Peter Fitzsimons on ‘Gallipoli’ effort of Wallabies
This was another “Gallipoli” for the Wallabies, a great performance but… . . Ultimately it’s still a loss. A 33-31 defeat against a strong team like Ireland, currently third in the world, is no shame as the game was in the balance until the final whistle, but it remains disappointing to have come so close to fame!
Let’s get to the good stuff first.
The big news is that the Wallabies have finally solved their halving problem. For next year’s World Cup, note these names: Ryan Lonergan and Carter Gordon. Like every great half combination, their total in this match was 1.25, not 1.00; each complemented the other’s game. Lonergan’s pass was quick and accurate. (When Lonergan was injured, Tate McDermott came on and was equally strong, every dart hitting the target and one scoring a try.)
Carter Gordon, fresh off a devastatingly injured spell in the NRL, was a revelation. It was what we needed for a long time; He was a fly-half who not only fed outside backs with his quick hands but also regularly crossed the line himself and displayed a sensible kicking game.
Apart from that, Joseph Aukuso Suaalii played his best and most intense match of the last year. And they don’t call Len Ikitau “Flikitau” for nothing. His no-look movements were superb and he consistently placed wingers Dylan Pietsch and Max Jorgensen in superb space. I told you Pietsch would be great and it was! He tackled, he scored, he jumped high, he was against Ireland the whole game.
Jorgensen was as he always was: first class.
Full-back Jock Campbell made a fine return to the Wallabies in his first Test since his 2022 debut, scoring a superb try.
There were bigger revelations ahead.
The lines worked! They actually worked better than ever and they stole one of ours and we stole three of theirs.
Scrums worked.
The Mauls worked.
Obviously the Wallabies forwards coach has done a fantastic job.
Individually, Harry Wilson had a great captain’s knock, which always came from the moment he left Advance Australia faiii, the last line of the national anthem. Angus Bell’s belly “Let’s do this!”
Angus Bell himself? Don’t even talk. How many players in the world can do what he does, stop the attack, tackle himself in the red, throw passes without looking himself and constantly misstep the defense in order to break. Ditto Rob Valetini, who was excellent as ever at getting over the line and managed to work Everest with a performance close to man of the match.
The two locks, Jeremy Williams and Josh Canham, had superb games, each scoring a try and doing a lot in both tackling and carrying the ball. (We knew they had to be good if they were strong enough to keep Nick Frost off the bench.) Josh Nasser and Fraser McReight also had great games; Nasser’s accurate shots came to the fore once again.
But after all, there was enough bouquet for one loss.
Where can the Wallabies improve?
Let’s go to Phil Gould first. Gould has two mantras on NRL commentary. The first is said with world-weary wisdom: “A funny game of rugby league.” (Add water and repeat 50 times until everyone’s nose bleeds.) The second, spoken with even more world-weary wisdom—this is his personal specialty—applies here. “If you let the ball bounce, you invite disappointment into your life.”
Three times the Wallabies let the ball bounce and three times they disappointed; Ireland was regrouping to harm us. For God’s sake, gentlemen, it is permissible to go up there and shake or hit him. No one should say “I AM!” as children under 12 are taught. He is NOT allowed to shout. and pursue it firmly. Similarly, on several occasions the ball became loose on the deck and someone had to jump on it to secure it. But the ball went the other way and Ireland got exactly what wasn’t theirs.
The next thing is this: once the Wallabies get over the line, they need to look at moving him around closer to the posts. We lost this game by two points and on two occasions we missed difficult conversions that could have been made if the strikers had tried to get close to the posts. Conversions see a 40% bonus on the scoreboard, but in the rush to score we often squander our advantage and hope the kicker can salvage the bonus. Against Ireland this did not happen and cost them the victory!
Thirdly, we need to put more pressure on them from the kick-off. I will say it again. In our arsenal we have Joseph Aukuso Suaalii, who we know can sail a meter higher than any striker in captivity after kick-off. He did it three times in his first game for the Wallabies against England at Twickenham and it was the difference between winning and losing. Why doesn’t he do this every kickoff? Why do we have an unused guided missile in our arsenal that we do not fire regularly?
Finally, with the backline operating like ours, box kicks were overrated, especially in the last two minutes when kicking the ball was frantic.
Is everything ok?
This match proved beyond any doubt that the Wallabies are a great team. The staff is there. The skills are there. The desire to win and the great captaincy are obvious. They have the capacity to face the best teams in the world and beat them.
But right now Gallipoli is meeting Maxwell Smart.
They were great but they missed it. . . this much.
Peter FitzSimons is a journalist and columnist for The Sydney Morning Herald.Connect with: X.
