McKenzie walks as the All Blacks come within one point of a ‘losing streak’
The (now ex) head coach of Australian Rugby Ewan McKenzie has insisted that he would have resigned win, lose or draw following an agonising last minute 28 – 29 defeat against the All Blacks in Brisbane – but we’ll never know whether or not that’s the true story after an 80th minute score from Malaki Fekitoa, converted by Colin Slade, prevented the All Blacks from slipping to a second successive defeat for the first time in over three years. The tragedy is that a quality coach has stepped aside and, in years to come, nobody will remember the performance put in by the men in gold that – for 79 minutes – seemed to have earned them a victory that was thought unthinkable after a shambolic defeat against the Pumas a fortnight ago.
In an epic encounter to rival the best trans-Tasman battles, the Wallabies marginally had the better of an explosive first half, with a fine finish from Cory Jane and a scything centre-like run from hooker Dane Coles cancelling out classic sniping efforts from the magnificent Waratahs duo of Nick Phipps and Bernard Foley. Centurion Adam Ashley Cooper dived over early on in the second half to give his side a 22 – 12 advantage, but they were unable to capitalise on a Patrick Tuipilotu yellow card in the 58th minute, and the world champions made them pay dearly. An Aaron Smith try pulled them back to within striking distance and, despite a late penalty from Nic White seeming to push the hosts clear, Fekitoa bundled his way through a tired defence to claim the win.
It was desperately unfortunate for the Wallabies, who may have been celebrating a win had White not fluffed a clearance kick late on, but they can be proud of restoring some pride in the jersey. The sad news is that McKenzie has chosen to leave his role after becoming ‘unhappy’ with various aspects – and who can blame him. Starting the tournament filled with optimism after a Waratahs Super Rugby title, injuries, travel disorganisation, rumours of financial turmoil at the ARU, issues with the backroom staff and player scandals have all combined to take the fun out of the job for McKenzie. Whoever steps into his shoes has one hell of a mess to clear up.
Bledisloe Cup Star Man: Sam Carter
Glasgow batter Bath, Sarries squeeze past Clermont
If there were any doubts about the prestige of the new European tournament and the importance it carries, they were swiftly dispelled in an opening weekend which had a distinctly ‘Heineken Cup’ feel to it – with plenty of surprise, passion and drama. A bucket load of the former was found up at the Scotstoun Stadium in Glasgow, where the Warriors dismantled a Bath side that were running high on confidence and had genuine aspirations for going far in the tournament. Now, those who have watched the PRO12 this season would not have been overly surprised at a win for the Scottish side, but in a game between two of the form sides in their respective leagues, we were expecting a nail-biter. Instead, the hosts ran in five tries – with a brace for Mark Bennett – in comparison to the visitors’ one to claim a bonus point victory and put a big marker down for their own European ambitions… and drive a big stake into the heart of Bath’s.
There was also an eye-catching fixture between Saracens and Clermont at Allianz Park, a re-match of that semi-final last year where the London club delivered one of the best performances by an English side on the European stage of all time. There was to be no 40 point drubbing this time around, although the men in black were still able to claim the win thanks to doubles from Dave Strettle and Chris Ashton, despite two scores from Zac Guildford keeping the French giants in touch. Perhaps the most dramatic moment of the weekend though was to be found in Salford, where an impressive Sale side were downed in heartbreaking, but typical, fashion by a Munster side who have lost none of their love for the European game despite the new format. Ian Keatley hit a late, long-range drop goal in injury time to give the men in red a winning start to their campaign.
Elsewhere, home wins were the order of the day, with wins for Harlequins, Racing Metro, Leicester Tigers, Ospreys, Toulouse and Leinster. Toulon also got their title-defence under way with a surprisingly uncomfortable 28 – 18 win against the Scarlets.
Champions Cup Star Man: Charlie Hodgson
Lack of challenges in the Challenge Cup as the tries rain in
There was a fair amount of one way traffic in the opening weekend of the challenge cup, with the fixtures book-ended by huge wins for Gloucester, against Brive on Thursday, and London Irish, who hammered Rovigo on Sunday afternoon. Charlie Sharples and Topsy Ojo were the main beneficiaries of the generous defences, running in hat-tricks, and there were big home wins too for Cardiff, Newcastle and Connacht.
Elsewhere, things were a little bit tighter, and it took a 78th minute try from lock Lisiate Fa’aoso for Bayonne to creep past the Exeter Chiefs in France, whilst Edinburgh snatched a surprising – and slightly controversial – 15-13 win away against the in-form Bordeaux, with a late drop-goal effort from the hosts’ fly-half Pierre Bernard being adjudged to have just missed the posts, despite replays proving inconclusive on whether or not it had in fact sailed wide. In other fixtures, London Welsh continued their winless start with a loss against Lyon, whilst there were wins for Oyonnax and the Dragons, who claimed a fine win away at Stade Francais.
Challenge Cup Star Man: Charlie Sharples
Hero of the Week: It could quite easily have gone to Malaki Fekitoa for a well-taken last gasp try or to Colin Slade for a nerveless final conversion, but for the pressure/difficulty combination it has to be Ian Keatley for his drop-goal against Sale. A certain Ronan O’Gara couldn’t have done it better…
Villain of the Week: It’s incredibly harsh, in a way, but big test matches are often decided on seemingly innocuous mistakes. If Nic White had been patient, and let his pack give him some better protection before attempting to clear, or just simply struck the ball sweeter, the All Blacks would have been camped with a final lineout around the half-way line instead of the 22, and their chances of scoring a try would have been massively reduced. Of course, it is the All Blacks, so who’s to rule out a 50 metre effort in any event?
Try of the Weekend: You don’t see too many tries of first-phase any more, but Tommy Bowe scored an absolute pearler in Ulster’s defeat against Leicester. Yes, Miles Benjamin didn’t drift as he should have done, providing the space on the outside, but the hands and movement to exploit the error was first class.
By Mike Cooper (@RuckedOver)
Photo by: Patrick Khachfe / Onside Images
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Bath weren’t exactly running high on confidence, we came into the game on the back of a loss against Wasps (which could have been worse if we didn’t mount a bit of a comeback from 29-0 down), and with Houston banned and Fa’osiliva injured in that game, were facing Glasgow with a third-choice back row.
a “third-choice” backrow doesn’t equate to a 27 point deficit. You had essentially your first choice back line on the pitch…
I wasn’t making excuses, I was simply stating that we weren’t running high on confidence.
Yes but the backs can’t do much if the forwards are not pulling their weight.
Given Bath’s back row woes, thought it was a mistake to rest their 1st choice front row? I think this backfired massively.
Totally agree. Ford’s reason was “the front row have started 6 straight games”, which begs the question – why? Could easily rotate one player at a time over the last 3 games.
A case of Ford under-estimating a Pro12 team? He wouldn’t have rested them against a side in the top 3 of the Engish league?
If he did then he clearly hasn’t been following the Pro 12 very closely.
He wouldn’t be the only one. I know Sky are a bad indicator given their lack of actual knowledge about most sport, so their over reliance on hype from McCafferty and co, but some of the gasps and aahs at Pro 12 teams not only playing well but winning games got a bit ridiculous.
The dropping of the entire front row seemed more like a punishment for their performance at Wasps rather than resting them. Utter disaster – clearly demonstrated when all 3 came on and started to dominate the Glasgow scrum
Bath were really poor upfront and at the breakdown – but with a second choice front row and a third/fourth choice back row, its not that surprising.
What a shame Bath weren’t at full strength and that Eastmond got injured so early. I think Glasgow would have still won but it would have been a much closer game
Given the (potential/theoretical) quality of the two sides, I would have expected a home win with a LBP for the visitors in the two Glasgow v Bath legs. Hopefully we’ll have Garvey, Louw and Fearns back for the return leg and can at least attempt to regain some credibility.
If you look at the Glasgow teams from the last 6 weeks, there has been massive upheaval pretty much every week. Keeps everyone fresh and fighting for positions. (though, with the number of internationalists in the squad, you need to keep them all happy!)
I have no real idea what Grenoble are like but I did enjoy watching the Blues run some scintillating tries in – forwards/backs combining, great lines. If Patch had brought his kicking boots we’d have been demanding 40 pts at least. Grenoble may be poor (?) but there was no doubting the commitment – we were treated to ferocious hits from both sides throughout the game. Kristian Dacey continues to push for wider recognition – the hands and feet of Shane with the bulk of Heyman. Grenoble are mid-table in the top 14, which is top quality according to all those who demanded changes to the formats.
Northampton – 2nd (1st?) favourites again. Turn up and win mentality again. Lost again. Maybe it’s just the hilarious one-eyed Sky Sports but it’s hard to avoid enjoying seeing a team “going for a bonus point win” come completely unstuck … again.
I thought The Scarlets put in a good show – contrary to popular expectations they were well in that game. Halfpenny v Williams was a bit of a treat to watch – had to turn the sound off though due to my commentary seeming to be stuck on a loop of “Armitage/Jonny/Armitage/Jonny/Armitage/Jon…..”.
Try of the weekend – Wade. Wade and Wade again – standup and applaud magic. If England don’t start him it’s bad enough. If they instead pick that lad who can only run sideways then it would be a travesty.
Pontypridd beat Connaught – a semi-pro team (well, more like 2/3rds am 1/3rd pro) beating a fully pro team is something to talk up. Excellent result.
Overall a good weekend for the Pro 12 – this time with no “resting players” excuses for the others to rely on.
Ah, it seems the Ponty fans on Twitter may have slightly over-egged that one – turns out they played the Connaught Eagles, not the full pro team.
Seeing as Connacht played in the Challenge Cup on Saturday that would have been a touch unlikely. ;-)
The Grenoble XV that played the Blues saw 12 changes from the one that won against Brive in the latest round of the Top 14.
Aye, not their first XV then. Well … we won. Our coach was pretty clear that he didn’t rate the opposition that highly but we did what we needed to do and we did it well. It’s the 2nd tier comp so playing 2nd tier sides and whupping them seems fair enough if we have any aspirations to play at the higher level in the future.
Absolutely, nothing to be sniffed at. A win in France is always a good thing! Dragons did very well too.
As a long time fan of Wade, even I was of the view that he had blown his EPS chances because of his shoddy defence this season.
But THAT try was ridiculous. He had no right to score that. If Farrell Snr wants to really earn his corn he must get him in and see what he can do with him defensively.
Wade’s try was excellent, and in a way quite similar to Strettle’s second try. So you think Wade should start on the right wing for England, but who should play on the left. Clearly you don’t think May (that lad who can only run sideways) is the right man for the job, and I’d have to agree with you. I hate seeing him running running sideways eating up other players space, only to get isolated, or smashed. Will Lancaster go with an experienced out and out finisher in the form of Strettle (unlikely), or will he go with Jonny (the crab) May, or Marland Yarde out of position?
It was a class finish from Strettle ….. but Wade’s try was another really special one, when he got the ball I wasn’t thinking “there’s a try on here”, it was a something from nothing magic moment.
Given whoever gets the 14 shirt for the first test is up against Savea (8 tries in 4 games against England) I would put one of the more physical guys on the right wing (Roko or Yarde) and move Wade onto the left flank.
I’ve come across this before on here, but left and right wing shouldn’t be an issue. Yarde played on the left all summer. I just can’t see why it would be an issue (although I don’t want to rehash that conversion on here…). Pick the best two wings. For me, that’s Rokoduguni and Wade. SL won’t pick Roko until he has trained with the EPS for a while. I would therefore go Yarde and Wade for the first two tests, with Roko staying with the squad at all times. After those two weeks, Roko comes in, and whichever of the other two has performed best stays in the side. I like Nowell to the the 4th wing in the EPS squad – with those 4 being the choices moving forward.
Interesting point about Savea, but I don’t think Roko will get picked through lack of experience (and credit in the bank), and Yarde is no better a defender than Ashton. If anything our best defensive winger is probably Nowell.
Regrettably, i think its unlikely that Wade will be anywhere other than the Saxons.
For all his good points and despite the players he’s capped, I think SL tends towards the conservative when he’s unsure – especially around defence. I think Wade’s defensive frailties will prove to be too much at the moment, above all with NZ up first.
Whilst i wouldn’t be shocked to see Ashton back and picked with Yarde, I think it more likely that Nowell will be on the wing opposite Savea. His defence both in terms of positioning and tackling, is pretty sound and he’s a known quantity.
Also, if Eastmond is injured, wouldn’t be surprised to see Barritt back
The papers are in rumour overdrive ahead of tomorrow’s EPS. There’s no place for Wade OR Nowell in the EPS, and Barrit and Burrell are rumoured to start against NZ. I hope they’re wrong.
Who are the wingers that are in without those two? I’ll be gutted if we see Ashton and May above those two in the pecking order.
As for Barritt and Burrell starting…. what!? Why? Is that because Tuilagi is out? Also, did not know Eastmond got injured. How serious is that?
My guess for wingers would be any of May, Roko, Watson, Yarde or Ashton. To his credit, May has actually played well for Gloucester so far this season, and seems to have taken on board the criticism of turning in field at every opportunity.
I don’t think that Wade is necessarily a bad defender, his performance against Bath opposite Watson was very good (as was Watson against him), when he is in the correct position, he tackles well given his lack of size.
Contrast this to Ashton, who actually positions himself well in defence, but always goes in high and rarely makes a tackle without conceding yards. As someone stated above, the coaches should be able to sort out Wade’s issues.
Yeah, the reports are saying Roko, Watson, Yarde, May and Ashton. Not sure how close to the truth that is, but in past experience they’re usually very accurate.
Bath always fail to keep us posted on injuries, so no idea how bad Eastmond’s injury is. He tried to play on initially but left the field 10 minutes or so later, clutching his ribs.
Well I hope at least one of Wade or Nowell makes it. I know Nowell has been injured for a while but seems to be playing well since he came back
Agree that May seems to be running in-field less – hopefully he can keep that up.
Watson is an interesting one – he’s been around the squad a couple of times now. I wouldn’t be upset if SL rolled the dice with him – he’s certainly skilled and perhaps the international game will bring even more out of him
As for Barritt and Burrell, with Tuilagi and Eastmond probably injured, it won’t be a surprise.
Though Watson did reasonably against Glasgow, though he was outshone by Seymore who was fantastic.
Advantage with Watson is that he tackles well, and has good positioning having started as a full back.Think he needs to learn to get into the game more, but part of that is getting to know the team.
Would be wary of Nowell or Wade against Savea. Barritt/Carter would drop bombs as soon as they got near our 22.
So frustrated by the continuation of Ashton. He is fine in attack. He is no wade, but he gets himself in tryscoring positions well, and knows how to find the line. One of the best poachers in the premiership. The problem is his defence. Saw it again over the weekend. Just when you think he is doing OK he makes a horrible attempt at a tackle, or gives up because the ball goes past him. He just watched Guildford go past to challenge Goode for the ball. If Ashton had pushed to get back he could either support Goode or tackle Guildford.Hate to make the comparison, but you just dont see that from the AB wingers, or SA wingers.
Well if Ashton stays in there is no possible reason for excluding Wade for defensive reasons.
And it can’t be because of size. If he’s big enough to get called up by Gatland he’s big enough to play for England.
Personally I don’t have a problem with Barritt and Burrell playing alongside each other, as long as Farrell is not playing 10. If Ford or Cips is at 10, I think Barritt is a good man to have at 12. Twelvetrees has shown nothing so far this season, apart from one very good pass against Sarries. His defence is still not as good as Barritt, and while he offers something going forward that Barritt does not, Ford or Cips will give us that anyway. I also think Joseph could be quite useful outside Barritt?
As for the wings, I would like to see Wade or Yarde at 11, and Roko or Nowell at 14. Watson as the bench option, but suspect Goode will get that. Just edging Foden in the 15 stakes at the mo.
There’s another thing, the rumoured fly-halves are Farrell, Ford and Myler…
FH is a tricky one at the moment.
Should SL drop Farrell because he has been injured. he has been the consistent form FH for England for a couple of years now. I think he has the right to be there.
Second choice: I think Ford is pretty much a no brainer.
Third choice: Myler or Cips? Think it is fairly close between them. Myler has been good, but not getting the headlines Cips does. Not sure Cips has been better, but the press do like to discuss him. Added to which, this is your 3rd choice. Think I would consider Cips as a starter, but not necessarily on the bench.
Anyway, think it was a pretty tight choice. SL is entitled to his opinion, and has seen them in camp. Just because he went with Myler does not mean it was not a very tough call.
Charlie Hodgson ;)
back line for the first test…
My choice:
Youngs
Ford
Watson
Barritt
Burrell
Roko
Foden
Expect:
Care
Farrell
May(?)
Barritt
Burrell
Yarde
Brown