World Cup warning for wary Wallabies

MELBOURNE: Australian media were delighted with a “dream draw” for the Wallabies at the 2019 Rugby World Cup but coach Michael Cheika has warned against complacency and said they will be “dead in the water” if they go to Japan expecting a smooth ride through the pool phase.

Wednesday’s draw in Kyoto saw Australia grouped with Wales, Georgia and two other yet to be decided teams from Oceania and American qualifying in Pool D.

Compared to the 2015 tournament, where Australia were lumped in the “group of death” with Wales and hosts England, the third-ranked Wallabies’ path to the quarter-finals in Japan has been described as a “dream draw” by local media.

But Cheika is having none of it. “They won’t be easy games,” Cheika, who guided the Wallabies to the final in England, told Australian media from Kyoto.

“When you’re standing out there and you’re singing the anthem, it’s 0-0. All bets are off. The minute you start thinking like that is the minute you’re dead in the water.”

Australia thrashed Wales 32-8 at their home Millennium Stadium in Cardiff last year and also beat them in pool play during the last World Cup in England, part of a 12-match winning streak against the Welsh dating back to 2007.

Georgia are something of an unknown quantity as the Wallabies have never played them. They have qualified for the last four World Cups and impressed at the 2015 tournament, where they upset Tonga and beat Namibia.

“They are a team being run by a few Kiwi lads and they’re on the up and up,” Cheika said of the former Soviet republic coached by ex-New Zealand professional Milton Haig.

“They have some strong forward play and some gas out wide, so between now and 2019 we’re going to have to learn a bit about them.”