Wallabies' pace simply too hot to handle
Sat, 24 Jul 2010 15:34
Defence like this was a feature of the Wallabies' performance. (c) Gallo
Australia's victorious coach and captain admitted that they knew the Springboks would not be able to cope with their fast-paced gameplan - tactics which saw the South Africans suffer yet another defeat in Brisbane.
The fired-up Wallabies ensured the Springboks' hopes of retaining the Tri-Nations crown were dealt a critical blow with the a third straight defeat - the Aussies recording a convincing 30-13 win at the Suncorp Stadium on Saturday.
The Boks now just have pride to play for in the remainder of the 2010 Tri-Nations, whilst the Wallabies remain the table-topping All Blacks' biggest threat in this year's competition.
And, speaking after his team's deserved 30-13 win over the Boks on Saturday, Wallaby captain Rocky Elsom said his team knew they had to speed up the game at a venue where the Boks have now not won for 40 years.
"It's great to have a win here," Elsom said.
"That's the style we want to play all the time," he said of their fast-paced, ball-in-hand approach.
"Playing it is not as easy as it seems sometimes," added the Brumbies star. "It didn't go perfectly in the beginning, but we stuck to it and it paid off for us."
Elsom admitted they would face a very different challenge against the All Blacks in Melbourne next weekend - where, once again, the breakdown will be a key area.
Meanwhile, like his captain, Wallabies coach Robbie Deans also felt that his team managed to tire the South Africans through their high-paced gameplan.
"We wanted to build as much pressure as we could and to do that you've got to keep the ball," Deans said.
"It wasn't always successful but we asked enough to sap them and it made it more difficult when they did get the ball in terms of their attack."
Deans, although happy with the result, also felt that his side would have to lift the bar substantially against the tournament-leading All Blacks next Saturday.
"I'm clearly happy with the performance," Deans said, adding: "There was a lot of stuff to be proud of - particularly the defence.
"We know next week we've got a [New Zealand] team coming who will do that plus a bit. They've got a lot of patience, they'll work us around, and we'll have to finish the opportunities that we get.
"We created some opportunities and didn't finish them so that's always frustrating. You usually don't get many in Tri-Nations, but we created a few so that was good."
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