Wallabies: The discipline needed to beat Ireland flows from Cheika

Ireland is the most disciplined team in world rugby. Australia the least.

Ireland is the most disciplined team in world rugby. Australia the least.

At least, that’s what Michael Cheika told the faithful gathered in the Suncorp Stadium dressing room on Wednesday while waiting for a live cross to Fox Sport of the Wallabies team announcement.

Why is that, someone asked? Well, said Cheika, it comes from me. If I’m not disciplined, how can I expect the team to be?

How indeed. We’ve all seen the images of Cheika giving vent to his emotions up in the coaches’ box during Tests. Personally, I think it’s one of his more endearing qualities. It shows the passion he brings to the job. But I can understand that people might be offended and taken aback. At least, that’s what I’m told every time I voice my opinion of a dubious refereeing ­decision. But mercifully, this ­column is about Cheika, not me.

Players pick up on these things. Even if they’re not aware of his ­behaviour at the time, they quickly catch up on YouTube, which I’m sure has a channel or bandwidth or whatever they call these things set up specifically for the Wallabies’ coach. And when the players see this man — this man they take their lead from — exploding, they feel they are entitled to let their own emotions off the leash.

Later, I asked Cheika about his frank talk in the dressing room and it quickly became apparent I had misinterpreted him. Yes, he said, the lead does come from him but he was referring to all those little incidents in training that he tends to let go unpunished because, as coach, he doesn’t want to ruin the flow and intensity. So he turns a blind eye to players not taking a step or two to get back onside, or entering a ruck from the side or being in front of the kicker when the box kick goes up.

“I want to give the lead,” he ­explained. “I want to be more disciplined around the accountability of the team, around the little things, not the big things. Just put a little more of a push on that, all the little details at training. The tackle contest, the onside line. Being more pedantic about those things at training, that’s what I’m talking about. So we might be a foot over the line at training, we let it go. No, that can’t happen. And bring that type of discipline into everything we do.”

There is no question, the Wallabies need to tighten up on the ­details. How many times have we seen it: the early shove in the scrum; the front-rowers shaking their heads as they backpedal away from the penalty; the commentators bemoaning what a wonderful attacking opportunity Australia just passed up. Instead of clearing the ball from a scrum, they are retreating 40m down the field where the opposition will take the ball down and set up another raid. They can’t allow such incidents to happen this year, not if they hope to win.

Ireland are not just the most disciplined team in world rugby, they’re the stingiest as well. Hark back to their opening Test of the Six Nations campaign, against France at Stade de France on February 3 this year. Full time on the clock and France leads 13-12.

Most people at this point still are expecting Eddie Jones’ ­England to monster everyone else in the tournament, so no one realises the ramifications of what is about to happen. Ireland holds the ball. And holds it. And holds it. Through 23 phases, if memory serves me, before the pass was thrown back for Jonny Sexton who kicks the winning field goal. No one knew it then but the whole tournament would rest on that kick.

And it was the Irish discipline, the ability to go through 23 phases and not give away a penalty or drop the ball, that made it possible. Personally, I think that’s the reason David Pocock was such a vital selection in this series, because he would have forced his way in there over the tackle contest and won the turnover, although as Cheika explained, Ireland are very good indeed at sealing the ball away from the opposition.

Still, that’s the type of discipline Joe Schmidt’s team exhibits, the type of discipline Australia will have to match if they are to have a hope against a side that has worked its way to within field goal range of the number one team in world rugby, the All Blacks.

For the first time ever during the Cheika era, the Wallabies’ coaching team will have no outside distractions as they approach the June internationals.

No Brumbies worries for Steve Larkham, no Waratahs’ defensive concerns for Nathan Gray, ­although he surely has enough on his plate with the Australian side having leaked 47 tries last season in just 14 matches.

Even Cheika himself has no distractions, having somehow managed to combine coaching the Tahs in 2015 with preparing the Wallabies for a World Cup a few months later. This time, all the coaches will be consumed with Ireland.

Cheika didn’t miss his assistants in previous years, because they simply weren’t there. Now, any time he has a new idea to bounce off Larkham or Gray or the new scrum coach, Simon Raiwalui, he only has to wait until he bumps into them at the water-cooler.

“I’ve really enjoyed having them this year,” he said. “I didn’t realise how much of a difference it makes until they’re here on board.”

From a recent Australian perspective, the Wallabies are ready as never before. They will need to be. They’ve never faced a June opponent ranked higher than them, not even England in 2016. They’ve had their team-building talks, they’ve had their tactical sessions, which essentially came down to work ethic.

“They (Ireland) are a team that works hard and we’ve got to work harder,” Cheika explained.

Losing Rory Best, their skipper, certainly will hurt Ireland. Suddenly, they will go from having a 111-cap veteran at hooker — which is just 109 caps more than the more experienced Australian hooker — back to someone who has played “only” 61, Sean Cronin. Much ­better!

But the game remains the same as far as Australia is concerned. It’s all about discipline. Just one thing, though. The big things count too.