Toomey, Beale mix a boost to Australia

STEPHEN Larkham reckons new playmaking combination Kurtley Beale and Matt Toomua did a fantastic job putting the Wallabies in a position to score last weekend.

It’s now on everyone else to finish their work and make sure the ball goes over the line.

Australia are in the midst of one of their worst seasons in decades when it comes to attack, with an average of just 17.2 points per game across their six Test matches so far in 2018. That’s markedly down on last year’s average of 31.1.

But Wallabies attack coach Larkham believes they are on the right track with Beale and Toomua running the show at five- eighth and inside centre, a new- look pairing that will get another run together in Saturday’s Rugby Championship Test against Argentina.

They had a tentative start in Saturday’s 23- 18 win over South Africa in difficult, slippery conditions.

“We didn’t score as many tries as we would have liked to,” Larkham said. “We got into their 22 a number of times, but probably a lack of patience in that area ( cost us) maybe three or four times.

“If I look at the playmaking roles in the team, I think they did a fantastic job of getting us into the 22 and then I think as a whole team we can do a better job ( of finishing).”

The Wallabies look set for a big boost in that regard with Israel Folau, one of the world’s most potent try- scoring threats, in line to return from injury alongside David Pocock.

Folau ( ankle) and Pocock ( neck) were both late scratchings from the Springboks clash but were due to join in contact work on Tuesday afternoon, putting them on course to play Los Pumas at Cbus Super Stadium on the Gold Coast.