Wallabies will need gamebreakers to succeed at World Cup, says Fiji coach
AUSTRALIA’S first World Cup opponents, Fiji, expect the Wallabies to revert to starting both opensides David Pocock and Michael Hooper, and jumping locks, to reach the tournament’s playoffs.
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AUSTRALIA’S first World Cup opponents, Fiji, expect the Wallabies to revert to starting both opensides David Pocock and Michael Hooper, and jumping locks, to reach the tournament’s playoffs.
Fiji’s coach John McKee declared that “you can’t take Super Rugby game plans into international rugby” after watching the Wallabies fold to the All Blacks last Saturday.
McKee also said the only way Australia and Fiji — who play on September 23 — can expect to get out of the pool of death including hosts England and Wales, is to break the defensive shackles imposed by the northerners and set free attacking weapons such as Israel Folau and Nemani Nadolo.
“I can’t guess what Michael Cheika and his coaching staff might be thinking around their team but I would expect that with the success of Sydney, they would look to that,” McKee told the Daily Telegraph.
“Cheika has brought something different to the squad which is good for the Wallabies. They are still finding their way in terms of how they want to play.
“You can’t take Super Rugby game plans into international rugby.
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“Traditionally northern hemisphere versions of the World Cup have been quite dour.
“For us and the Wallabies to do well, we’ve got to break the game open to some extent.
“England and Wales, if we get in a big arm-wrestle with them, we’ll probably lose because they are better at that game.
“We need to break the game open to create opportunities for the skill-set of our players.”
The Wallabies certainly failed to break open their match against New Zealand at Eden Park, scoring one consolation try at the end of the rout when Folau plucked a bomb out of the air and ran 50 metres.
Otherwise, they were generally beaten in the battle for the gain-line, giving All Blacks playmaker Dan Carter far more time than rivals Cooper and Matt Giteau to concoct attacking raids.
And losing lineout ball cruelled any chance for them to use set plays to break through the black wall.
Australia, who defeated New Zealand by starting Pocock and Hooper and disrupting the Kiwis’ breakdown, were brought back down to earth with a thud in Auckland last weekend.
Pocock was used off the bench, with Wycliff Palu the starting No. 8, while the non-jumping Will Skelton started at lock, as the Wallabies attempted to play a power running style more aligned to the game plan the Waratahs had used under national coach Michael Cheika.
The plan backfired as New Zealand smashed Australia 41-13. And while the damage was done in the second half when Quade Cooper was sin-binned, before that Australia struggled to turn over possession like they’d done in Sydney, while losing key lineouts as well, to give the Kiwis ascendancy.
Both England and Wales will target Australia’s and Fiji’s set-piece and play a tight, territory-based game to remove any threat of counter-attack — which is most effective when the likes of Pocock can pilfer opposition ball and fling it to open spaces.
Fiji, who won the Pacific Nations Cup this month, cannot be discounted as a threat to the big three in Pool A.
“We’re not going to the World Cup to make up the numbers,” McKee said
Originally published as Wallabies will need gamebreakers to succeed at World Cup, says Fiji coach