Opinion
It was only Georgia, but Wallabies produced their best passage of play for two years
Paul Cully
Rugby columnist1. What smart Rassie will take from Wallabies’ performance against Georgia.
It would be a stretch to say that Joe Schmidt was playing 4D chess on Saturday, but the upshot of the part-excellent, part wobbly win against Georgia is that the Springboks will arrive in Brisbane in three weeks’ time without a firm idea about what the Wallabies will produce.
It was clear in the aftermath of the Test that Wallabies fans had zoomed in on the negatives – notably the chaotic mid-section of the game when the Wallabies lost their heads. But that’s not the lens Springboks coach Rassie Erasmus and his assistant Tony Brown will be using.
Instead, they’ll be looking at the opening quarter and identifying the clear areas where the Wallabies can, and will, put South Africa under pressure at times. Here’s what I saw: pace on the ball, good attacking shape, smart short passing and big men using footwork at the line (prop Isaac Kailea was outstanding).
The Wallabies couldn’t maintain it for anywhere near long enough to win a big Test match – yet – but that was the best passage of play by Australia in two years. That was a seed being planted, and smart men such as Erasmus and Brown will assuredly spend more time on that section than hard-marking Wallabies supporters.
2. Fraser McReight is the real Wallabies captain.
Hopefully, the revolving door of Wallabies captains ends with the announcement of the Rugby Championship squad: it is important that there is one bloke that everyone can get behind.
Fraser McReight crashes over for a try against Georgia.Credit: Getty Images
Fraser McReight was the outstanding choice during Super Rugby, and he only emphasised his credentials during July. He’s in the top three players every time the Wallabies play, he’s tough, he plays 80 minutes a game, and he stands up in the big moments.
Liam Wright might be deemed the more natural leader, but even if his shoulder is OK he’s not a locked-in choice to start each week – especially as No.8 Harry Wilson stepped up noticeably as a lineout target against Georgia.
At 25, McReight would still be young for such a big job, but he is developing into a talismanic figure in Australian rugby and there would be no better place than Suncorp Stadium against the Springboks to begin a new era.
Paul Cully’s team of the week
- Isaac Kailea (Australia)
- Asafo Aumua (New Zealand)
- Fletcher Newell (New Zealand)
- Nick Frost (Australia)
- RG Snyman (South Africa)
- Ben-Jason Dixon (South Africa)
- Fraser McReight (Australia)
- Harry Wilson (Australia)
- Cortez Ratima (New Zealand)
- Luka Matkava (Georgia)
- Makazole Mapimpi (South Africa)
- Anton Lienert-Brown (New Zealand)
- Billy Proctor (New Zealand)
- Ignacio Mendy (Argentina)
- Simao Bento (Portugal)
3. A sliding doors weekend for playmakers.
Wallabies No.10 Ben Donaldson won’t play against South Africa in Brisbane, but Australia will get its first glance of new Springboks golden boy Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu. Donaldson had a very tough afternoon in Sydney, kicking poorly and failing to link with his outsides after the Wallabies crafted a scoring opportunity in the 12th minute.
It means that Noah Lolesio is in prime position to reclaim the Wallabies No.10 jersey against South Africa - and he was part of that 25-17 victory against them in Adelaide in 2022. Whether Lolesio holds on to it is an open question, but there is no doubt that Tom Lynagh’s untimely hamstring injury has stopped him from advancing his case.
Feinberg-Mngomezulu, by contrast, was impressive off the bench for the Springboks in their big win over Portugal, and he appears to have leapfrogged Manie Libbok in the pecking order. It would be a surprise if Handre Pollard did not start against the Wallabies, but Feinberg-Mngomezulu is the man on the rise in South Africa, especially with his ability to cover No.15 as well.
Noah Lolesio is poised to reclaim the No.10 jersey.Credit: AP
4. Ryan Smith puts hand up for the Reds.
Queensland are a mile ahead of the other Australian sides in terms of their overall offering. Having played Wales on Friday, they’re off to Tonga this week and they have a tour of Japan before heading north for games against Bristol and Ulster (although the Crusaders’ struggles this season after a similar pre-season tour will be something to overcome).
It’s no wonder players are queuing up to get to Ballymore, but their main motivation will be the quality of coaching. Big second-rower Ryan Smith is coming off his best Super Rugby season, and he showed against Wales in Brisbane on Friday that he was very unlucky to be ranked behind Angus Blyth during the July Tests.
He was excellent at the set-piece as the Reds’ maul went to work, and he showed he has the size and physical maturity to be the grafting second-rower in any quartet picked by the Wallabies for the Rugby Championship. The other interesting ;part of that contest was Tim Ryan’s selection in the midfield.
He’s clearly undersized for that position, but Joe Schmidt must have noticed how game was in the contact: the Junkyard Dog has innate toughness and it’s really a matter of time before he gets his chance in gold.
5. Filipo Daugunu’s red card was justified.
Five words are enough to end the debate about whether Daugunu’s attempted charge-down deserved a red card: CJ Stander and Pat Lambie. It was the horrific incident involving those two players in 2016 that really brought home the danger of airborne players hitting the kicker in a vulnerable position.
The game’s attitude to the charge-down has justifiably changed since then, putting the onus on the jumping player to keep the kicker safe. It’s been a red card for years and you can even point to a specific recent incident that highlights it.
In 2022, All Blacks winger Caleb Clarke was sent off during the Blues-Moana Pasifika game for smashing into Tomasio Alosio in a charge-down attempt gone wrong. Copping a knee, or thigh, to the head from 100-kilogram-plus athletes such as Daugunu and Clarke is self-evidently dangerous, and Daugunu was lucky that Georgia agreed to play the Test under the 20-minute red card rule, which wasn’t the case in the South Africa v Portugal game overnight.
A Daugunu ban could open the door for Marika Koroibete, who himself got a costly yellow card in the final of the Japan Rugby League One competition. Schmidt has been at pains to back Australian-based players, but Daugunu’s absence would create a short-term need for power and experience in the back three.
Contrary to popular opinion, fullback Tom Wright has not settled the debate at No,15 during the July Tests and Andrew Kellaway remains a viable option.
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