Wallabies earn seven-day World Cup stay of execution after securing a bonus point win over Portugal

The obituaries for Eddie Jones’ Wallabies may have already been prepared but they will have to wait just a little longer. Here is how Australia can still make the World Cup quarter-finals.

The Wallabies have kept their slim World Cup hopes alive. Picture: Getty Images

Hold the last rites, the Wallabies aren’t dead and buried just yet.

The obituaries for Eddie Jones’ Australian team may have already been prepared but they will have to wait just a little longer because it’s not quite over.

Needing a miracle to sneak into the quarter-finals, the worst-performing Wallabies’ squad that has ever worn the gold jersey at the Rugby World Cup has been given a seven-day stay of execution after thumping Portugal 34-14 in France overnight.

The Australians still need some divine intervention from the rugby gods to make it out of the pool stage but they do at least still have a pulse – even if it’s only very faint.

Rebounding from their back-to-back losses against Fiji and Wales, the Wallabies did what they had to do against Portugal, winning easily and picking up a bonus point for scoring five tries.

Added to their bonus-point win over Georgia in their first pool match, that gives the Wallabies the slimmest of chances of making it to the knockout phase but they face an anxious wait before knowing their fate because it’s out of their own hands.

Eddie Jones looks on during the Wallabies thumping win over Portugal. Picture: Getty Images

With the Wallabies having the bye for next weekend’s last round of group games, they now need Portugal to do them a huge favour and beat Fiji by at least eight points next weekend without giving up more than three tries.

It is not impossible because stranger things have happened at the World Cup and Fiji nearly slipped up against Georgia this weekend, but it is still highly unlikely.

“We’re still alive,” Jones said. “That was the aim of the day. For a young team down to 13 men we showed plenty of courage and fought hard. We’ve done that all season, sometimes the results haven’t been in our favour...well, most of the time.

“It’s a real credit to them. You look at the experience of our players out there, we’re averaging less than 20 caps.

“I thought defensively we worked really hard. Attack-wise we had bits and pieces. We still lack that clinical edge to our game. We do some good things and then we give the ball back too quickly.”

Asked how his side will approach the next week not knowing whether the Wallabies will progress, Jones said it would be business as usual.

“We’re anticipating we’ll be in the quarter-finals so we have plans to have three days off and then three days training,” he said.

“We’ll see on Sunday night. Portugal played with plenty of spirit so you never know.”

Wallabies number eight Rob Valentini was also quick to give credit to Portugal.

“It was good. I thought the boys dug deep, knowing it could be our last game. The boys made it easy for me,” he said.

“Credit to Portugal, they are a very solid team. I can’t believe this is their first World Cup. I know they are going to be a powerhouse in a couple of years.

Robert Leota contests a line out for the Wallabies. Picture: Getty Images

“It was good to see that a lot of things we did in training this week transferred to the field. We knew the game would be won in the forwards because Portugal have got some slick backs, so we just had to be physical and dominant there.”

The Wallabies will remain in France and continue training but if they are sent packing in a week’s time, they and their long-suffering supporters will forever be left wondering how they stuffed things up so badly.

Longshots to win the tournament after changing coaches less than a year before the sport’s biggest event, the Wallabies still should have maintained their perfect record of making the knockout phase at all 10 World Cups ever played.

Last weekend’s 40-6 loss to Wales will be remembered as an utter humiliation but the real damage was done the week before when the Wallabies were narrowly beaten by Fiji after failing to overcome the disastrous loss of their key players, Will Skelton, Tate McDermott and Taniel Tupou.

The Wallabies did show some glimpses of what could have been with their emphatic win over Portugal at the Geoffroy-Guichard stadium in St Etienne, the same venue where the Wallabies blew it against Fiji.

It was not a performance that would have scared the tournament’s big guns but it was a much better display and more than enough to see off the European minnows, who only qualified for the World Cup for the second time.

The Wallabies had a brief scare when they conceded the first try of the match to trail early but were in total control after that, with the result never in doubt.

Richie Arnold, Dave Porecki and Angus Bell all scored tries in the first half before Fraser McReight crossed early in the second to secure the bonus point and Marika Koroibete finished it off with a late five-pointer.

Rob Valetini was thrilled with the efforts of his teammates in a must-win clash. Picture: Getty Images

Unlike their previous matches where they kept unravelling late, the Wallabies grew in confidence the longer they were out there against Portugal.

They have struggled all tournament with their decision making and once again made some dumb early calls, kicking for goal when they needed to score tries to stay alive.

They were given a rude reminder of what they needed to do when Pedro Bettencourt scored the opening try for Portugal but once the memo got through, the Wallabies went to full-on attack mode and got the rewards they were after.

One of the few Wallabies to enhance his reputation during the tournament, Valentini set up Australia’s first try after Portugal were reduced to 14 when Bettencourt was yellow carded.

Porecki also scored when the Wallabies had the one-man advantage from a lineout then Bell charged over from close-range.

McReight sealed the important bonus point shortly after the resumption.

The Wallabies backs had some bright moments, with Andrew Kellaway string at fullback and the new centre pairing of Izaia Perese and Lalakai Foketi combining well, but lacked cohesion for the main part with Koroibete the only back to cross, dotting down just before the end.

“I’m proud of my boys. It has been a tough week for us obviously but to turn it around and get a win like that is good for our group,” Porecki said.

“I want to commend Portugal. The fight that they showed in the second half, the atmosphere their fans (made), it was a great game.

“We know we have a lot of things we need to work on. I also want to commend our fans. It’s as tough for them as it is for us, but they showed up and it was a great atmosphere. I’m just glad we could come away with a bonus-point win.”

Originally published as Wallabies earn seven-day World Cup stay of execution after securing a bonus point win over Portugal