u/ConscriptReports

One day World Rugby will accept it to be an official piece of silverware. Much rather have this than some piece of junk called the hemisphere shield that no one asked for

its the copium ill be huffing next week if we get embarrassed at Eden once more

Jordie or Isaac at 12 mayhaps?

First of all, there was way too much good done by every single one of the Wallabies, for the most part, to go through it all, but in my heart of hearts I truly believe this was a game won by those who have had the most amount of critique and hate sent their way this calendar Wallabies year. Minus the ever-excellence of Lenny and Ryan doing their magic on the field, both of whom had career games themselves. Ryan especially, because he seems to have managed to fix whatever was plaguing his clearances.

So the first, and one of the most hated, Wallabies who had an absolute blinder of a game was the Big H himself. Every single team sheet posting, be it Reddit, Insta, Twitter or Facebook, this year had countless numbers of people in the comments calling for his removal from the team to accommodate a ‘stronger’ back row, normally from those who managed to escape the bullets.

I'm glad that both Les and Joe before him had the rugby wisdom not to do that. I'm glad that the people managing our team can look past the surface and see the countless contributions Wilson makes in defence, work rate, pressure and attack distribution variety. For 70 minutes on Sunday, Wilson was everywhere, tying in multiple back defenders in almost every ruck after doing his chop tackles, to being one of the first to arrive at each kick chase. See the second kickoff where he outpaces JAS to get to the kickoff receiver, or the one where he goes flying off his feet over a prone Pollard after he won the ball against JAS to win us a cheeky sealing-off penalty by obliterating Mostert's knee.

I'd argue it's between him and Ryan Lonergan for the player with the best cardio in that player group. His ability to constantly set the defence lines' pace in the middle of the field, his hard carrying into multiple defenders and his pace on the winger channels are massive for our team. A shame he had the bad tackle 10 mins out from finishing a massive Wallabies win, marring his otherwise stellar performance a bit, but the moment he came back on the field, who were the two players who almost got back the final kickoff and forced a weird bouncing situation before a Bok player picked up the ball? Yep, the two Harrys! What a player, what a leader.

Les’s game plan and trust seem to have unlocked even more of his capabilities than what we thought were possible in the past. Seems that a lot of the good he does for the Reds is finally being brought into action on the Test arena, and it's not backfiring on everyone, as it seems he's doing it a lot more cerebrally now than what he did in the past – his try is a great example of this. His growth as a captain matches his growth in on-field presence, from settling the team before big plays to his ability and ease in communicating well with the Refs. His reads of the game's momentum and when to take points off the Tee and when to go for the full 7 have always been pretty good imo, but even still, it was on full display on Sunday when you consider the difference at the end of the game in the scores did come from our pen shots. Go on, Big H! Lead us to the Bled once more, and this time let us take it back for a decider in Accor, please!

Everyone and their dog has had something to say on the JAS situation, and what his best position is, so I'm not gonna go into it a lot, but I just want to say it's great seeing him living up to what we all think he could be from that first glimpse of him we saw in 2024 against England. The ability to almost dominate the air against the best aerial team in the world was insanely impressive, and his growth in reading the game, particularly in defence, is amazing. A lot of people have been hating heavily on him for multiple reasons, but I truly think he's been doing great this year and is only doing better and better the more games he strings together without injury interruptions. He does, however, need to work on his 1v1 individual tackles a bit; he let two line breaks slip through, but otherwise he's just excellent. He had an extremely good showing in the Mendoza!!! Game at 13; it seems McLeod's defensive system just suits him better and was very well settled there, so it was wild to see him on the wing, but he fucking killed it. I hope he can keep building the way he is, because I have a gut feeling that if we win at Eden, it may come from a MOTM performance by JAS. He's been wasted by the Tahs the last 2 years, but I pray a Cheika coaching experience could be good enough in 2027 that he sticks with Aussie rugby post-RWC, or at least union in general, and goes to France or Japan. I would actually be crushed if he leaves for the NRL. I'm a bit of a fanboy, ngl.

Now, the man who's the reason why I felt I needed to make this post: Tom Wright. The reason why the team managed to keep the Springbok comeback contained down 4 man is almost solely due to this man's execution, hard work and general decision-making choices. From his amazing intercept stealing like 2 mins off the clock before the card to Hunter, to having the ability to somewhat cover multiple backline spots in the backfield on his lonesome, Tom Wright was fucking immense. His chase on the Hooper-forced turnover on the 5 felt like watching a man on a mission against the world, and it won even more minutes for the team when it led to Van Der Merwe's terrible chip kick on the return. I've been one of the heavier critics of Wright's performances the past few weeks, especially on the Argies tour, but good lord, has he shut me up with that Perth game. His execution on everything he pulled was immaculate, and good lord, is he the gem man now – all diamonds, no rocks. 4

I just can't get over the fact that he did a show-and-go dummy, then drew in 4 defenders, and mid fucking TACKLE managed to transfer the ball from his left hand to his right boot – MID FUCKING TACKLE MIND YOU – for a perfectly weighted chip kick to Jorgo's unmarked wing that almost directly led to a Jorgo try and did lead to an Ikitau try. Fucking insane levels of skill were shown there that I think people are entirely glossing over. That is why I think, on form, Tom Wright is the best 15 in the world. He may not be fully back to dancing through defenders the way he did in 2025, but his ACL recovery is looking better, and better the longer he spends out on the pitch and gets more minutes under his belt. I would love to see him go toe-to-toe against either Kolbe or Willemse next year when we run this game back again. How the actual fuck did we manage to get him out of Manlys clutches and into Union? What happened there? Can someone who maybe knows the story fill me in? Because holy shit, has he matured properly in our game now? I pray that he stays fit for the RWC because he is such a leader in both attack and defence in that Wallabies backline.

Finally, I really, really loved this game and the fact that the outcome was positive in the end for us; beyond that it's just a win over the world number 1s. I loved it because that's a game we would’ve 100% lost a year ago, similar to how getting a draw in Mendoza!!! was impressive because the stats were so badly in Argentina's favour. This was impressive because the team didn’t give up and stayed fighting with insane levels of heart. How many times under Joe did we see the Wallabies play immensely good and entertaining rugby in the 1^(st) half before fading away into the night in the 2^(nd,) to experience horrific heartbreak? I can think of 5 big games off the top of my head. The fact that we not only led the Boks at half-time but then kept putting belt to ass in the second half till we no longer had 15 on the field is sooo good to see. Finally, no longer a first-half team; in 2025 it was the 2nd-half team, and in the July series it was a first-half team. Thank fuck that’s hopefully over.

A lot of us were scared about Les taking over from Joe, especially since to a lot of people's eyes, he underperformed with a pretty stacked Reds roster, but it seems like he has instilled something in the group to make them care just a little more, building magnificently on the foundations left by Joe. It wasn’t always pretty, but the results have always been on the correct side of the column, which is the important part. Win first, then start trying to make it look good, but first fucking win, and that’s what he's managed to get this crop of Wallabies to do. How good, Les Go! Carn the Wallabies! The Darkness at Eden is gonna be the biggest mountain this group has yet faced, and we will enter as massive underdogs, but I really hope that Les can keep his winning streak going forward!

the old men are running the show at flyhalf this game it seems.

Honestly, that meme pretty much sums it up nicely, but I'll still go into further detail below.

TLDR: This was a game that we should've, and would've, lost in the Schmidt-era Wallabies based on the stats. Instead, we left feeling like a draw and an overall series win was a loss for us. That's insane progress, and the Les Kiss era is still building in the right direction across almost every part of the team's game. We'll be good against the Boks in Perth, TRUST ME BRO!

Ok so why is this not as disappointing as it would initially seem for many of us post-game? I know I certainly felt that we had let that one slip from our grasp and should've won it, and yes, not being able to score against a rugby league team with a full complement is indefensible, but I'm gonna go past that obvious point and look at some of the stats.

We had fewer than 22 chances, and possession didn't favour us at all, yet we did more with the scraps we wrestled away from the Argies.

The clear set-piece parity we relied on heavily in the 3 previous Les Kiss-era Tests, and in the final Schmidt Italy test, was taken away from our game as well by the Pumas.

A game entirely categorised by us being on the defensive and yet we held very firm, thank the Rugby gods for whoever at RA managed to sign McLeod. The fact that our overall pen rate is only 7 is amazing as well, especially when you consider the workload the players were getting through in that game.

So I know that stats don't really tell the story of how a Rugby game tends to play and work out, but we were clearly the inferior team on attacking possession, 22 entry chances, on overall workload by whathaving to make 15 tackles shy of almost double that our opposition had to and then also not getting a foothold over them in the set-piece battle to work our way into the game there either. The vast majority of our 8/10 standard quality players, that tend to form the bedrock of a good teams continued good performances with their general consistency (Think DDA for the Boks) either had quiet games or actively misfired as well, which really didnt help the Wallabies cause much at all to try win the game. No real aerial ability to speak of, and plus, our clearances remain exceedingly poor in comparison to our competition, which only serves to put more pressure on the defensive ability of the squad (All hail McLeod) and, in particular, the forwards to front up at the Breakdowns and spoil opposition 22-entry strike opportunities. A lot went wrong for us.

So what went right for us?

Well, once more, our forward pack's first-half interplay is immense and keeps paying dividends; we managed to properly recycle at a world-class standard when we do enter into scoring positions, and we actually managed to properly work/condense their defensive line to then easily spread it wide for a run-in try for Jorgo. We're actively trying to grow our tactical kicking game, an area wherein we have been severely lacking for a long time now, in real time, to somewhat mixed results due to poor execution, but the intent is good, and you can clearly see what the desired end goal would be there. But the reason I'm ultimately happy with the team, despite our many, many struggles, is the overall work rate of some of the players in their off-the-ball efforts that don't show up in the highlight reels; for example, MDL managed to put in 16 tackles in 25 mins on the park. Huge, both the man and the effort.

So who were the particular standout forward players for the Wallabies:

1. The much maligned and often slighted by certain contingents of the general Aus Rugby Fanbase in every single team selection list, Harry Wilson had arguably one of the best showings from a work rate; not all 8s have to be the crash-ball mould 8, btw, for the slow ones in the audience, 8 that you'll ever see. From making tackles, getting up and disrupting the opposition by flying out of the line with impeccable defensive reads, working as a very capable and competent set of deft hands to assist the distribution of the ball across our line, often acting as a pseudo ten or center at times, he was immense in all aspects of his game. Even the weird little ballerina pivot into contact that he always does, to middling success, managed to work and score himself a try with it. Good on ya, Harry, keep making yourself undeniable to the haters who tend to have a horse somewhere on their supporters' kit that really should've been culled with the rest of them in Kosciuszko. Did 22 tackles over the 80, only beaten out by no 2 and managed to tie Valetini for dominant tackles at 3.

2. Fraser McReight, whilst low on the turnover count for his normal standard, had an immense game and would be well within his rights to be given MOTM for it. 25 tackles is a world-class stat level, and he is, in fact, the world-class standard for what a 7 is like and what people should compare others in that position to. Just endless effort on what others would consider pointless or lost-cause areas that build up to become what actually swings the pendulum for the top teams in the tightest of contests. This man's work rate is what single-handedly makes me swear enough to make a sailor blush when our wingers don't bother chasing winnable box kicks due to low work rates. I wish we could clone him and put his engine in the models running out there that are lacking in fuel economy.

3. Rob Valetini once more is back to that extra level that only he seems to reach consistently in our forward pack these past few years, but this time round it does feel like he has some mates around him willing to try and assist him in carrying that burden of getting go-forward for the Wallabies. Thank fuck for that. He did have that one really bad spill of the pill on the attacking 22 when it would've been nice to set ourselves up to try to ice out the game, but one mistake does not ruin a whole performance for me. What a weapon he is.

Now, which forwards were lacking/struggling to a point that even I, as a dumbass, could notice it:

1. First and strongest on that list for me is Taneila Tupou. Minced by a relatively inexperienced German War Criminal Argentine patriot, , Boris Wegner, in the scrums during the 1st half and inexcusably sluggish and slow on the defensive line in the 2nd half, giving away a crucial offside penalty in one of those massive phase-play attacking sequences the Pumas had going when the rest of the squad was very hardworking to not exactly do that. His overall ball-carrying skills and work on attack and breakdown securing are the only thing that saves him from being given a score of something like 3/10, in my mind. Still hope he can come right in the next few weeks of rest before his girth will be needed to combat that Boks scrum. He's one of the few players I think may have had a bad trip experience alongside Tom Wright and will surely be better for the time off now.

2+3) Josh Canham and Jeremy Williams, whilst not a bad performance by any means, just had kinda quiet games for their own recent standards. Not one lineout stolen, for example. Williams had a cynical yellow, given that I don't hold against him for the fact that it probably saved a try; most coaches tell players to do what Williams did anyway. But yeah, it just goes to show how quickly we grew accustomed to having clear parity over the opposition at that part of the game, and how hard things could become for us if we don't compete sufficiently and disrupt it. I was thinking about how you beat a team like the Boks that tend to have such dominance at the scrums, and came to the conclusion that if you can withstand death by threes by being clinical with your own few chances, then the best approach is to heavily disrupt their lineouts. Scrums only really give you field position or 3s the way the boks like to use them as pen mills - they even rarely play out the back with the advantage, preferring to set for a lineout maul in the opposition 22. These two being on their A game, like what they were in the recent past, is vital to us beating that team in Perth.

Talking about mistakes in general, let's get into the backs discussion:

1. This was the game that convinced me that JAS is a 13; he had a perfect game to my eyes. Nothing exceptional, mind you, but he hit hard, made no defensive misreads that he would have last year and worked hard in most aspects of the game where he was involved. Not his fault our distributors didn't really manage to do their job and feed either of him or Lenny much at all. JAS also give us some nice versatility in his utility ability. Argentina slicing us open in the midfield was my biggest fear heading into this 2-test tour, and it genuinely didn't happen; they had learnt from the mistakes of 2025. I am now firmly in the camp of JAS starting for the Wallabies at 13. He and Wilson both shut up their haters today, I feel; good on them.

2. Lenny had a very quiet game back from injury; nothing bad, ofc, but quiet is all. Hope to see him get an opportunity and more ball in coming games to show why he is such a needle mover for the Wallabies.

3. Lonergan, strangely poor, but it was bound to happen. Tactically, he made some stupid decisions in his marshalling of the two respective packs that would've had any other nine in Aus crucified by a certain brigade, and his clearing ability remained consistent in how very poor it tends to be. Whether that is from his own inability to get good distance on clearances from ruck bases or the forwards not setting the caterpillar properly, maybe someone more in the know can let me know. Otherwise, his goalkicking prowess is a real light of sunshine on that long barren land; long may it reign supreme, I say. Overall, I think this is one that he would want back, and I don't doubt he'll be better come Perth. But yeh, not a good time for the man, especially when he moved to ten and screwed the pooch on attack a few times, but not his fault, as that's not really ever been his position.

4. Tom Wright had one of the worst milestone games I think I've ever seen. Not a fond 50th to look back on, but still massive congrats to the man for reaching that level and being a servant of our game for long enough here in Aus to do so. I think he was one of the players that maybe shouldn't have played based on his general demeanour and attitude recently; see the interview he did with the media pre-Test 1. I wouldn't be shocked to learn that things outside of camp could be playing on his mind or something else, because he is actually a better player than what he showed today. I understand why he played cause he needs minutes, alongside Tate, to recover post injury ASAP. I wouldn't drop him like others are saying; the only truly indefensible thing he did was the forearm strike at 40mins, and even that could be argued, since the Argie player had no right to barge into him after he dotted it dead. I really hope he uses the time off to recover properly and sort out what's plaguing him right now. An inform Tom Wright is what wins us impressive games. Campbell could be used as a stopgap, but I don't really see him as a long-term solution.

5. Donno had his best game in a long time, and I actually want him at 10 for a bit over Carter tbh. He looked like he finally managed to bring over what works for him in Super to the Test arena, and he also didn't look half shabby as a 15 when the backline got rejigged for Gunu's injury. We can't keep going on like this with a 10 that has to be rushed off to Hospitals for scans after every single game he fucking plays. It's getting ridiculous, and it actively fucks with our game by essentially costing us a bench spot and forcing the team to play people out of position. Carter needs to either properly bulk up or lower the intensity he plays at a tad to save himself from injuring himself, which would be a real shame, but something needs to change, and it must happen now. We are running out of time for 2027. I want JOC back in the squad also, but I reckon that'll happen regardless when the team heads out to Perth camp and slums it up with the Western Force lads. Hell, JOC may even find himself starting again, like what happened last time we played the Boks, because everyone else was made of Papier-Mache. Both the playmakers in donno or carter didnt really get the ball often enough in positions to truly make a attempt at creating things so I cant really judge them too harshly but I wouldve liked us to recognise that early in the game we getting such ascendancy in the carries that the strategy that they trained in the week of kicking for 22s and territory pressure was unneeeded and actively harmful to our chances. Only time at Test level, and someone like Foley or JOC who've been around it all before, would've helped in that situation, though- is what it is. On a tangent, how disgusting is it to see the Stan Sport crew already playing clear favourites in which geriatric they want to lead the Wallabies to RWC 2027 glory? Sorry, lads, it ain't gonna be Mister "we play"; get him outta that studio and to Tahs pre-season. They need all the help they can get lol.

Tactically, I think what the team was trying could've worked nicely in a world where our execution of the basics was more precise, but as shown earlier by the stats, that was not the world in which we live in now, is it? I really would've liked the team to show a bit more problem-solving ability in attack, like what they've grown to do in defence over the year. Playing 'Heads-up footy' is a cliché, yes, but it does kinda ring true to this team at times and what we lack. Really think the general inclusion of a maverick like JOC into the wider squad would be nothing but a benefit to the backs. Our inability to truly unleash that part of the game and only rely on the forwards' grunt work to win contests is starting to worry me a bit, and I don't doubt it frustrates Les to no end as well.

Scrumwise I think we did pretty meh but it was serviceable. The Aerial game remains a horror show, and I think it's entirely due to a lack of work rate and effort from our chasers. What I wouldn't give for a hardworking winger that chases everything like a jackrussel on a sugar high. Lots to work on there; honestly, I think attaching the shock collar Les used on Hunter last weekend to prod players into action is needed at times, with how overtrained we can be and focused on setting into shape to the point that they'll let a turnover happen before their very eyes and do nothing to stop it cause that means leaving the structure. We have a few rough edges in those departments of the game for sure.

So why didn't we score against 13 men? Argies masterclass in playing the situation perfectly and in the correct parts of the field. They managed to retain almost 80% of possession in the last 10 mins, and with the Refs not being overtly ready to make a game-winning pen call, the Wallabies had almost no answer to get back possession. The threat of being a team that places so much of our core strategy on favourable breakdown calls being given to us came back to bite us in the ass on this one. It was bound to happen eventually; that's why we really should evolve our game beyond relying on favourable ref calls.

How can you do anything with this level of ball possession

Overall, a lot went wrong, as I said throughout this post, and yet! AND YET!!! we still managed to fight ourselves to a draw and really should've actually won that game, which I can promise you now we would've lost in the past. We are growing at our own pace and still retain our 4-game streak of not losing. WE EVEN FUCKING WON THE SERIES IN ARGENTINA FOR THE FIRST TIME EVER! Now we've just gotta keep taking the lessons we learn from these outings where a lot doesn't work, and use them to get better.

Fuck I love the Wallabies, and I can see this team with this talent profile beating the best of the best, and I can see it happening soon. Carn the Wallabies!

https://preview.redd.it/4er8xdqeuwnh1.jpg?width=370&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=4a8cc80165074ad1a50bd71ecb33d32de6dfa681

I wish I had more Simpsons trivia to be able to make good Simpsons memes for Wallabies tests, but alas, I'll have to go for the more pedestrian stuff and leave those up to the experts in the sub.