It was a typically damp English autumn evening, which all but ruled out any possibility of fast open rugby.
You would think that it would have suited the hosts more, but Australia were very much on an upward trajectory after slaying the All Blacks in Bledisloe three, and most recently putting Wales to bed last week. However, the drama that unfolded at Twickenham over the 80 minutes were akin to your favourite soap opera, with an animated Michael Cheika very much part of the cast as usual.
The final score reads a comprehensive 30-6 win for England, with the hosts registering four tries to none (at least none that counted). However, the score-line needs to be put in context, in that it was a rather fortuitous score by Elliot Daly on the 54th minute that broke the deadlock with the score at 6-3 at the time. Furthermore, the three tries that followed were between the 72nd minute and the dying stages of injury time. However, the game will be best remembered for three main talking points. Firstly, Michael Hooper followed up a kick-through to touch down, only to be ruled off-side by referee Ben O’Keefe (with the assistance of the TMO) in the buildup. Probably the right decision, though you could argue that he was subsequently played on-side. Then, Daly’s opening try resulted in a ball being kicked from deep in Aussie territory only to just sit up and indescribably stay within play with Beale 
failing to arrive on time to snuff out the threat. Replay after replay followed, but as there was no ‘clear and obvious’ footage of the ball touching the chalk the try stood – the correct decision. And then lastly, what proved to be the final straw for Cheika, was the disallowing of the try scored by Marika Koroibete on the grounds that Stephen Moore had obstructed Chris Robshaw from making a tackle. That was an absolutely crucial moment, as had the score stood, the Wallabies would have been back on level terms.
The mental disintegration of the Aussies coupled with some moments of brilliance by replacement scrum half Danny Care saw the flood gates open in the last ten minutes. You have to give credit to the English team, who just stuck to their guns and kept plugging away in the rain. Joe Launchbury was deservedly adjudicated to be Man-of -the Match. To say their win was based largely on luck would be a huge disservice to this team. For Eddie Jones, it’s now five wins on the bounce against his motherland, and one-time teammate Cheika. The Wallabies will rue their inability to maintain their composure, and you had to say collectively they didn’t man up when it mattered most. They will look to finish their tour on a high, and what better opportunity than taking on the high riding scots.
However, the match of the weekend was without doubt the Scotland / New Zealand game at Murrayfield. Before the game, few people gave the Scots any realistic chance of even troubling the All Blacks. But the hosts played with enterprise, vigour, and sheer whole heartedness, that resonated the very essence of the Mel Gibson classic ‘Braveheart’.
From the outset, Scotland showed intent to play the game at a high tempo, with Stuart Hogg in particular looking very threatening each time the ball went into his hands. Gregor Townsend took charge of the national side in the Summer, and tasted immediate success with an admirable win against Australia in Sydney. He has pretty much converted this team to play in the same creative style which characterized himself during his playing days. I distinctly remember Townsend playing fly half for the Lions when they registered a historic win against South Africa in 1997. He was also a central part of the Scotland team that won the last edition of the ‘Five Nations’ in 1999. As a relatively young coach, he is a very well-traveled top rugby man, and more recently won the Pro12 with Glasgow Warriors a couple of seasons ago.
Finn Russell opened the scoring with a penalty, before Beauden Barrett cancelled out that score just before half time. Come the second half, a packed partisan stadium were treated to an absolute treat. With some neat build up play in which rookie Reiko Ioane was a part of, the ever impressive Codie Taylor was on hand out wide to cross the line in the 45th minute. The All Blacks kept piling on the pressure, and then off a move, Sonny Bill Williams showed some deft touches to put through a grubber for the on-running Damian McKenzie to finish off. That opened up a 12-point lead, an ominous sign for the Scots. However, the Dark Blues refused to back down. And after a sustained period of pressure the Scottish forwards executed a ‘pick and go’ close to the All Black line. Jonny Gray then picked up, and managed to stretch out a long limb and score.
At 15-10, the All Black backline then pulled off a fantastic move. Off a scrum just around the opposition ‘22’, the ball went straight to Williams who ran down the 10-12 channel. Breaking through the tackle he offloaded to McKenzie who ran a fine line, who in turn sent the ball out to Barrett who had looped around. A training ground move executed to absolute perfection. That looked to have settled the contest, but there was many a twist to follow.
On the 77 minute mark , Full Back Hogg kicked through the defense, for Tommy Seymour to collect before putting Huw Jones through to score. That gave the home team just a glimmer of hope. That hope almost came to fruition when a moment of magic by Hogg saw him make a brilliant dart evading many a tackle during the dying stages. The All Blacks can perhaps count themselves fortunate that Barrett had an equal amount of gas, as he managed to haul down Hogg just meters from the line, with Hogg’s attempted pass going forward. A crushing finale for the home side, but one they can truly be proud of.
Scotland will be disappointed – when you have the All Blacks there for the taking you must finish off the job, as you know such opportunities will be few and far between. However, for me, where they lost the match was their inability to take advantage when the All Blacks were down to 14 players. First Sam Cane, then Wyatt Crockett both saw yellow. There was one instance in the last ten minutes when a seven-man All Blacks scrum decimated the Scotland pack to win a penalty under their own posts. That was a huge moment. Townsend will look to strengthen that area of the game immediately, with the Aussies next to visit Murrayfield on Saturday.
Just goes to show, you can have all the big names, and razzle-dazzle ball players. But if you don’t have a strong scrum and set piece, you won’t be winning too many games against quality opposition.
Another important point to consider – that fantastic game witnessed would not have been possible without a Referee that communicated well and let the game glow. English Ref Matthew Carley was excellent. He communicated so well with the players – the right balance of authoritativeness, while at the same time being engaging. Though I’m sure Michael Cheika would think otherwise, I thought Ben O’Keefe also had a decent game.
I was at the CH vs CR game on Saturday. I was happy to see CH finally register a win, though it has to be said that CR&FC were absolutely woeful. But in all honesty, the game at some points was painful to watch with the many stoppages owing to the Referee blowing his whistle. How can you have any continuity when the game stops at virtually every phase? I was asked on-air as to my thoughts on why crowds have dwindled at club games. The simple answer is that it’s boring to watch. And the sub-standard refereeing has a lot to do with it.
All rugby players and coaches are encouraged to watch international matches, especially those involving the top tier sides. You learn so much. I wonder if it is likewise for Referees in this country as well. If it is so, sadly they do not seem to be learning very much. Much is down to the inability to communicate. If this is improved, you can definitely let the game flow better which is what everyone involved wants to see.
When would we see this happen in our domestic games?
