Australia’s 54-34 loss to the All Blacks was somehow worse than it looked, says Andrew Slack

AUSTRALIA’S performance against the All Blacks in the first Bledisloe Cup clash was the full stop in the worst week of the worst season of professional rugby in this country, writes Andrew Slack.

Ryan Crotty of New Zealand escapes a tackle by Samu Kerevi of Australia on Saturday night.

THERE was 10 minutes of false hope before the embarrassment flooded in.

Despite the Wallabies’ promising opening with ball in hand during some early attacking forays in the first half, the tone was actually set in the first 35 seconds of Saturday’s match, by which time the Australians had already missed two one-on-one tackles.

There can be some excuse for falling off tackles when fatigue sets in, but when the only effort you’ve exerted is to sing the national anthem, it’s hard to understand how professional players could be so shabby in the most basic of demands the game of rugby requires.

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Add what appeared to be a completely rudderless defensive communication process and what you had by halftime was the full stop on the worst week in the worst season of professional rugby in this country.

If you’re looking for an upside, the only one appears to be that Sunday is the start of a new week.

The Wallabies were woeful and there’s no escaping it. Will Genia had said before the match that the team accepts criticism when they play poorly but they don’t accept being accused of lacking passion or commitment.

The trouble is, the best marker for commitment is defence and if you are committed but can’t make the tackles you shouldn’t be there.

The midfield was a mess. In hindsight, that was no great surprise with Kurtley Beale and Samu Kerevi the 10th centre combination since the beginning of last season.

Time together is crucial and with debutant Curtis Rona given some midfield defensive responsibilities, the All Blacks smelled blood in that area and drank it like a thirsty vampire.

Bad tackling is a contagion. Everything else falls away with it. The Wallabies had looked quite promising with ball in hand in the first quarter of the game, but once they were shell shocked by the avalanche of New Zealand tries, everything fell away.

It might be argued that the four successive tries the Wallabies scored when they were 54-6 behind did little but erase the prospect of a complete and utter embarrassment.

However, that erasure might just give them something to cling to as they head to Dunedin for Saturday’s return match.

On the flip side, it might also give the All Blacks something to consider as their defensive game fell away once the result was beyond doubt.

They will head to the deep south intending to prove that they can keep the foot flat to the floor for the full 80 minutes.

When a 70-point flogging was on the cards, the final result of a 20-point defeat for the Wallabies doesn’t seem that hard to swallow.

The trouble is the scoreboard doesn’t always tell the full story.

Originally published as Australia’s 54-34 loss to the All Blacks was somehow worse than it looked, says Andrew Slack