The Wallabies’ wait is over

As the Wallabies ran on to the pitch, the roar from the crowd was deafening. The scene was set with the vociferous and very passionate rendition of the national anthem.

As the All Blacks moved into their Haka routine, the Wallabies just stared them down and even ventured a few metres in front.

The mindset of the Wallabies was plain to see and they were not going to back down.

They came into the game on the back of a few controversies and rugby analysts were quick to point out that it could cost them the game. O Connor missed the game due to disciplinary reasons and being their number one kicking option, the responsibility was huge on Quade Cooper as a replacement.

The game was very physical and soon a number of the All Blacks were down receiving treatment on the field. This is not a spectacle that we are used to and the eventual limping off the field by the NZ # 8, Read, did nothing to improve upon the fluency of the play by NZ.

Radike Samo occupied the all important # 8 berth for the Wallabies, and the physicality of his play was superb. His cover defence was a class act and when he decided to run with ball in hand, he was able to gain valuable metres. The offensive tackling by the Aussies was great and Anthony Fainga’a got his man and ball on several occasions.

The intensity of play by both sides was fantastic and for the All Blacks to catch up on the Wallabies and equal the scores in the second half was indeed a show of character. In many games we seek teams resorting to some senseless kicking and if one looks at this game, the kicking was with great purpose and very precise and on most occasions brought in the desired results.

The tussle upfront was keen and in certain occasions the All Blacks simply powered their way through but these were short-lived as the Wallabies gave as good as they got, maybe at times a tad better. New Skipper James Horwill led the tem well and it was great to see the former skipper Elsom at his best despite losing the captaincy last week.

The halves pairing of Genia and Cooper were great to watch and the passing of Cooper was outrageous at times.  The flick from the back of the hand whilst staving off a tackle indicated a sense of new found freedom. If this is the influence of the new Skipper, a team mate at the Queensland Reds, then it augurs well for the entire Wallabies.

The Wallabies last won a Tri Nations crown in 2001 and after 10 long years with the World Cup less than two weeks away, they made a bold statement. Is this a flash in the pan or are we about to witness a contest for the World Cup? Only time will tell.

It is almost two years since the All Blacks lost two consecutive games and this fact must certainly hurt. However we do not expect the All Blacks to simply disintegrate on the back of two consecutive losses, and the chances of them bouncing back in grand fashion is on the cards. We are obviously in for a treat from 9 September onwards.