The Wallabies composure was tested but held, experience counts and Fiji will be a nagging worry for Wales for the weeks ahead.
BUCKETS OF BELIEF
It was the 50th minute of the Wallabies-Fiji game and the Aussies were trailing 21-12.
The Fijians had just scored a runaway try and things had started to look mighty iffy for the Wallabies.
Australia had finally cut down on their mistakes, pieced together some phases and begun to build some pressure when Fiji infringed in front of the posts.
Michael Hooper pointed towards the sticks and one of the Fijians gave him grief for it.
Picked up on refs ears, Hooper fired back: “Then we'll get a try and then we'll go ahead.”
Five minutes later, the Wallabies did score, and though they didn’t go ahead due to a missed kick, they scored again soon after.
More tries followed and tension flowed out of living rooms all over Australia.
Hooper isn’t a trash talker so it was a rare moment from him.
But it was also a terrific insight into the composure and confidence that he, and the Wallabies, were still holding despite it looking to everyone else that their World Cup hopes were fully on fire.
It might have taken them 50 minutes to figure out the best way to dismantle Fiji - tight not loose, disciplined not sloppy, set-piece heavy - but they got there, and finished the game strongly.
It would be easy to lose a game like that.
Certainly the Wallabies of a few years ago might have been ambushed and lose that game.
Fiji punched Australia in the nose in the first half with aggressive tackles, and aggressive on-ball heat. And aggressive aggression.
And Australia panicked. They tried to get their wide attack going way too early, and under the pressure of strong defence, the Wallabies pushed passes and made mistakes.
They allowed Fiji to play with the ball via turnovers - bad idea - and topped it off by exiting their half poorly.
But the moment they punished the Fiji scrum and set up Michael Hooper’s opening try, the required adaptation was obvious. Go tight. Go route one. Play through the middle, play into the corners, roll in tries.
And they did all five. Then, when the Fijians had had the early energy sapped from them, the wide stuff started to work.
It took a while to get there. Arguably too long. But as Hooper predicted, they eventually got there.
EXPERIENCE PAYS
In picking David Pocock to start against Fiji, Michael Cheika said he was opting for experience.
But what was largely overlooked were the choices Cheika had made on his reserve bench. Or as Cheika calls it, his finishers.
Instead of Taniela Tupou, he picked 106-cap veteran Sekope Kepu alongside 91-cap James Slipper.
He had 105-cap Will Genia up his sleeve for the second half, and 47-cap Matt Toomua and 33-cap Dane Haylett-Petty.
It was a bench containing 400 Test caps among eight blokes. The starting XV only had 600 between them.
The point here? Cheika had some very experienced dudes to bring into the battle.
Whether he knew it would be a losing battle when they came on, who knows?
But the arrival of Genia, in particular, turned the game Australia’s way.
He turned a scrappy, panicky performance into a slick one in a matter of minutes.
The wily old veteran is a highly underrated leader; through example, and through communication.
Michael Hooper talked up the messaging that began to be delivered in the last half-hour and that was Genia.
His option taking kept Australia on the front foot, and so too his kicking.
Kepu, Slipper, Toomua and Haylett-Petty all had important moments, too.
There is no substitute for experience in World Cups.
LOOK OVER THERE
Michael Cheika pulled a card straight from the Eddie Jones-Wayne Bennett handbook when he started asking why referees were paying such close attention to David Pocock during the game.
The press pack were asking questions about Reece Hodge’s tackle at the time.
But there was a point in there about Pocock’s game, in any case.
Picked for - in the most part - his incredible on-ball threat, Pocock didn’t effect a single turnover. In fact, as Cheika pointed out, he was barely in any rucks and the ones he tried to get into for a pilfer, he was penalised.
The question that may arise this week is whether Cheika and the selectors panel continue with the Pooper, or the Hocock, or whatever it is now.
Wales are a much more conventional opponent, as far as forward packs go. They be very efficient at the breakdown, and be far stronger than Fiji in the set-piece.
The Wallabies’ set-piece was decent against Fiji, but if Pocock and Hooper couldn’t get any pay as far as turnovers go in Sapporo, will the selection panel think about strengthening it further by deploying a more traditional back row and recall Lukhan Salakai-Loto?
Cheika said post-game the attention on Pocock wouldn’t be a consideration as far as selection goes.
But the bench impact of Will Genia shows a second-half entry by a star can be the winning of a World Cup game.
CHANGE A WINNING TEAM?
The Wallabies managed to avoid any injuries (and will sweat on a potential citing for Hodge) but it wouldn’t surprise if there are still changes in the team to take on Wales next Sunday.
Top of the list of selection questions will be whether Genia starts, followed by the question of where there will be a change at no.10 after a sub-par game from Christian Lealiifano?
Michael Cheika discussed the potential for re-shuffling in the halves post-game in the remaining pool games, and there has been a subtle few mentions from the coach about longer-term plans on the bubble in the World Cup pool phase.
Perhaps the most interesting call would come if Cheika does elect to bring in a different no.10. Would Matt Toomua come in or would Bernard Foley make a return? Goal-kicking stats could be a big factor, given Wales-Wallabies games are usually exceptionally tight.
Interestingly, Foley warmed up in full kit with the team in Sapporo as 24th man but he stayed out and did a few goal kicks on the arena after both teams returned to the sheds.
FRIGHTENING FIJI
One of the most interesting parts of the game in Sapporo was how intense the play was in the final minutes, and after the siren, when Australia had more than enough of a gap to win the game.
It was a sign from both - in Fiji’s attack and the Wallabies’ defence - that both think pool D could still get mighty close at the end. And potentially even be determined by bonus points and for-and-against counts.
There has been a school of thought from some people that all three of the big teams in the pool - Australia, Wales and Fiji - would finish on three wins each; i.e, they’d win one and lose one in the big games.
That requires Fiji to be good enough to beat either Australia or Wales, and the Pacific Islanders certainly showed they’ve got the potential to go on and beat Wales.
Their skill and physical presence is second-to-none, and leading the Wallabies at 50 minutes would give them great confidence.
There are obvious flaws, too. Scrum, maul defence and discipline would have to improve dramatically by the last round.
But John McKee believes that’s perfectly achievable.
“Certainly we take a lot of positives from that game and had Australia on the rails for 40 minutes and a portion of the second half, before penalties and the yellow card went against us,” he said.
“You don’t win Test matches by playing well for 60 minutes and we have our heads up looking forward to Uruguay next week. We have three games to go and we are right in this competition.”
Wales have to deal with Australia first but one wonders, after watching went down in Sapporo, what they’ll be feeling about their last pool game.
