If you’re looking for evidence that this so-called new era of Australian rugby might actually deliver on its promise, it came in the 13th minute as the Wallabies set up camp inside the Wales 22. Five minutes earlier, Filipo Daugunu scored a blockbuster try that stretched the length of the pitch, involved individual brilliance, over-the-top risk and a fortunate bounce of the ball. In short, it looked great on replays but is not something a meticulous coach like Joe Schmidt would want to see too often.
Instead he’ll point to the passage of play shortly after as a sign that his project is starting to bear fruit. With a penalty advantage and within striking distance of the Welsh line, Australia kept it short and cycled through 22 phases as Jake Gordon delivered neat passes to runners off his shoulder and forced Welsh defenders to make tackle after tackle after tackle. This is a hallmark of Schmidt-ball which saw him win three Six Nations crowns with Ireland and two European Championships with Leinster. And though James Slipper, captaining the side in his 136th Test, knocked on, momentum was with them and Noah Lolesio’s boot added three points to the score.
Pragmatic, accurate, efficient. Those aren’t necessarily traits that compel youngsters to turn their backs on other football codes, but they are traits that win Test matches. And, for so long, these are traits that have been absent from the Wallabies as they sunk to previously unimaginable lows. Two wins on the bounce for the first time in three years and a series victory against a team that spanked them 40-6 at the World Cup 10 months ago points to progress.
That is not to say that Schmidt has ironed out every kink in a team that not long ago had more wrinkles than elephant skin. The defence against the maul needs serious work, especially with Rugby Championship matches against South Africa, New Zealand and Argentina looming. And ill discipline around the breakdown must be stamped out. But they are improving elsewhere and have demonstrated that they can play Schmidt’s continuity game that puts greater stock in patience than flair.
But fear not romantics. The new coach has not thrown the baby out with the bathwater. Australian rugby is built on dynamism and unless his players refused direct orders, they showed that they still have licence to thrill. If they can marry their natural attacking zeal with a newfound resilience, perhaps next year’s British & Irish Lions series might not be the embarrassing affair many have predicted.
It helps when the team is stacked with impressive athletes who can light sparks in the rain. Daugunu’s first try came off the back of brave – and risky – work from Andrew Kellaway, who opted to keep the ball in play when kicking it out was the safer option from deep inside his own 22. A successful chase and regather kept the move alive for Fraser McReight who then unleashed Daugunu on his right.
Gordan scored a try after a Welsh error, as did Daugunu who pursued a lost cause and benefited from handy work by Liam Williams. The Welsh winger’s acrobatic leap meant that Lolesio’s penalty wouldn’t find touch, but the rampaging Daugunu pounced on the loose ball and cantered upfield for what proved to be a decisive score. These are not plays that Schmidt will hang his hat on. But he’ll take them. After all, winning is the primary goal. How that mission is accomplished is immaterial at present.
During the Springboks’ successful run to the 2019 World Cup, their coach Rassie Erasmus quipped that his team must “keep the main thing the main thing”. That was winning games of rugby. The other stuff, such as dispelling racial tensions and giving desperate people a reason to smile, would all come later and would be a consequence of their triumphs on the park.
The Wallabies do not hold the same cultural significance in their country as the Springboks do in theirs. There is no Nelson Mandela and Francois Pienaar moment to look back on. There is no Siya Kolisi equivalent who emerged from poverty to reach the highest level in his sport. Rugby union is told often and loudly that it is a little more than a fringe code clinging on for relevancy in Australia. No one could claim that it has the potential to galvanise the nation.
And yet, this Wallabies side does have objectives that reach beyond the boundary. It is on them to grow the game, to put bums on seats and to restore pride in a jersey worn by two World Cup winning captains. It is on them to reward those fans who stuck with them through these lean years and encourage others to get back on board. Entertaining will help, but winning is more productive. Thanks to Schmidt, the main thing might remain the main thing for the foreseeable future.
