I've had some time to digest what I witnessed last night and gather a few thoughts.
There is no doubt about it, we were comprehensively and systematically annihilated last night by a far from "on the decline" All Blacks side. I made a post about 30 minutes before kickoff explaining why I thought (or hoped) the Wallabies might win and how they had turned the corner mentally and culturally, it turns out I couldn't have been more wrong.
Selection Mistakes
It should be abundantly clear to Ewan McKenzie that the Kurtley Beale experiment has been a failure. Credit to him for playing his cards and sticking to his guns but it was a risk he should not have taken.
One has to ask the question about how much pressure McKenzie has added to his job with a disastrous selection policy? Lets not forget that McKenzie won the job from Deans on the back of a very public and successful campaigning. He is a popular coach in Australia which is probably the biggest reason he won the job over Jake White. I do not think he has done himself any favors and with a hot Michael Cheika waiting in the wings, McKenzie may just be starting to feel the heat.
Beale is a world class player but he is not a flyhalf. I was watching the rugby with my dad who is an AFL boy and pointing out to him repeatedly, how Beale was running sideways which allowed the All Blacks to very easily drift with him taking away space from our backline and allowing them to suffocate us. Kurtley is at his best when he has space to put himself and his teammates into gaps. You don't have the space at #10 to be successful with his style of play - at least not against the All Blacks.
A Few Positives
There was not a lot of good news to take out of this game if you are a Wallabies supporter but there were some positives. James Slipper, Michael Hooper and Israel Folau were excellent last night and just as good as the men in black, if not better. Unfortunately they did not get any help from their teammates. Matt Tamoua deserves a mention for a solid defensive game. Despite the 10 minutes when Rob Simmons was in the bin - the scrum was actually quite good I thought and the lineout solid all game. Lastly, Scott Higgenbotham, Nick Phipps and Benard Foley injected significant energy and structure when they came on again. I would start all 3 next week.
Poor Refereeing But Ultimately Irrelevant
I must admit I have been quite amazed reading some of the comments by some of our NZ friends on these forums claiming that Romain Poilte had a good game last night. He was woeful, missing AB's playing the ball on the ground and allowing them to come into the rucks illegally for much of the game. The "negative" style of play was in full force last night but you know what? It did not matter in the slightest as New Zealand were simply far too good and showed why they are the best side in the world.
Australia clearly got the rub of the green in the Sydney test and got a draw. In my view, NZ clearly benefited from a poor refereeing performance in Auckland and won in a good old fashioned massacre. This is the difference between the two sides and why the refereeing, while bad - was irrelevant of the outcome of the game at the end of the day.
Moving Forward
McKenzie has a very tough job regrouping and galvanizing the squad for an important game against South Africa next week in Perth. Did anyone watch the presentation ceremony at the end of the game? The Wallabies players were devastated and with a loss like that, very likely demotivated. Next week should be a close match but if they guys are not able to get their heads back in the game, it could be ugly. This next match is crucial to not only getting back into the RC but setting the tone for the rest of the year. We absolutely do not want to have a repeat of 2013.
Worst Poster on TRF?
Just a quick mention to the one and only austingtir. Congratulations on the award, well deserved.