CLICK HERE for links to other newspaper articles WALLABIES MUNSTERED ON FOOLS’ ERRAND Wayne Smith RARELY in Australian rugby history has a match so devalued the Wallabies brand as the one they played against Munster in utterly treacherous conditions here yesterday. Devaluing the brand, it should be stressed, is by no means the same thing as cheapening the jersey. That didn’t happen. No one could fault the courage of the Wallabies midweek side in keeping its line intact against a Munster outfit that was simply monstering them. But how long, one wonders, will it take for this crop of emerging Australian players to regain their confidence after it was shredded in the foulest weather the Wallabies have faced since being dismantled 21-6 by Ireland on an equally wild night in Dublin four years ago? Thomond Park is renowned as having the X-factor that so unsettles international touring sides, the All Blacks included, but it is the Why-Factor that most needs to be addressed: Why were the Wallabies sent on this fool’s errand to Ireland to confront a team that prides itself on its mad dog rugby? Start of sidebar. Skip to end of sidebar. .End of sidebar. Return to start of sidebar. Granted, the atrocious conditions were unlike anything the young players would have ever encountered before in their careers but that’s not to say they were unexpected. The Wallabies were more than humbled in this 15-6 defeat. They were humiliated, and not even by a full-strength opposition, with Munster supplying half a dozen players to the Irish side for Saturday’s Test against New Zealand. All that the Australian performance achieved was to strengthen the tom-tom beat going around the rugby world following the loss to England that these Wallabies, while slick enough to beat the All Blacks on their day, are soft enough to be bullied. That drumbeat has been heard loud and clear in Florence, where a passionate Italian side lies in wait for Australia on Sunday (AEDT). Wallabies coach Robbie Deans could, and indeed did, argue afterwards that the experience gained by his emerging players was invaluable in preparing them for the brutally tough rugby they can expect at next year’s World Cup in New Zealand. But even Invercargill in its meanest mood would struggle to replicate what hit the Wallabies at Thomond Park. So strong was the wind that howled through the stadium that every raindrop fell like a stinging lashstroke. Perhaps the most impressive display of athleticism came from the stilt-walkers who formed part of the pre-match entertainment for the baying crowd of 21,314. The wind battered them like a clenched fist but somehow they remained upright. "There’s a few boys in there suffering from hypothermia so we’re definitely not used to that," said Australia captain Berrick Barnes. "Maybe Munster can come to the outback and we’ll give them a bit of heat." It’s hardly surprising Barnes would want to turn a bit of heat back on to the Munstermen. Certainly they applied enough of it to the Wallabies and constantly bustled them into errors, most of which were punished by four-year Munster veteran Paul Warwick, the former Australian Under- 21 representative, who kicked three penalty goals and two field goals. The Wallabies were already facing defeat after they went into the break at 6-all with Munster. Given they had had the gale at their backs in the first half, they needed to be several scores in front and Barnes was left to rue his boldness in declining shots at goal in the quest for early tries. Having handed the Wallabies a lesson in how to play into the wind, Munster then turned on a master class in playing with it, pinning the Australians so deep in their own territory it seemed they would never escape. Nothing was achieved in this match and a lot of credibility and confidence was squandered. There’s not much of either commodity remaining in the Wallabies camp. Filed by J. Kiernan 17/11/10
CLICK HERE for links to other newspaper articles WALLABIES MUNSTERED ON FOOLS’ ERRAND Wayne Smith RARELY in Australian rugby history has a match so devalued the Wallabies brand as the one they played against Munster in utterly treacherous conditions here yesterday. Devaluing the brand, it should be stressed, is by no means the same thing as cheapening the jersey. That didn’t happen. No one could fault the courage of the Wallabies midweek side in keeping its line intact against a Munster outfit that was simply monstering them. But how long, one wonders, will it take for this crop of emerging Australian players to regain their confidence after it was shredded in the foulest weather the Wallabies have faced since being dismantled 21-6 by Ireland on an equally wild night in Dublin four years ago? Thomond Park is renowned as having the X-factor that so unsettles international touring sides, the All Blacks included, but it is the Why-Factor that most needs to be addressed: Why were the Wallabies sent on this fool’s errand to Ireland to confront a team that prides itself on its mad dog rugby? Start of sidebar. Skip to end of sidebar. .End of sidebar. Return to start of sidebar. Granted, the atrocious conditions were unlike anything the young players would have ever encountered before in their careers but that’s not to say they were unexpected. The Wallabies were more than humbled in this 15-6 defeat. They were humiliated, and not even by a full-strength opposition, with Munster supplying half a dozen players to the Irish side for Saturday’s Test against New Zealand. All that the Australian performance achieved was to strengthen the tom-tom beat going around the rugby world following the loss to England that these Wallabies, while slick enough to beat the All Blacks on their day, are soft enough to be bullied. That drumbeat has been heard loud and clear in Florence, where a passionate Italian side lies in wait for Australia on Sunday (AEDT). Wallabies coach Robbie Deans could, and indeed did, argue afterwards that the experience gained by his emerging players was invaluable in preparing them for the brutally tough rugby they can expect at next year’s World Cup in New Zealand. But even Invercargill in its meanest mood would struggle to replicate what hit the Wallabies at Thomond Park. So strong was the wind that howled through the stadium that every raindrop fell like a stinging lashstroke. Perhaps the most impressive display of athleticism came from the stilt-walkers who formed part of the pre-match entertainment for the baying crowd of 21,314. The wind battered them like a clenched fist but somehow they remained upright. "There’s a few boys in there suffering from hypothermia so we’re definitely not used to that," said Australia captain Berrick Barnes. "Maybe Munster can come to the outback and we’ll give them a bit of heat." It’s hardly surprising Barnes would want to turn a bit of heat back on to the Munstermen. Certainly they applied enough of it to the Wallabies and constantly bustled them into errors, most of which were punished by four-year Munster veteran Paul Warwick, the former Australian Under- 21 representative, who kicked three penalty goals and two field goals. The Wallabies were already facing defeat after they went into the break at 6-all with Munster. Given they had had the gale at their backs in the first half, they needed to be several scores in front and Barnes was left to rue his boldness in declining shots at goal in the quest for early tries. Having handed the Wallabies a lesson in how to play into the wind, Munster then turned on a master class in playing with it, pinning the Australians so deep in their own territory it seemed they would never escape. Nothing was achieved in this match and a lot of credibility and confidence was squandered. There’s not much of either commodity remaining in the Wallabies camp. Filed by J. Kiernan 17/11/10