Ireland emphatically had the measure of the All Blacks in all the key areas in Chicago and, with more preparation and fine-tuning, could make it two in a row when they meet again on 19 NovemberWhen the close-to-capacity crowd at Soldier Field were subjected to the caterwauling version of Ireland’s Call, played with a bit of blarney on a violin, the day seemed to be heading only south. Moments later it was yanked back and pointed upwards, with the Ireland players facing the haka by forming a perfect figure of eight in memory of Anthony Foley. It was one of the great rescue acts. And not the last on a remarkable day.What followed was a classic Test match, not for...
Rob Howley defends his team after 32-8 rout by Australia but it was not until the final 15 minutes that they showed real creativityWales identified the need to work on the athleticism and dexterity of their tight five after their summer whitewash by New Zealand. They involved their four regions to raise the general skill level of the national squad but a 12th successive reverse to Australia, and their second heaviest home defeat by the Wallabies, showed they remain more comfortable manhandling than ball-handling.Wales used nine tight-five forwards on Saturday and they carried the ball between them for a total of eight metres compared with their opponents’ 76. They have won only three of their last 12 internationals and in...
Wales’s crushing 32-8 defeat was their 12th in succession against Australia and the performance among their worstA sharp start to the season, this, and a defeat that stung like the autumn weather. Australia had lost seven of the 10 games they had played this season, three to England, three to New Zealand, another to South Africa. There was a thought that they were weaker than they had been in a while but the Wallabies poured cold water all over it. They have now won their last 12 Tests against Wales, a run started way back in 2008. It already felt like Wales had lost to them in pretty much every which way a team can; undone by penalties, drop goals,...
Wales have lost their past 11 matches against Australia and while the Wallabies are not as strong as a year ago, the hosts must keep their heads in closing stagesAustralia’s matches against Wales have come to be a victory of mind over matter. No matter how much time the Wallabies spend on the back foot, trying to disengage from a scrum or checking their body parts after a rampaging run by Jamie Roberts or George North, they keep their heads so that when a game nears its end, with lungs bursting and legs aching, they have the wherewithal to fashion the decisive play.The Wallabies have snatched victory at the last over Wales too often for it to be a coincidence....
One year on from the Rugby World Cup, Robert Kitson ranks the top tier sides, with the All Blacks showing no sign of losing their dominanceEighteen wins on the spin and counting. The All Blacks will not stay unbeaten forever but sometimes it feels that way. Over the next month they will face Ireland (twice), Italy and France and, barring accidents, it should be 22 straight victories by the time they fly home. The head coach, Steve Hansen, and his lieutenants deserve credit for the impressive manner in which the team has refocused and developed since retaining the Webb Ellis Cup last year. Who said Dan Carter, Richie McCaw, Ma’a Nonu et al were irreplaceable? In the shape of Aaron...