Poor showing against Ireland doesn’t augur will for home 2027 World Cup
Almost everything that could go wrong did, and almost all of it was the Wallabies’ fault.
Time and time again, when we had a formation in their quarter and could threaten for a try, Ireland stole the ball with a shot that went wrong.
Simply put, this is unacceptable if we are to threaten for the World Cup in two years. (You heard me. This can be done despite the outcome. We have the talent and the will. What is missing is execution at key moments.)
More frustratingly, just like against Italy, the Wallabies were poor at receiving the high ball. Whenever Irish playmaker Jamison Gibson-Park or their scrum-half Sam Prendergast took to the field, green jerseys rained down and more often than not Harry Potter or Max Jorgensen found themselves isolated, beaten and lost the ball.
To make matters worse, the Irish high ball was allowed to bounce twice with no one underneath it; This was something that would make the under 12 coach blow you away. Even the offense wasn’t solid and significant penalties were called.
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Eighth-seeded James O’Connor was the embodiment of yin and yang. His presence has liberated the outside backs more than we have seen in recent Tests when he was not there. But he also made frustrating, unforced errors just when it looked like the promised land was around the corner.
It’s not like the Wallabies didn’t try hard. They were exhausted by their efforts and still managed to produce the oddly wonderful play that left Ireland struggling. For all their problems, despite playing at home against one of the best teams in the world, the Wallabies were still good enough to be in the game with just 10 minutes left.
It was so frustrating that just when they had a chance of a truly great victory, they were let down by the most basic of all things – wrong set plays, unnecessary forward passes and dropped balls.
It’s not yet “back to the drawing board” for next week’s Test against France. Along with great talent, they still have the ability and desire to win.
They just need to fix the basic issues that are currently letting them down.
In summary: traitor, traitor, traitor. But it can still be done.
