WXV Global Series: Sort of simple, Wallaroos missed an opportunity

The Wallaroos faced France in the south of France in Aix-en-Provence. The first thing of note, many of the players had their elbows and knees taped up, always a sign of artificial turf. Hopefully not too many grass burns.

It looked and sounded like a good, and noisy crowd was in attendance. The referee got her fair share of booing and whistles. Plus there was the added excitement of a bus bursting into flames behind the grandstand.

Enough has already been said and written about card chaos that ensued in the game. Never seen anything like it and probably will not see anything like it again. All that needs to be said is there were four yellow cards, a 20-minute red card and a permanent red card for hands on the face. For a period the Wallaroos may have been playing against 11 players.

In summary, this is a game the Wallaroos will be ruing. At one stage they were up 19-nil. It was an opportunity to get a win against the fourth-ranked team in the world, but they fell short.

No one knows this more than the players themselves that it was a missed opportunity. This was highlighted on social media with the words of coach Walsh and captain Siokapesi Palu Sekona in the post-match huddle.

So there is no need to harp on it.

Key Moments from the Couch

From the couch on the other side of the world, there were a couple of key moments.

In the first half, with the numerical advantage, the Wallaroos should have put on more points than they did. Then in the last five minutes of the half, they let in two tries. So instead of going to the sheds 19-nil, it was 19-12. The French would have gone into half-time thinking everything had gone wrong, but they were still in the game.

When the French first came out after the break, their forwards dominated. Even though down a forward, they were getting over the advantage line and were ferocious in the rucks. Their forwards bench had more of an impact than the Wallaroos bench, especially with some crucial turnovers late in the game.

The Wallaroos forwards could not wrestle the forward battle momentum back.

Then in the 65th minute, the Wallaroos were up 24-17 and attacking the French line. Tanya Naden, as she was going over for a certain try, lost possession of the ball, either dropped or had it pulled from her grasp. Either way, the try was not scored. The French almost immediately marched upfield and scored themselves. The scoreline now 24-22. It was a 14-point turnaround. The Wallaroos again could not stop the momentum the French had.

Experience and Backline Development

As coach Walsh mentioned post-match, there is a lack of experience in managing games. Also, there were times where passes were pushed when taking the tackle was probably the better option, and a couple of kicks that went out on the full.

But with all the could’ve, should’ves, it is worth reminding one and all of the age profile of the backline – Samantha Wood 22, Waiaria Ellis 19, Faitala Moleka 21, Caitlyn Halse 20, Amelia Whitaker 19, Desiree Miller 24 and Georgina Friedrichs 31.

Take Ellis for example. She has started at 10, three times for the Wallaroos and just twice for the Waratahs in Super Rugby W.

There is just not a lot of experience and as Jo Yapp mentioned when she was coaching these players: they are having to learn at Test level instead of at domestic level. That is a tough gig.

Forward Pack and Set Piece Progress

What else?

The forward pack is looking good and was again physical. It was not just Faliki Pohiva charging into the line. All the forwards, especially Siokapesi Palu Sekona, were very strong in contact. Prop Allana Sikimeti started her first game and played well. Wallaroos now have a very big and physical set of starting props with her and Pohiva.

There is still a bit of work needed, it was more so in the second half, to provide more protection on their attacking rucks.

The set piece continues to be solid. It was a bit of a concern at the beginning when in the first scrum the French scrum pushed the Wallaroos around. In the second half, the scrum should have been dominant against a seven-woman scrum. In a couple of cases, the French scrum outscrummaged the Wallaroos.

The backs are learning to play better together. Again we need to be mindful this was only the second time they have played together. Winger Amelia Whitaker continues to show she has a lot to offer. She is yet to get an opportunity in attack. Her defence is very solid and, like all rugby sevens players, her work over the ball for a turnover is excellent.

Despite another loss, are they looking better than they did 12-18 months ago? They are, especially the forwards. But they still have a long way to go.

International Results & Domestic Action

In other news.

The USA came back from being down 19-nil to defeat Ireland 40-36. A bit of an upset there. It sounds like in the end the USA’s power game and physicality was too much for Ireland.

Then the game many were awaiting, England v Canada. It finished up as a 26-all draw, which surprised more than a few. That draw ended the Red Roses’ 40-match winning streak. England this weekend face the Black Ferns while Canada take on France. Both should be terrific encounters.

As for the Wallaroos’ next opponents, Scotland, they went down to the Black Ferns 66-14. A pretty similar scoreline to the most recent Wallaroos v Black Ferns match.

Then up in Roma, the Queensland Reds well and truly defeated the Waratahs 41-12. The commentator said the perfect team would have been combining the Tahs forwards with the Reds backline. The Tahs forwards had a lot of experience and size, but the backline was, to be polite, very average. They very much looked like they had not spent much time together. In comparison, the Reds backline looked good, a bit slick and creative.

Always keeping an eye out for tight five players. It was good to see the Tahs prop Laiema Bosenavulagi getting a run. A couple of years ago as a teenager, maybe 17 years old, she was playing for the Rebels and even got a call-up into the Wallaroos training squad. It was a concern with the demise of the Rebels she would be lost. But no. She played for Sydney University this season. Leilani Nathan looked a cut above the others. She had a very good game. I would not be surprised if she got called up again into the Wallaroos squad.