Wallabies lack heart and soul, says critic
Forget the dead rubber Bledisloe Cup win, the ‘‘diabolical’’ Wallabies have been exposed as a team ‘‘lacking heart and soul’’ who have put the pressure right back on controversial coach Michael Cheika.
That’s the view of veteran Australian rugby writer Greg Growden who has ripped into the men in yellow following their record 29-point loss to Scotland.
‘‘There have been many miserable losses during Michael Cheika’s three-year reign as Wallabies coach, but none as diabolical as what occurred at Murrayfield,’’ Growden wrote for ESPN Rugby and felt more than justified in his criticism, noting that captain Michael Hooper had succinctly described the loss as ‘‘a real low point’’.
‘‘So much for beating the All Blacks not that long ago. It doesn’t really mean much now when in just over a week England and now Scotland have exposed the Wallabies many inadequaciesmost particularly that it is an outfit lacking heart, soul and can easily be distracted.’’
There had been respite when the Wallabies edged the All Blacks 23-18 in Brisbane in late October but Growden felt the latest losses highlighted a worrying trend for Cheika and Australian rugby.
‘‘Eddie Jones and Gregor Townsend have also shown up Cheika as a coach, and questions have to be asked about this team’s wayward direction,’’ he wrote.
‘‘Not that long ago, it was expected that the Wallabies would beat England and Scotland. However since Cheika has taken over, England have enjoyed five straight wins over Australia, while Scotland are now boasting two in a row, while a befuddling refereeing decision cruelled them in the 2015 World Cup quarterfinal.’’
Growden felt Cheika’s selection deficiencies had been shown in his team to face Scotland, most notably the decision to start retiring hooker Stephen Moore.
‘‘If Cheika had decided to give Moore preferential treatment, then that was wrong. Bad, bad coaching.’’
The Scotland loss had shown the Wallabies skill levels were ‘‘not good enough’’ and they had ‘‘nothing left’’ in the tank to finish the year.
‘‘So at last the long and often excruciating Wallabies season ends with a mere seven wins and two draws from 14 tests. Not many highlights. Many lowlights. And the pressure keeps building on the coach.’’
Australia’s record loss to Scotland cost them third place in the World Rugby rankings.
Ireland, who beat Argentina 28-19 at the weekend, have pushed the Wallabies down to fourth place. The All Blacks’ victory over Wales saw them maintain their advantage over England at the top of the standings heading into the new year, while the Pumas overtook France in eighth.