The Wallabies Rugby World Cup place in the knockout stages is in jeopardy after being defeated 22-15 by a superb Fiji side in St Etienne.
The result does not come as much of a surprise to close observers of the Fijians after they pushed Wales close in their last game and only went down in the final play. That should have sent alarm bells through the Wallabies camp, however it does not seem to have been heeded.
The Wallabies had their own concerns leading into the match with Taniela Tupou ruled out with a hamstring injury early in the week. Add to that the bizarre situation where captain Will Skelton was sent for scans on a calf injury and was eventually ruled out, even though he was long odds of actually starting.
The situation was made even more bizarre by the belligerent attitude of coach Eddie Jones who dismissed the notion of Skelton missing the game, telling the media pack when questioned about Skelton’s availability that he ‘doesn’t deal in hypotheticals’ in a surly monotone.
But back to the game. The Fijian are known for thriving on unstructured play but they turned the tables on the Wallabies with a breakdown master class, led by Levani Botia who was a menace. The quick whistle of Andrew Brace also allowed Fiji to claim several penalties but the Wallabies were also their own worst enemy as they did not adjust to the referee’s interpretations on either defence or attack.
The other curious event during the game was Carter Gordon getting hooked after just 50 minutes after a botched effort to collect a high ball that lead to Fiji’s only try. Gordon was all at sea as he came forward in an attempt to claim the ball but grasped air as it bounced as Fijian centre Josua Tuisova collected the ball to run 40 metres untouched to the line.
Jones has hung his akubra on Gordon for this tournament and left out the likes of Quade Cooper and now that selection decision has come back to bite him on the backside. That will have done little for Gordon’s confidence as the Wallabies head to Lyon for a crunch match against Wales next weekend.
Having a player like Andrew Kellaway in the matchday 23 might have helped but instead it was down to Suliasi Vunivalu to try and do something. He did score a try but he still continues to learn on the job and his limited skillset and positioning will continue to be a problem.
It wasn’t just Vunivalu who struggled, with Jordan Petaia also having a poor game. The kicking efforts of the Wallabies was terrible actoss the board with the short kicking game almost non-existant as they kicked away the limited possession they had.
There was one bright spot in among the gloom, with Nick Frost doing his best to get the Wallabies back in it with his lineout prowess. The Fijians could have won by a far greater margin but their lineout got the wobbles and Frost picked off 4 by himself, with the majority of those in the backend of the game.
It was too little, too late as the Wallabies left their run too late and will need to work on many aspects of their game if they are to keep their title aspirations alive. If they do go down to Wales, there will need to be big questions asked of Jones and his coaching staff and not just 3 word answers. How some of those got on the coaching ticket will need to be answered by either Rugby Australia CEO Phil Waugh or Chairman Hamish McLellan who has backed Jones since his appointment by stealth back in January.
Wallabies 15
Tries: Nawaqanitawase, Vunivalu
Conversions: Donaldson
Penalties: Donaldson
Fiji 22
Tries: Tuisova
Conversions: Kuruvoli
Penalties: Kuruvoli 4, Lomani
