From an English perspective the focus for the opening weekend of the 2015 Rugby Championship was on Michael Cheika’s Australia. Since England’s last meeting with the Wallabies Cheika has astutely amended his eligibility clauses to ensure he has the right men in the mix come September and has had time to settle into his role.
Naturally one test match cannot tell us the whole story, far from it, however it does provide us with something to discuss and make observations from. Cheika’s assessment of his side’s game was that it 'wasn’t perfect' but he highlighted the importance of the victory from a morale and self-belief perspective. Heading into the game Australia has won just one of their last five meetings against the Springboks and more importantly had just one win from their last seven test matches. The Wallabies have been missing their swagger however the mental tenacity that they showed to wrestle back the match must be given credit. Clearly South Africa didn't bury the game as they should, however in fairness to Cheika's Australia they weren't allowed to. The Rugby Championship continues next weekend with the Springboks taking on the All Blacks and the men in gold heading to Argentina and Round 1 will have given their Head Coach a few things to ponder on.
The first will be the performance of Quade Cooper in the ten jersey. Copper’s talent is undeniable however his performance level undulated during the test. His perfectly timed inside ball to Adam Ashley-Cooper set up a score that was extremely easy on the eye, it was exactly the type of move and ball that you want from lead playmaker however a dodgy day off the tee and the ridiculous decision to deliver a 'flashy' spin out wide when exiting the 22 prior to half time put hearts in mouths and raised question marks over his reliability. The second will be just how to strengthen the set piece for it remains a thorn in this test team's side. The surprise that the Australian commentators voiced when Australia gained a dominant scrum said it all, the question is whether two months is enough time to deliver significant improvements in this area?
On the positive side of things Cheika will be beaming from ear to ear regarding the performance of David Pocock. Pocock's injuries have kept him out of test rugby since 1st December 2012 however on Saturday it looked as if he had never been away. It was Pocock's partnership with the terrier that is Michael Hooper that re-addressed the breakdown balance and gave the side renewed vigour and I think we'd all love to see them start against Argentina to see what they can do. The breakdown is an area that we all should take notice of, for as we all know dominance can make or break a game, no pun intended. In last year's QBE International Chris Robshaw, Tom Wood and Ben Morgan collectively pacified the men in gold however that was against a less experienced Australian back row. Personally I'm not questioning England's ability to do so again in September, instead I'm simply pointing out that an on form Pocock is an altogether different proposition to consider heading into the autumn.
Australian perfection it was not, an over lateral start and lack of territory were concerning as well as the consideration points above however their victory has given the Wallabies a platform to work off. The tenacity and dogged mental toughness shown by the men in gold was a timely reminder that winning doesn't always have to be beautiful. The choice to head for the corner and back themselves took guts and finishing the job will have felt extremely sweet for Stephen Moore and his side. The fact remains that there should be much more to come from this Wallabies side and the forthcoming tests against Argentina and the All Blacks will be intriguing to watch from an English perspective.
