Slow starters to create history
have to get my pre-match speech a little bit better.
‘‘Not that we haven’t played well, we’ve sort of just been a little less consistent in the first 20 minutes . . . it gets you off on the wrong foot. We need to go into games a bit faster.
‘‘We were in it in the first half nicely but it looked like we were a click away and then we got the pace up in the second half.
‘‘The [Uruguay] guys are bighearted and they take it to you. They have improved since the last World Cup and we have seen that directly because we played them.’’
While three teams have made World Cup finals after losing pool matches, none have been able to go on and win the Webb Ellis Cup.
Despite a four-point loss to Wales last week, Cheika was optimistic about doing what no side had done before.
‘‘We’ve got to make some history,’’ Cheika said.
‘‘I’ll back my lads, when they’ve got their minds on something, especially this team, I back them to be able to do that. We want to be that team, we want to be the team that does make history.’’
Cheika said two yellow cards to Adam Coleman and Lukhan Salakaia-Loto in the first half showed Australia were still too ill-disciplined. The Wallabies also conceded 12 penalties to Uruguay’s five.
‘‘We’re just giving away too many penalties, full stop,’’ Cheika said. ‘‘You can’t be winning a game by 45 and still losing the penalty count.’’
Cheika said he was pleased for prop James Slipper, who crossed the paint for his first test try from 94 appearances. For years teammates have sledged Slipper for not being able to score a try but the 30-year-old was all smiles after being warmly embraced by his mates in the 61st minute.
‘‘I’m more relieved, to honest,’’ Slipper said. be