Schmidt’s men bullied by Aussies in Brisbane bruiser
Ireland are targets now so they just have to get used to this treatment
‘HARDNESS IS THE SPORTING GOSPEL BY WHICH MICHAEL CHEIKA ALWAYS COACHES’
STATUS comes at the cost of ceaseless vigilance. It makes a target of a side, and great teams can never rest or throttle back.
The nature of Australian celebrations at the final whistle in Brisbane betrayed the joy of a group that had just felled the second-best team in the world.
Ireland are targets now. Beating them is an achievement, even for two-time world champions like the Wallabies. But it didn’t take an earth-shattering performance from the Australians to reign victorious.
If Ireland intend on maintaining the greatness they deservedly won this season, they have to overcome days like yesterday.
It is trite to blame this result on the team selected by Joe Schmidt. The shallowness of Ireland’s squad is supposed to explain disaster at the last World Cup.
They need more players capable of surviving on the toughest days, and in that analysis there may be a dividend from this experience over the coming 12 months.
Rotation didn’t cost Ireland in this match. They were as sloppy when the stars appeared over the final quarter as they were for most of the contest. It was with Cian Healy and Tadhg Furlong on the pitch that Ireland conceded a crucial scrum penalty in their own 22.
It was Johnny Sexton that failed to find touch with a penalty.
Aggression was crucial to the Australian victory. From the start they were meeting Ireland with unyielding tackles.
Conor Murray lined up and halved, fairly, by Marika Koroibete, then battered by Kurtley Beale. Murray and James Ryan had the medics attending to them within the first 10 minutes. Michael Hooper slammed into Carbery after the No10 had just released a pass and was at his most exposed.
While this Australian aggression was reactive as Ireland were dominating the ball, the Wallabies were starting a trend that they sustained for 80 minutes.
In that regard, they were a tribute to Michael Cheika. Hardness is the sporting gospel by which he coaches. He made Leinster mean before he made them great, and Australia seem to be undergoing the first part of that transformation. One of the wonders in the small world of Test rugby is the ability of Australia to contend at World Cups; no matter their state of domestic disrepair, they play at or close to their best in the most important tournament of them all.
The main reason is the skill level that is a feature of every Australian generation. This facility allows them to exploit opposing mistakes, and they almost did it when Robbie Henshaw left the Irish defence like a misguided missile.
Beale stepped around him and Koroibete went close to scoring.
This was the game the Wallabies relish and that Schmidt’s Ireland eschew at all costs.
An unstructured contest is always Australia’s preference, and their marvellous handling skills would make them favourites in such a battle. Ireland will always try and engineer a more regimented contest, but the hosts unsettled them repeatedly.
One of the weaknesses in the Irish game during a triumphant Six Nations was on the edges of their defence, and the Australians picked at these frayed spots time and again.
Bernard Foley’s try came in the left corner, Israel Folau’s in the right. Foley’s was also facilitated by another buccaneering break from the Irish defence by Henshaw.
Again, the tackle failed to land and a try resulted. This was less about Henshaw isolating himself in unthinking moments and more an Irish tactic, as he did it four times in the first period alone.
It didn’t work, but it wasn’t the only wrinkle in Ireland’s game. Rob Kearney was making mistakes under the high ball and with his boot, and the absence of Sexton was felt in those times of fleeting Australian control.
Ireland dominated possession, but the relieving power of Sexton’s boot, not as appreciated as his offensive powers, is crucial.
The performances of Bundee Aki and James Ryan were the most vivid positive points for Ireland, but Michael Hooper and David Pocock dominated the breakdown, as feared.
The arrival of Peter Samu 10 minutes into the second half gave the Australians an even more pronounced advantage here, and playing with three opensides broadcast their intentions: disruption was their aim, and they succeeded as crankiness seized the Irish with half an hour to play. A fair effort by Joey Carbery was spoiled by a missed pass in the first half and a perfunctory penalty that he kicked wide in the second, but his substitution with Sexton did not have the presumed effect. Carbery wasn’t swamped by the occasion, even if he can offer nothing like the experience Sexton has salted away over a decade of highclass rugby. Schmidt said before the game he expected players like Wallaby debutant Caleb Timu to career towards Carbery early in the match. The coach understood that Cheika would have seen the callow out half as a vulnerability, and he needed to see how Carbery responded. In that way, this was an explicit trial ahead of the World Cup: the coach needs all his components stress-tested. Knowing that Sexton can survive the pressure of rugby’s keenest days, he had to find out about Carbery, and others along with him. The understudy did not, in truth, create problems for Schmidt as he ponders selection for the second Test in six days’ time. Defeat means Ireland have to win in Melbourne on Saturday to keep their hopes of winning the series intact, and it isn’t beyond them.
Australia are at their best when turning over the ball and finding a fractured defensive line in front of them.
Those conditions are facilitated by the marvellous Hooper and Pocock, whose excellence meant Ireland could dominate the ball and still not wield a greater threat than the opposition.
Counter-acting that pair, and Samu, too, should mean the return of Dan Leavy to the side in place of Jordi Murphy; the latter was overwhelmed.
Sexton, Healy and Furlong will come in, too, and Kearney will probably be retained, even after his ropiest effort in some time.
Folau’s magnificence means Schmidt can’t gamble on Jordan Larmour in aerial contests against the Australian full back.
Larmour could still start, given Keith Earls’ eventual removal form the match in the first half after a head injury.
This was a sobering evening on the Australian coast. Ireland earned the right to be regarded as the best team in Europe through the spring.
But leading sides are walking targets. Australia as a sporting entity are never comfortable as underdogs, and they will believe the world has been righted after this result.
Ireland have two chances to prove them wrong. Schmidt will turn to his most hardened troops as Ireland try to protect their status.