Murray Kinsella reports from Suncorp Stadium
JOE SCHMIDT POINTED to “skinny enough” margins as the difference between the teams in Ireland’s 18-9 defeat to the Wallabies in the opening game of their three-Test series.
The Ireland head coach was as dejected as he always is following a loss but Schmidt is calm in his belief that his team were very close to beating the Wallabies in Brisbane.
Ireland didn’t manage to score a try against the Australians, who scored two through Bernard Foley and David Pocock.
The defeat means Ireland are under pressure to win the second Test in Melbourne next week and Schmidt feels the gap is only a narrow one.
“I thought they were incredibly physical,” said Schmidt. “They persisted with a pretty effective tactic of cross-kicking and having Israel Folau going after them. He didn’t get them all but he got a few which allowed them to get in behind us and we were scrambling a little bit.
“We slipped off a few tackles, one early on Kurtley Beale where I thought Jacob Stockdale made an unbelievable tackle in the corner on Koroibete. They worked pretty hard at the scrum and got it to turn pretty well. I thought our lineout got some really good pressure on them and that was a positive for us.
“We got in behind them a couple of times and probably over-kicked the ball – once from Conor [Murray] when it went touch in goal and another from Jacob where it went off the side of his foot and straight into touch.
“We probably didn’t hold ono the ball as well as we would have liked. There was a lot of pressure at the ruck as well. Pocock obviously put a lot of pressure on and he always makes a big difference to a team. Apart from that, I don’t think there was too much between the teams.
“The other thing was that they [the match officials] might have asked the other question [when CJ Stander had a possible try disallowed]. It looked like he might have got it down.
“At the same time, they [the Wallabies] got one pulled down [Folau's disallowed try] as well when it was a pretty clear that a player was taken out off the ball. We’ll just have to dust ourselves off.
“It’s nothing that we didn’t expect. They’re an unbelievably athletic and talented team. The last time they played here, as I said during the week, they beat the All Blacks.
“That’s the level and we’ve got to be able to compete at that level and get the margins to fall our way, albeit they were pretty skinny today. With 14 minutes left we led 9-8 but you gotta lead after 80 minutes.”
Ireland’s failure to score a try was damaging and their attack looked blunt at times against a ferociously committed and hard-hitting Wallabies defence.
But Schmidt pointed out that Ireland had six linebreaks compared to the Wallabies’ four and he felt his team simply hadn’t been able to take their chances.
“There were some really good line breaks,” said Schmidt. “Obviously CJ’s one, a couple on the edge with Keith Earls getting on the right wing, Rob Herring gets through and tries to offload to Robbie Henshaw and I think Robbie might have even got into a bit more space but lost control of the ball.
“Twice we knocked the ball on at the ruck. There was some real frustration with the hand on the ball but we’ve got solve that. We’ve got to make sure that we are rock solid with that sort of thing.”
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As frustrating as that game was in swathes, if two or three vital decisions had gone our way (Stander grounding, Stockdale’s pickup, and the Beale playing the ball on the deck), and we’d converted a couple of chances it would have been a different story. Looking forward to the next one. A lot to play for
@Conor Paddington: all critical decisions that gifted momentum to the Aussies. The stubbornness of the ref blindly refusing to go back and review these incidents was infuriating considering they were so blatant and obvious in the replays. These are the little things that playing at home buys you and we just need to be better again.
@Conor Paddington: I think the thing that lost it for us today was the fact that there are a lot of players after a very long season, although I have to say, and I hope I don’t sound like a sore loser here, I thought the ref had a poor game! Can I just ask though, did you think Stander scored the try? I thought he was clearly held up but I’m open to being corrected?
@Daniel Casey: I thought he was held up, too. But if he’d asked any reason it would have gone the other way. Just another thing in the balance
@Conor Paddington: true, but to ask that he would have had to have seen the ball grounded himself. It’s more of a check to see if there was a double movement or knock on in the process as opposed to anything else! There was plenty else not to be happy with though!
Time to leave kearney on the balcony and give someone else a go at fullback.
@John: if that wasn’t an hilarious reference it would have absolutely no merit. He’s the only man on the planet that can have the season he had, make a couple of mistakes and have eejits like you swarming.
@Conor Paddington: Well said, Conor.
@Conor Paddington: its not the mistakes its his attack. All season he has offered nothing on this front. His legs are gone and he needs to be rested now.
@John: that’s just not accurate though and it’s clear you’re just a brainless begrudger and have been waiting in the shadows while he’s had the season of his career until he made one slip up. He’ll be rotated out over yhe next two weeks, but he’s going to be our starting fullback through yhe World Cup and you should just get used to it.
@John: shut up you clown
@Conor Paddington: ive have said all year. While he is safe under the high ball most of the time he has lost all his pace and offers nothing going forward. Dont get me wrong he was a fantastic full back but its time for a change.
@John: glad to hear you’ve been consistently wrong.
@Conor Paddington: Nothing wrong with giving someone else a shot in the 15 shirt. RK made a few mistakes but also made a few crucial tackles as well. Sexton needs another playmaker and if Ringrose isn’t starting we need another option if Zebo isn’t going to be selected.
@Conor Paddington: The stats show im right did u watch barett, la roux today. Did u see how dey influenced the game from full back with their pace. Can kearney do this?
Yeah we were right in that game and we’re not too far away. Which all things considered is pretty good.
You won’t win big test matches if you don’t score tries. As Joe said we didn’t take our chances.
Have to take them next. Plus he will have to field his strongest available team.
Healy, Cronin, Furlong, Toner, Leavy, Sexton, Ringrose should all come back in.
Maybe we could see: Healy, Cronin, Furlong, Ryan, Toner, POM, Leavy, Stander, Murray, Sexton, Stockdale, Aki, Ringrose, Earls/Conway, Kearney.
Bench: Mc Grath, Herring, Porter, Henderson, Beirne, Marmion, Carbery, Larmour.
@Oran Burns: I think next week will be similar to this in terms of selection. Cooney and Sexton in for the half backs, Toner and Bierne in the second row, Scannell at 2, Conan and Leavy in the back row, Ringrose in the centre and Larmour and Conway to come into the back 3! I’d love to see how Stockdale would go at 15! Try out a few combinations! At the end of the day, World ranking points aren’t overly important now. The summer before the World Cup year is probably the only summer tour against a tier 1 Nation that these combinations can be tested.
Frustrating couple of decisions from the ref. Couple of really sloppy mistakes from Ireland. I wouldn’t be too concerned, and shoring up a couple of issues should sort things out. Definitely need Leavy and Ringrose in there. Really happy for Carbery. While the gulf between himself and Sexton is obvious, he played well, and I’m sure his missed kicks will be very fruatring for him.
Disappointing loss but bear in mind the selection. The wallabies were near full strength but underbaked. We fielded a knowingly under strength team, the kind we might have to put out in a WC quarterfinal when injury takes its toll and including some new or inexperienced combinations and a first international start for a young 10.
I’m not too unhappy with that.
I’d experiment again next week and field a full strength team for test 3.
@Simon Clarke: nah full strength next week, Ross Byrne and Carbery half each in no. 3
@mark symmons:
Fair enough but not for me. Bierne and Toner, similar starring front row. Rest Murray, Kearney and CJ, play Joey.
Except we did score a try, but the tmo could not conjure up the evidence to dispute it, but ya know, if the tmo says it, then who am I as a mere referee of the game to actually, you know, referee the game!
OK it didn’t matter in the big picture of the match, but still would be nice to be acknowledged that we did get over the line once, unless proven otherwise (where is camera 7)
@SPQH: we didn’t see it but the TMO said it was clear and obvious! I wasn’t too happy about it at the time either but he’s there for a reason, and he did his job. We give out a lot about them not doing their job properly, it was kind of refreshing to see one overrule the ref. Hopefully they will release the angle he had during the week to clear it up!
@Daniel Casey: except it really really did not look clear and obvious, even the ref was bewildered. But yeah, would love to see this mysterious camera angle, maybe it was a knock on but just could not see that at all from what we had, and the angles we had weren’t bad! As I say, it’s not a big deal but if that was to be a match defining try then I would have been upset about it.
England smashing SA
@William Finnegan: have a look again
@William Finnegan: No they are not.
@Tomás O’Loughlin: so I was imagining England being 24 -8 up
@William Finnegan: No. They started strongly. As they have in every game the last two years. They’re not gonna smash anyone methinks, Jones is clueless.