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Tactics not theatrics spur Wallabies’ Salta second act reversal

Posted on March 6, 2019

It may have been long overdue, but the Wallabies finally figured out how to adapt to one of the key law changes in the game when they produced their remarkable comeback win against Argentina in Salta on Sunday.

The new tackle law introduced this year favours the attacking team by making it more difficult for the opposition to steal the ball at the breakdown. Teams are now able to control possession for long periods of time almost like unlimited tackle rugby league.

Rugby Championship: Wallabies produce 24-point comeback win


The team that has adapted best to this new law is Ireland, which has helped them to reach number two in the world behind the All Blacks.

The Springboks also showed an appreciation for the new law when they employed a multi-phase game to upset the All Blacks recently and then all but beat them again on Sunday.

But it took the Wallabies until the second-half of their ninth Test of the year to use the new law to their advantage, coming from 31-7 down at the break to run out 45-34 winners against Argentina.

Much attention has focused on Wallabies coach Michael’s Cheika’s furious spray at half-time, but it was a change of tactics that was the catalyst for the come-from-behind win.

The key to playing the multi-phase game is patience, which has not been one of the Wallabies’ characteristics.  

In the first-half against Argentina the Wallabies attempted to play an up-tempo game, using the width of the field, and keeping the ball alive at all costs.

But the Wallabies do not have the skills to execute a high-risk, high-reward strategy and they inevitably made numerous handling errors, sometimes throwing the ball into touch in a desperate effort to maintain continuity.

While Cheika ranted and raved in the dressing-room at half-time, someone must have had a quiet word to Wallabies captain Michael Hooper and the team leaders about changing the way they played.

Was it Cheika post-spray? Did attack coach Stephen Larkham get in the players’ ears? Or did the players themselves figure out what they needed to do in the second-half?

Whoever was responsible, the change of tactics worked. The Wallabies played direct, keeping the ball in hand and building up the phases and pressure.

Just after half-time winger Israel Folau threw a panic pass into touch on the third phase of play just 10 metres from the Argentine line and it looked as if the Wallabies would continue in the same vein as the first-half.

But after second-rower Izack Rodda scored from a charge-down just a minute later the Wallabies seemed to settle down. An improbable comeback suddenly seemed achievable.

Significantly, the Wallabies’ next two tries to Folau and fullback Dane Haylett-Petty were scored on the 11th and ninth phase respectively. Hold onto the ball and run hard and straight. Simple, but effective.

At 31-28 with 28 minutes to go the Wallabies were well and truly in the game with momentum on their side.

Of course, it helped that the Argentines stopped tackling. Ironically, in a perverse kind of way the Wallabies’ helter skelter play in the first-half contributed to their dominant display in the second.

As inept as they were, the Wallabies forced the Argentines to do a lot of running in the first-half and the Pumas were clearly fatigued in the second 40 minutes.

Rugby Championship 2018: Argentina v Australia – as it happened


Whether it is a lack of fitness or a lack of depth from the bench or both, the Pumas are known as a 60-minute team and the players were gasping for thin air in the foothills of the Andes.

The Pumas were a completely different team to the one which had made the Wallabies miss 20 tackles in the first-half with their startlingly effective short passing game and strategy of attacking the inside shoulder of the defender.

It is unlikely the Wallabies would have pulled off their miracle comeback against any of the top teams in the world, the teams they will need to beat to win the World Cup in Japan next year.

The Wallabies got lucky when Argentina lost playmaker Nicolas Sanchez to injury in the 28th minute. The Pumas badly missed Sanchez’s game-management skills when the Wallabies were making their comeback.

And they also got the rub of the green when Haylett-Petty was awarded a second try despite a pass from back-rower David Pocock appearing to go forward.

A few calls have gone against the Wallabies this year so it would be churlish to begrudge them a little bit of luck – either way, they made the most of it.

More importantly, what did the Wallabies learn from their victory against Argentina? Despite their previous losses this year Cheika maintained they were heading in the right direction, but it was an abrupt change of direction which delivered success in Salta.

We will get a better idea about what direction the Wallabies are headed when they play the All Blacks in Tokyo in three weeks’ time – a team that will play for 80 minutes, not 40 each, like both Australia and Argentina did in Salta.

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