Well I didn't expect that. I sat through it twice.
Immediate thoughts on the Wallabies:-
1) They played with the high tempo that they challenged the ABs with in the last test for the first 50. I feel Cheika again missed the replacement boat and was 10 minutes late with the replacements with a few obviously struggling after 50.
2) Accuracy in passing and breakdown work has improved out of sight since England. That is across the board as has been mentioned numerous times. Of particular note for me was the accuracy in Phipps passing game without any appreciable drop in the speed of his service.
3) After 50 minutes as mentioned above some players were stuffed and inaccuracy came in just as it did against NZ. In the lead up to the Welsh try the Wallabies put the ball down no less than three times and while they were able to cover it they lost a heap of ground. This happened because they stopped going forward and were avoiding the contact. Nobody forwards included went forward. Partly also due to the Welsh actually stepping up with fresh legs from that time.
4) I said after the last Bled test I thought the Wallabies had changed attacking philosophy and structure and that was seen again last night. No endless recycling of possession without looking to do something with the ball. It was two or three phases max before going wide, through the middle or over the top, all done with purpose and planning and everyone actually knew what was going on.
5) The commitment in defence was brilliant and it was organised, not that they were challenged much, but it was superbly displayed by Speight's covering of North and Frisby on Davis (?)
6) James Slipper just hasn't recovered from his injury issues. For the Reds and the Wallabies this year he has been a liability in the scrum and far from his best around the park. I hope a full off season can fix this because at he has the potential to be world class.
Wales:-
1) I have been saying since before the 2015 RWC that Gatland was stale and had achieved all he could with Wales. The game plan was self limiting in itself and of the players. For all the talk in media interviews about wanting to upskill and play a more dynamic game Wales are further in the hole than Australia in that regard having had Gatland in charge for far too long. One point that illustrates this really well was the number of breakdowns that the Wallabies had nobody in, including the tackler who'd rolled away and rejoined the line, and the Welsh had four or five standing having a cuddle over the ball(weren't rucks as the Wallabies never engaged) and the ball was still slow coming out.
2) Even given the points raised in (1) I was surprised at how limp the Welsh were. The one thing that Warren-ball is usually good at is limiting risk and covering for changes in the squad. Wales were plain terrible in the first 40. They just weren't in it, they were totally dominated.
3) With the points raised above comes some serious questions about selection that Wales really have to ponder. Questions about whether some players are capable of playing the upskilled/non-Warren-ball game that Wales simply must play to be competitive with anybody outside of the 6N. Players like Roberts, Biggar, all three starting front rowers and the second rowers that played today.
So in summary the Wallabies played the opposition they had and wiped the floor with them comprehensively. A bit concerning they again faded in the last 30 and the "finishers" again lacked a bit of impact (excepting Frisby in cover).
Its impossible and would be churlish to be negative in any way about that performance, however I am reluctant to re-write the report card for the season on the back of this game, where the opposition was so bad. So great day at work boys, the job's still in front of you to complete.
