If the Wallabies want to win consecutive Tests for the first time in 12 months, they will have to do it against the All Blacks after a woeful performance against South Africa that lost them the Test in Sydney and squandered all the momentum and goodwill built in Adelaide.
With New Zealand demolishing Argentina 53-3 earlier on Saturday, Australia had a golden chance to put daylight between them and their rivals in the Rugby Championship. Instead they are left bogged on two wins and two defeats like the rest of the field and facing the steepest climb of anyone, with only back-to-back Tests against the All Blacks ahead of them.
In a brand new stadium festooned in green and gold lights and heaving with home town fans, the Wallabies fluffed their opening night lines and butchered a celebratory occasion with a showing that will have coaching staff tearing out their hair.
The first spring Test had sprung bitterly cold and windy, with fine misting rain swirling in to defy the “100% drip line roof” on the new stadium. As they do, the Wallabies fans swept in late but the rain and cold kept a chunk of fair-weather fans away. It meant the 38,292 crowd, plenty of them South African, didn’t match the 41,906 at the NRL the night before.
That may have been a mercy. Australia were awful, barely firing a shot all night.
Gone was the fierce running and fluid sleight of hand seen in Adelaide. Instead all the Wallabies’ worst habits mutated and multiplied. They were reckless when they should have been prudent and too often panicked when calm was called for. They kicked when they should have run and ran when they should have kicked. The penalty count was a cricket score.
Stung by the criticisms he had “killed a little bit of rugby’s soul” last week by feigning injury to milk a penalty, Nic White overplayed his hand. His passing radar was off and time and again his box kicks stymied momentum and gifted it to their rivals.
Springboks coach Jacques Nienaber had made eight changes to his Adelaide lineup. They all worked. His frontline bulls battered Australia from the get-go, rolling through the middle and freeing the fast men to run, kick and cause havoc in open play. Nienaber capped 19-year-old winger Canan Moodie to mark the wrecking ball Marika Koroibete. The rookie out-jumped his opposite on the stroke of half-time and scored.
In contrast, Dave Rennie named an unchanged lineup from the squad that had set Adelaide alight. A few players emerged with honour intact. Reece Hodge was excellent under the high ball, Rob Valetini ran hard and Fraser McReight slaved bravely to hold back the green tide. But the rest were ragged and outplayed by their opposites.
Hunter Paisami and Noah Lolesio both left for HIAs and did not return and Taniela Tupou became a non-starter without even taking the field after tweaking a calf in the warmup.
South Africa were far from great but they were good enough to grind Australia into the dust. This was a return to Springboks sides of old – brute force, blunt trauma and lots of big kicks. Their rage rattled Australia. At times it was a spiteful, ugly Test, with brawls breaking out all game and plenty of needle in the clinches.
The Australian camp had received word during the week that their captain Michael Hooper would extend his mental health leave and so miss the two Bledisloe Tests later this month. The news came as a relief. Hooper has carried this team, on field and off, for a decade. Let an old warrior rest awhile. Besides, the next generation looked to be taking the reins.
But again the Wallabies delivered their fans a false dawn and sent them into the night scratching their heads and wondering what side, with what gameplan, will show up next. After demolishing the world champions last week, it seemed a corner had been turned. Instead, with another bad loss and a new streak snapped, Australia have hit a brick wall.
