The Wallabies’ crazy win from nowhere at Suncorp Stadium was a shot of adrenalin but it cannot paper over the flaws they have to work on.
“We found a way to win,” said skipper Michael Hooper after the 23-21 win over the French on Wednesday night.
Get your tickets now for the Wallabies final two games against France!
Above anything, that was the big takeaway.
Here are three things the Wallabies probably don’t want to hear and two to definitely grab onto.
1 WINNING AT THE DEATH
Last year, the Wallabies were hollow with a draw after leading in Wellington against the All Blacks. They felt the same when squandering a nine-point lead over Argentina in Newcastle for another draw.
You win in tight finishes and it becomes part of a team’s DNA.
2 COMPOSURE...FIND SOME
Why the kick? Hunter Paisami’s poor crosskick was a complete misread of what the Wallabies needed with less than three minutes to play at Suncorp Stadium.
Replacement prop Taniela Tupou made a big break and the Paisami option had to be to keep ball in hand with three or four players to his right. A high-risk kick to winger Andrew Kellaway was a dud play.
He may have got carried away because his earlier grubber to all but set up a try for winger Tom Wright was a beauty.
3 NEW JERSEY COLOUR...RUST NOT GOLD
Plenty of Wallabies’ sides have had less than three weeks in camp together and looked twice as cohesive in the opening 40 minutes of the Test season.
You would hope that is the worst 40 minutes the Wallabies play all year in their new gold jerseys which have received a near-universal thumbs up.
Where to start. Three unforced errors in the opening 10 minutes heaped pressure on the Wallabies... and the final few minutes of the half were as poor with an overthrown lineout and Tom Banks spilling a high kick.
Rusty. You bet but that’s way too generous a term because they were basic skills that most let down the Wallabies as they fell 15-0 behind. Skills that should be nailed in July or November.
Banks not finding touch with an early kick to touch off a penalty was woeful as was kicking into touch on the full later on. Little knock-ons were momentum-killers from the likes of Hunter Paisami and Harry Wilson.
4 WATCH OUT FOR LES BLEUS AT THE 2023 WORLD CUP
If this was France B, beware France A. The Wallabies had all this trouble and halfback Antoine Dupont, one of the world’s best, was watching on TV back in France with plenty of his friends.
The Wallabies did seem to struggle at getting a read on the French and their rushing tactics in defence.
Wallabies inside centre Matt Toomua offered little in terms of assertive play as the team’s most experienced back. He was as guilty as anyone throwing a poor pass to ground 25m out from his own line midway through the second half.
The off-loading and the quick passing to space was excellent at times from the French.
Most of all applaud defensive coach Shaun Edwards, of Paris via Wigan. The mastermind of the French defence has built a harassing wall of blue jerseys.
Those hardworking defenders will rue most of all that skittish finish where a loose pass on full-time turned into a Wallabies’ try.
5 HUGE LIFT FROM THE BENCH
The Wallabies got a major lift from the bench over the final 30 minutes.
Prop Tupou hammered ahead in scrums to earn penalties beside new hooker Lachy Lonergan and Angus Bell.
Backrower Isi Naisarani made a big pass and big run plays. New lock Darcy Swain charged down a kick and harassed in the final lineout to force scrappy tap ball by the French.
At halfback Tate McDermott added energy and was the alert Wallaby who created the final chance by diving on the loose French pass.
He was left out of the starting side because his pass is not quite long enough or reliable enough.
The Wallabies had advantage but his last pass to Noah Lolesio was high and poor and the flyhalf couldn’t get a field goal away. Good thing the advantage converted to the match-winning penalty goal.
Plenty to work on but doing it with a winning mood is massive.
