Japan a model for Wallabies

THE rampaging All Blacks might be the benchmark at the World Cup to date, but Australia should instead look to Japan for inspiration as it tries to bounce back from a tough loss to Wales, according to former World Cup-winning coach Bob Dwyer.

The twice champion Wallabies meet much-improved Uruguay in Oita tomorrow, having fallen heart-breakingly short in their 29-25 defeat by Pool D rival Wales.

With no team having ever lost a pool game and gone on to win the tournament, history would suggest Michael Cheika’s side is up against it. Dwyer, however, holds hope for Australia if it can do the basics well, and sees no better role model for that than the highflying hosts who upset Ireland 19-12 last week.

“We could really take a blueprint out of Japan’s performance against Ireland,” said Dwyer, who guided the Wallabies to their first World Cup triumph in 1991.

“All the fundamentals of rugby were present in their performance. Honestly, it was almost like, if I were to do a video for coach education, it would be the Japanese game — it was excellent.”

While the All Blacks put the tournament on notice with a 63-0 demolition of Canada on Wednesday, after easing past South Africa in their opener, Dwyer said Australia could do worse than to emulate the intensity of Japan’s tackling and note their superb organisation against the Irish.

“In attack they ran straight, they didn’t get too far apart and they didn’t line up too deeply,” Dwyer said.