There was a time not so long ago when Australian rugby teams were regarded as the smartest in the world. The Wallabies won the 1999 World Cup and the Brumbies their Super Rugby titles in 2001 and 2004 for their cerebral qualities as much, if not more, than their physical abilities. But Australia has not been seen as the most clever rugby nation for quite some time. So it was quite refreshing to see the NSW Waratahs out-smart the Crusaders at the Sydney Cricket Ground at the weekend.
To be fair, in the aftermath of the Christchurch terrorist attack, the Crusaders did not seem quite themselves; they looked mentally and physical drained, dropping balls and missing tackles in a most uncharacteristic performance. They also missed two influential players, five-eighth Richie Mo’unga and second-rower Scott Barrett, who were rested as part of the All Blacks’ policy to keep players fresh for the World Cup in Japan later in the year.
But that should not take anything away from the Waratahs’ 20-12 upset, which ended the Crusaders’ record 19-game winning streak. In a rare tactical victory for an Australian team against a New Zealand side, the Waratahs’ clever kicking game, coupled with their so-called “blue wall” defence, nullified the Crusaders.
The enduring image of the game was Waratahs fullback Israel Folau leaping high in the air to catch contestable kicks from five-eighth Bernard Foley, which prompted Crusaders coach Scott Robertson to remark the Wallabies No 15 should be “working for Nasa.”
There were two key moments in which Folau’s astronautical ability delivered decisive scores for the Waratahs. Winger Cameron Clark scored in the 10th minute after Folau won an aerial contest and sent him flying for the corner. Then in the 74th minute Folau scored himself after catching a high ball on the Crusaders’ try-line, equaling former All Black winger Doug Howlett’s Super Rugby record of 59 tries.
It was a brave tactic by the Waratahs. The Crusaders are the best counter-attacking team in the competition. A few years ago the Waratahs employed a kicking game against them in wet weather in Christchurch and were burnt badly on the counter-attack.
Daryl Gibson entrusted the execution of the strategy to Foley, who had been struggling to find his best form, but the coach identified a weakness in the Crusaders’ armour – winger George Bridge’s vulnerability under the high ball in the wet conditions.
The Waratahs’ strategy would have taken the Crusaders by surprise because the men in sky blue are not noted for their tactical kicking, yet the defending champions had an opportunity to adapt in the second half and did not do so. Sometimes, there is a fine line between self-belief and arrogance. Whatever, the Crusaders failed to respond tactically and it ended up costing them.
Folau has since called for the Waratahs to kick for him more often. It is clearly an effective tactic, but if they kicked for him all the time they stand to become prescriptive and it would be easier to negate. Australian teams have been far too prescriptive in recent years, and there is no better example than the Brumbies in their 36-14 loss to the Queensland Reds in hot and humid conditions in Brisbane on Sunday afternoon.
After flirting with playing expansive rugby at the start of the season, the Brumbies have reverted to type, basing their game around their strong set-pieces and rolling maul. They have enjoyed a lot of success with this approach, but once a team becomes predictable, they also become potentially vulnerable.
The Reds knew exactly what to expect from the Brumbies and devised tactics to pressure their lineout and negate their rolling maul. Once the Reds achieved that goal, the Brumbies had nothing else to offer. They were completely bereft of ideas. The Reds, on the other hand, showed far more variety in attack, scoring three tries from turnover-ball, one from 75 metres out and another from 65 metres out. It was Kiwi-style rugby and something the Brumbies did not expect from the Reds.
This is an important lesson not just for Australia’s Super Rugby teams, but for the Wallabies, who have not been known for their tactical astuteness in recent years. If the Wallabies want to be great again, they need to play smart like they used to do.