The Wallabies can’t stop France’s attack in Brisbane. So there’s only one way to beat them
Who can be a defensive coach these days?
There is no one who doesn’t have a high tolerance for pain, especially when it comes to stopping teams like France. France’s 32 points against the All Blacks last week were the fewest he has scored all year.
They scored 36 goals against Ireland, 54 against Wales, 33 against Italy, 40 against Scotland and 48 against England. Les Bleus are averaging 40.5 points per game this year and it doesn’t seem to matter who they pick in the backfield.
Wallabies coach Joe Schmidt is rightly concerned about the damage playmakers Romain Ntamack and Matthieu Jalibert could cause in Brisbane on Saturday, but France’s biggest weapon is how they are coached.
Take a look at the passing sequence that led to winger Theo Attissogbe’s try in the 58th minute against the All Blacks in Christchurch.
After a break down the left sideline, the situation progressed as follows: for half-time support, to number 10, on the wing, to another supporter, to the second rower, to centre, then to Attissogbe.
Despite the game featuring three tight forwards, the All Blacks did not touch any players in the attacking raid.
Hopefully the right people at Rugby Australia are looking closely at this series and asking some tough questions about how players are coached in Australia.
Few teams in Super Rugby could score a try. From where? Because after the first break the forwards would have effectively wasted a phase by gathering in a pre-planned “pod” and making contact.
Eventually the ball may have been pulled back to No 10 for a cross-court strike, but by then this will have become a lower percentage play.
It was also about how the All Blacks tried to defend that try. They all moved forward rather than laterally because they were so used to their opponents making contact rather than looking for space.
This meant France’s number 13 Fabien Brau-Boirie easily beat Ardie Savea on the outside. All Blacks were not used to the way the French attacked.
More importantly, this all comes from France’s coaching and mentality, not some impossible skill set. None of the short passes the French players made throughout the series were particularly difficult to execute; this was all within the capabilities of the Australian players.
But until the Wallabies and Super Rugby teams are freed from their metaphorical chain of robotic, structure-focused coaching, Attissogbe’s goal will remain out of reach.
That revolution won’t happen this weekend, so how can the Wallabies stop the French in the second Test of the Nations Championship?
With great difficulty, which means they need to score more points instead of trying to close them.
England adopted this approach in the final Test of the Six Nations and almost succeeded. England scored 46 points in Paris and were probably unlucky to lose.
They did so in a remarkable game, effectively throwing caution to the wind and it’s hard to see the Wallabies winning unless they borrow at least some of that ambition.
As a result, the losses of Carter Gordon and Ben Donaldson were a huge blow. There were signs of a big attack from the Wallabies against Ireland last week, especially in the first half.
Gordon’s running game would trouble French. The All Blacks managed to create space for No.10 Ruben Love in their first-base attack last weekend, but it’s a big ask for Declan Meredith to be so assertive in his first Test on a big stage.
But if the Wallabies want to take a big step towards next year’s Rugby World Cup, they will have to take a page out of France’s book.
Go back to the France pass sequence and add the names of the Wallabies forwards instead: Angus Bell, Fraser McReight, Taniela Tupou and Josh Canham. You can’t tell me these guys are incapable of using their skills to link forwards and centre-backs.
In today’s attack-oriented world of Test rugby, luck favors the brave.
Paul Cully is a rugby columnist for The Sydney Morning Herald.Connect with: X or email.
