Australia are away. They have their first victory of the season and points on the board in this 2023 World Cup. After easily accounting for Georgia 35-15 at Stade de France, Eddie Jones will be delighted with the potential of this performance. It is early days and far greater challenges lie ahead but his young side are starting to sprout wings.
With his 82% win record at World Cup tournaments and his mad genius riffs, Jones is Australia’s greatest weapon at this cup. The coach was jeered by sections of the 75,000 crowd when he appeared on the big screen – “Obviously I’m not popular,” Jones said with a laugh afterwards, “at least I’m consistently unpopular” – but here, his selections paid off. The surprise decision to drop Andrew Kellaway and bring in Ben Donaldson at full‑back brought 15 points from the boot (and another 10 from his two tries).
Jones’s pre-tournament planning also paid dividends. The decision to take his squad into camp in Darwin and Arnhem Land to help them to acclimatise to the European heatwave gave his men a clear advantage in the sweltering conditions. Australia had made 32 tackles to Georgia’s 89 at half‑time and looked fresher and fitter all match.
Jones has instilled confidence into players who needed it. Suliasi Vunivalu got stuck in straight away off the bench. Will Skelton’s captaincy seems to be developing nicely. His oratory is distilled into curt calls-to-arms and the phrase “boom-boom” but it works. And where previous Wallabies captains might have chased tries and pressure, Skelton took penalties when they were on offer and rested his men where he could.
Several veterans are returning to full power. Rested for France, Marika Koroibete looked as dynamic as he has all season, scything through the midfield and laying several massive hits. And Taniela Tupou, who last month looked ginger from his ruptured Achilles and sore ribs, got his running game back with an intercept and alley-oop pass that gave Donaldson, named player of the match, his second try.
A Brat Pack of young Wallabies also announced themselves on the world stage. Mark Nawaqanitawase was dynamic in the air and out wide, the young flankers Tom Hooper and Fraser McReight ran hard through heavy traffic and created havoc in the clinches, and, with smart charges and offloads, the centre Jordan Petaia had his best game in gold.
Combinations are starting to click. Petaia and Nawaqanitawase on the edges. McReight‑Hooper‑Rob Valetini in the back row. The Angus Bell‑Tupou‑Dave Porecki front row was outstanding. With one of the heaviest packs at the tournament, Australia ruthlessly went through the heart of the Georgians at their powerbase.
Jones has a few issues. As they did against the All Blacks, his team started fast and faded, losing concentration and leaking penalties with ill discipline. After leading 21‑3 at half-time, the Wallabies let Georgia score first after the break and get their tails up. After winning every lineout in the first half, they lost three in succession in the second. And they let Georgia have the final word, with flimsy lineout defence allowing a late try.
Although 25 of Jones’s 33-man squad are at their first World Cup, Australia’s depth will be tested. Jones had the halves to cover the concussion of Tate McDermott but not a shoulder injury to Nic White as well. The third-string No 9 Issak Fines-Leleiwasa may be named against Fiji. Jones can shuffle his midfield until Samu Kerevi is back to full strength.
Carter Gordon’s customary spark at fly‑half was curiously muted. Freed of the pressure of kicking penalties and conversions, he should have embraced the joie de vivre of the occasion. Instead, targeted by Georgia, his early kicks too often skewed off the side and he lost his gusto to run. Gordon grew into the game, nailing some later kicks and his usual precision passes, but his new half‑mullet haircut sheared him of some mojo.
Instead of piling on points, Australia’s second half was poor as the finishers failed to carry on the work of the starters. As Georgia’s enterprise expanded, the Wallabies were clunky and lacked cohesion, making mistakes and frittering tries. But by then they had done enough. “We’ve always been confident about where we’re going,” Jones said. “You don’t come out and start games like that if you’re lacking confidence.”
And a win is a win. Jones certainly wasn’t nit-picking over the bonus-point victory. After five consecutive defeats and some headline heat, his “smash and grab” mission is on track. “World Cups are about taking each step,” Jones said. “If we were to plan a perfect World Cup preparation, we said ‘at the end of round one we want to sit there on five points’ and that’s what we’ve got.”
