Joe Schmidt says Saturday’s defeat to the Springboks in Perth is one of the “most bizarre” games he has ever coached in, after the Wallabies lost their props to concussion, with the game reduced to uncontested scrums as a result.
The Wallabies suffered back-to-back losses to the Springboks after the world champions powered to a bonus-point victory in Perth, despite fielding a team featuring 10 changes from the side that won a week earlier in Brisbane.
The game was reduced to uncontested scrums for most of the second half, after Angus Bell, captain Alan Alaalatoa and centurion prop James Slipper were all forced off the field.
While there were suggestions that the Wallabies had exploited the HIA rule to avoid scrumming against the more experienced Bok front row of Ox Nche, Malcolm Marx and Vincent Koch, who all came off the bench early in the second half, coach Schmidt said after the game that he was also left perplexed by the situation.
“It’s probably one of the most bizarre games I’ve ever been involved in. Over a hundred Test matches that I’ve been involved in,” Schmidt said.
“I’ve never had a situation like that before, where it happened so early in the game as well. When Slips got a head knock right after halftime, and then we were straight down, and then we played with 14 for a period of time before the officials worked out that we were still entitled to have a full pack because of the HIA.”
Schmidt added that he was proud of the way the Wallabies responded physically to their heavy defeat in Brisbane, as an improved first half in Perth almost saw the hosts take a lead into half time.
“The way that they stayed in the fight in the first half. It could have 12-11 at halftime, and that would have been a massive lift for the boys,” Schmidt said.
“It was tough going. I thought we almost got our nose in front at half-time, which would have been a lift for the players, because they were a little bit beaten up coming in at half-time.
“It was very physical again, as it always is against the Springboks, and we’ve got a few guys who are walking wounded, so we kind of just scrambled our way through the second half.
“We found it very hard to contain them all without some of our bigger men out there, so they capitalised on that, and it made it pretty tough work.”
Photo: Matt Roberts/Getty Images
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Src: sarugbymag.co.za
