Wallabies catch ABs’ eye
THEY were watching, they were impressed, but the All Blacks say they won’t give the high flying Wallabies a second thought again unless they end up playing them at the Rugby World Cup.
Australia’s 33-13 win over England was the obvious talking point as the All Blacks settled into Darlington ahead of their final pool match against Tonga in nearby Newcastle.
The defending champions
missed the opening 10 minutes of the weekend’s feature match after their flight from Cardiff was delayed, but watched on television as the host nation bowed out of the tournament at Twickenham.
The influence of dual opensides David Pocock and Michael Hooper caught the eye of All Blacks loose forwards Sam Cane and Victor Vito.
‘‘There is no doubt to anyone watching that game that Hooper and Pocock played really well,’’ Cane said when asked what he made of the Wallabies’ performance.
‘‘Every time they’ve been on the pitch together they have complemented each other quite well. That’s what people had been worried about, whether it works having two genuine sevens out there, but it was pretty clear to see they had a strong presence at the breakdown last night.’’
Parked behind All Blacks captain and openside Richie McCaw, one imagines Cane wouldn’t mind if the All Blacks took a similar view of their loose forward mix.
Vito might be a little less enthusiastic, but he was equally as impressed by the Pocock-Hooper combination.
‘‘They’ve been setting the standard all year and last night was another game where they showed what they can do. It was something that really made a difference and helped their team get the win.’’
And halfback Aaron Smith noted the strength of the Wallabies scrum. ‘‘Their scrum was the biggest thing to be honest. Seeing what they did to England, was massive. They look clinical, really good, and some of their tries were the way Aussies always score tries. It was a huge result.’’
However, if the Wallabies think the All Blacks are suddenly watching their every move they’re mistaken.
‘‘We’re just worrying about Tonga coming up, so to be taking notes on Australia would be premature on our behalf,’’ Vito said. ‘‘I didn’t watch too closely what Hooper and Pocock were actually doing, but I heard their names and obviously England weren’t too successful in nullifying them.’’
Smith had similar sentiments saying he’d watched the match as a neutral fan.
‘‘Yeah man, I’m a big fan of rugby. I was just another fan watching last night. Big games like that, big stadiums, it doesn’t get any better,’’ he said.
‘‘It was nice to enjoy a game and not worry about stuff and just enjoy like a fan and watch a big game.’’