Comeback win masks return of Wallabies’ bad habits

Inside this emerging and improving Wallabies team, there are still signs of the bad old Wallabies struggling to get out. The first half of the dramatic 28–24 win in Townsville was like watching the pre-Joe Schmidt Wallabies — or at least the Wallabies in the early days of Schmidt’s reign.

The coach may well get the flamethrower out during the review of this Test to prevent a repeat next week, because it will be well understood that the Wallabies put themselves in a position to lose that match. His opposite, Felipe Contepomi, will feel his side threw it away — quite literally, with some of their loose offloads early in the second half. The Wallabies lacked discipline and turned the ball over too easily, and Los Pumas’ two tries from scrums had their origins in avoidable Wallabies errors — a loose carry by Rob Valetini and a forward transfer by Tom Hooper. If Argentina had had their first-choice No.10, Tomas Albornoz, they likely would have put the Wallabies away. So now is a good time to give the Wallabies a timely little uppercut and remind them that their recovery is still fragile if they aren’t switched on.

Forget about the World Rugby rankings

You would hope the Wallabies aren’t buying into the endless chat about World Rugby rankings and the implications for the World Cup. It’s a needless distraction, because there’s still so much water to flow under that bridge. For example, even if the Wallabies lose next week it should be remembered that Los Pumas have traditionally struggled on their end-of-year tours. They face Wales, Scotland, and England in November — and the first two are real opportunities for them to lose World Rugby rankings points to teams currently ranked below them. No one currently has a clue what the Wallabies need to do to finish the year in the top six of the World Rugby rankings. The Test in Sydney should be seen solely for what it is: a chance to bank more Rugby Championship points and put themselves in a position to win that tournament.

Have-a-go Harry develops into a proper leader

The sight of Harry Wilson revving up his players at the end — himself having been revved up by the great Townsville crowd — was one of the images of the Test. The Wallabies’ captaincy has been a bit of a revolving door under Joe Schmidt, and even earlier this year you could make a case for Tom Hooper at No.6, Rob Valetini at No.8, and Wilson not even in the team. But Wilson has mastered the first part of captaincy: locking down his spot in the XV. There’s something about the way he wears his heart on his sleeve that is becoming infectious. The Wallabies are starting to take on his characteristics. Here’s a guy who was overlooked for years and no doubt could have cashed in overseas — and at just 25, Australian rugby has found its long-term leader.

Wallabies captain Harry Wilson.Credit: Getty Images

All Blacks Test showed how well the Wallabies did in South Africa

The All Blacks emptied the tank to defeat the Springboks 24–17 at Eden Park, but the sight of their scrum being smashed on their own ball in the second half will give South Africa some momentum heading into the return Test in Wellington.

South Africa lost the match against the All Blacks but dominated the scrum battle.Credit: Getty Images

It also cast a favourable light on the Wallabies’ scrummaging performances in their two Tests in South Africa. Had they buckled like the All Blacks scrum frequently looked like doing in Auckland, the Springboks would have monstered them in both matches. There has been an extraordinary improvement — particularly given they’ve lost hookers Dave Porecki and Matt Faessler. They certainly didn’t have it all their own way against Argentina on Saturday, but Los Pumas finally appear to be sorting out their set-piece after years of it being close to a liability. The one question the Wallabies still need to answer, however, is whether Angus Bell needs to start to help them overcome their slow starts.

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