Before you get too depressed – and you inevitably will be – here’s a small glimmer of hope after the Wallabies suffered a record 67-27 defeat to Argentina on Sunday.
The previous highest score conceded by a Wallabies team was 61 against the Springboks in 1997, two years later when they lifted the Webb Ellis Cup at Twickenham.
Sure, the team that was humiliated that day had some legends, including George Gregan and Stephen Rackham, but today’s players lack that star power.
But if any fans are still optimistic after seeing all these hot articles about Schmidt, you might want to grab a straw.
The rest of us can continue to live with the feeling of waking up with a massive hangover, having a little fun earlier in the evening but then ending the night with a massive headache before realizing that we’ve done something deeply embarrassing. Oh, is it just me?
Argentina beat Wallabies 67-27: Match Report
Wallabies Player Ratings
Joe Schmidt and some of his players may have been positive about the first half hour when the Wallabies went 20-3 ahead, but this was a crushing defeat and, frankly, worse than anything we have suffered under Eddie Jones at a World Cup.
“The strangest thing about today’s result was that towards the end of the first half it felt like we were finally starting to see the traces of Joe Schmidt in this team,” former Wallabies player Stephen Hoyles told Stan Sports.
“Their attack looked great for 30 minutes. They swept down the short side. They had really good depth down the short side.
“I’m finally starting to think we’re looking like the Wallabies Joe Schmidt wants us to be. We just haven’t been able to do it long enough.
“It’s hard to admit, but I felt there was some improvement. For the first 30 minutes, we were all up early and watching the game, and everyone was saying how good the Test match was.
“Argentina were good enough to last longer. We didn’t have the experience, maturity, physicality or defense to play like that for more than 30 minutes.”
Schmidt has called up 16 debutants in seven Tests so far and is still 4-3 up thanks to an easy July. The All Blacks have lost back-to-back games against the Springboks, but who could have predicted the Wallabies would be troubling Scott Robertson’s injured side this month?
Schmidt defended the rookie selection as a way to add depth to the national team. It would be unfair to blame Josh Canham, the only player to debut in Santa Fe, for the magnitude of the loss. But the sweep and change left the team vulnerable to well-trained and dedicated opponents.
But there are four players who help explain Schmidt’s predicament. On the positive side, Taniela Tupou and Angus Bell have been performing well. But they haven’t lasted long enough. Tupou lasted 36 minutes and Bell was out for the first half, with Australia leading.
Schmidt, on the other hand, can expect more from Allan Ala-Alatoa and Marika Koroibete.
diamonds
It’s a real struggle to sift through the rubble on a Sunday to find something shiny in the dust.
The starting front row of Taniela Tupou and Angus Bell have received some praise, but is it because their departures have been met with a flurry of replacements? If they can’t even survive halfway through the crucible of Test rugby, can they really be considered diamonds? What are the mitigating factors?
Tupou and Bell were strong in the scrum and Tongan Thor showed a few nifty touches in attack, but worryingly he was forced off before half-time after calling time on himself in the Test.
His replacement, Allan Ala-Alatoa, said Tupou’s early exit in the 36th minute was not planned. It was not explained whether it was due to the heat or an injury.
“No, that wasn’t the plan. I think the plan was just to see what the big guy would do,” Ala-Alatoa said. “It was just to get him out there and work as hard as he could. I thought he did a really good job for the 30 minutes he played. He put his hand up and told me to come down.”
Bell was replaced by James Sleeper at half-time.
It would be a stretch to call Ben Donaldson a diamond, but he was one of the Wallabies’ better players in that early surge. With Noah Loretio out, everything is set for Donaldson to take charge.
He was instrumental in setting up Andrew Calloway’s try (the Wallabies’ second after a bewildered Carlo Tizzano netted five in his first Test) and most of the scoreboard chaos occurred after he left in the 56th minute.
“I thought Ben controlled the game really well for the first 30 minutes,” Schmidt said. “He kicked well, had a couple of long kicks, and the one through the middle bounced really well and allowed us to put territorial pressure on them. He connected well, got good gaps because he has acceleration.
“He’s probably just gotten a little bit away from the supporters and he still has a few things to learn in the backfield about making sure he’s in the right position and competing for the ball in the air and commanding the guys in front of him.”
Donaldson was replaced by Tom Linach, while Reds halfback Tate McDermott came on for Jake Gordon in the 56th minute.
McDermott’s try was a display of his best form, with his brilliant footwork quickly tapping in a scrum free-kick and slotting home the ball, leaving defenders disoriented.
Who got the pay? Captain Harry Wilson carried on until the final siren, and Rob Ballettini worked hard as usual, but they were pushed back by an impressive Pumas backrow.
Rock
When a team is so brutally humiliated, you have to look at how they are coached and how they play. The defence was a mess as Argentina completed 17 offloads to the Wallabies’ two goals, and they had the freedom to play in the area close to the ruck.
“The concern for the Wallabies after five minutes of the second half was that (Argentina’s) first two tries were too easy,” Hoyles said.
“There, twice, we ended up in the rugby defence because we were going backwards and we smelled a little bit of a breakdown. Here you see it really starting to open up. Off-loads, after contact, the number of times the Argentines freed their arms and made easy metres.”
James Slipper and Alaalatoa were the ones who dominated the scrum. Experience is no excuse, as Slipper equalled Gregan’s record of 139 appearances and Alaalatoa was making his 74th appearance. Unfortunately, Alaalatoa did not recover from his pre-World Cup injury as well as Australia had hoped.
Ala-Ala-La-Toa isn’t the only high-profile company struggling this year.
Winger Koroibete, who had considered retiring from the Wallabies after the World Cup, scored a series of shock goals in Argentina. Australia’s only overseas player in the current squad is not as strong as he was two seasons ago.
On Sunday he made an unforgivable handling error, running into space and charging towards the left-hand corner only to be crushed by the excellent Pumas fly-half, Thomas Albornoz, in what was a worrying sign.
The Wallabies are a mess and Schmidt’s public solution – which hinges on players’ pride – seems a bit simplistic. Hopefully, he will have a better idea behind closed doors ahead of the All Blacks double-header.
“That’s how the team is responding now,” he said. “They’re proud lads and they’re incredibly proud to represent the Wallabies and they’ll want to give it their all.
“The flight home is going to be pretty depressing, it’s a long flight home so we’re going to get up early tomorrow morning and head home so the players will have a chance to catch their breath at least a little bit and try to get going in the week leading up to the Bledisloe Cup.”