The Wallabies fell short in lots of ways on their spring tour. They tasted defeat in three Tests and were lucky not to lose a fourth. They finished the international season with only five victories and nine losses and never won back-to-back. The injury toll was horrendous: 40 Wallabies battered or broken. And they are still no closer to locking in a 9-10 playmaking dynamic to spark their erratic attack.
And yet, this year they defeated England, South Africa, Argentina, Scotland and Wales and went within a whisker of vanquishing France, Ireland and New Zealand, the top three sides in the world. And on Sunday, by overturning a 21-point deficit in 23 minutes in Cardiff, the men in gold showed the never-say-die fortitude that will give Wallabies supporters hope for the 2023 World Cup in France.
