Tregonning, Wallaroos 'bitterly disappointed' after dominant defeat

Sun, Aug 21, 2022, 12:55 AM
Nathan Williamson
by Nathan Williamson
Wallaroos fullback Lori Cramer recounts how the First Nations Yugambeh anthem came to fruition.

Wallaroos coach Jay Tregonning admits they need to be far more disciplined with possession as they head to Adelaide, eager to bounce back from Saturday's disappointing defeat to the Black Ferns.

The visitors were dominated from the opening minutes as Wayne Smith's side controlled the game, with doubles to Ruahei Demant and winger Ayesha Leti-I’iga powering them to a 52-5 win in Christchurch.

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The Black Ferns produced over twice the carries of their opposition (140 v 65), running for over 500 metres more than the Wallaroos (649 v 140), which Tregonning lamented after the game.

“We’re bitterly disappointed,” Wallaroos coach Jay Tregonning told Sky Sport.

“There were detail we got right during the week that we didn’t get right tonight and a team like the Black Ferns who are on the up, we couldn’t give them the possession we gave them.”

"Full credit to the Kiwis, they put us to the sword and they really made us pay as we struggled to grind them down and stop their possession,” captain Shannon Parry added.

“It’s a stepping stone to the back end of the year. I think we’ve come a long way in a short time and we’re looking forward to what’s ahead at the end of the year."

Tregonning was pleased with the impact from the reserves, with a lovely pass from prop Emily Robinson finding Piper Duck in the corner for a consolation try.

Along with this, the visitors showed significant improvement in the breakdown, with captain Shannon Parry and Emily Chancellor once again strong.

However, the lack of competitiveness before and after the half blew out the scoreboard, twice conceding three tries in the space of ten-minute blocks.

“The finishes came on and did a really good job for us and we got some turnovers in the back end of the game but that detail and giving too much possession is always going to be a difficult assignment for us,” Tregonning admits.

“We want to review and learn from everything and we want to hurt with these types of losses.

“Throughout our other games, we were competitive with teams above us in the rankings but tonight we weren’t. That’s going to be a big focus on how we improve from him.”

The Wallaroos will head to Adelaide on Sunday, eager to bounce back after the disappointing defeat.

The second Test of the O'Reilly Cup acts as a double-header with the Wallabies-Springboks, with Tregonning and the side eager to help grow the game in the non-traditional Rugby state.

“We’ll look forward to getting to Adelaide and do a bit around into the community and try and grow the game, that’s a big focus, trying to help develop the women’s game as well,” he added.

“We’re looking forward to getting there and flush it, move on.”

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