result with Joe Schmidt’s winning Wallabies as Australia’s “New Hope”.
But as all geeks will know, the Empire always strikes back.
Though Wales didn’t offer much in attack outside the tenacious Aaron Wainwright and a few late testers from Sam Costelow, Warren Gatland would’ve seen enough to pick out the Wallabies’ vulnerabilities.
Australia’s offensive breakdown still needs serious work, Wales won the kicking duel with a pair of 50-22s, and the Welsh did well to contain key ball runners like Bobby V and Hunter Paisami.
Were it not for Wright’s long-range try and McReight’s late pilfer, this result may have gone the visitors’ way, especially if James Botham maul try wasn’t overruled. Expect a strong response in Melbourne.
5. Schmidt’s selections in the spotlight
From blooding all seven debutants to a record-breaking prop, this Australian squad had it all.
Debutants Jeremy Williams, Josh Flook, Isaac Kailea, Angus Blyth, Charlie Cale and Tom Lynagh all played key minutes while Dylan Pietsch was entrusted with locking down a wing late in the piece.
Slipper’s milestone has already been noted but the return of Liam Wright and Filipo Daugunu was just as compelling following their multi-year absence from Test match rugby.
What follows in next week’s selections will be fascinating.
Will Schmidt entrust the same 23 to reprise their efforts or can fans expect more sweeping changes as the Wallaby coach?
