Wallabies Attack Worst In Almost 40 Years, Statistics Reveal

The Wallabies’ attack is statistically the worst it has been in almost 40 years as the side bunkers down to quickly work out how to turn half chances into point-scoring opportunities in a must-win clash against Argentina this weekend.

From eight matches in 2018, the Wallabies have scored 134 points at an average of 16.75 per game. Last year, that average was almost double at 31.14 from 14 matches.

Even in 2016, when the side won just 40 per cent of its games in a dismal year, the Wallabies chalked up 39 tries for a return of 21.93 points per game.

In the year of the last World Cup, Australia was completely on song, amassing 30.6 points per fixture with an attacking structure that troubled every team in world rugby .

Now, 12 months out from the World Cup, the Wallabies are stagnant and finding it hard to cross the paint and attack coach Stephen Larkham must be working overtime to give his players the information required to find their attacking flair.

During a bad period for Australian rugby in 2012,  the Wallabies scored just 15 tries in 15 games and averaged 17.27 points per game. This year Australia has managed 16 tries but fewer points per game.

One has to go back to 1979, when incumbent Rugby Australia president Tony Shaw was captain, to find a Wallabies team that racked up fewer points per game across the calendar year.

From five Tests that year, Australia scored just 57 points across matches against Ireland, New Zealand and Argentina. Keep in mind, this was during a time when tries were only worth four points, not five.

The Wallabies still have five Tests remaining this year against Argentina, New Zealand, Wales, Italy and England, all of which are away from home.

Despite having 79 per cent of territory in the second half of the latest Springboks defeat, Australia did not score a point in the final 40 minutes. It was the first time since the Pretoria fixture in 2016 where they were unable to get any pay on the scoreboard in the second half of a Test.

After his early blunder that cost Australia a try after 24 seconds, Kurtley Beale sprung into action and was electric for most of the second half. He made good metres and, as he does so often, was not scared to take on the line.

After three games at No.10, the jury is still out on whether that is Beale’s best position given Bernard Foley is waiting in the wings and Matt Toomua said earlier in the year it was where he felt most comfortable at.

Halfback Will Genia praised Beale’s work and was encouraged by the opportunities Australia created even if they had nothing to show for it in the dying stages of the contest.

“Kurtley is one of those guys who probably gets a little bit disappointed and down because we lose but we’re not scoring the points that we’d like,” Genia said. “I guess [it is] rightly so because we feel like we’re playing good rugby but we’re not scoring tries.

“The thing to reiterate to him is that we’re doing good things, we’re creating opportunities, we’re creating scoring plays, we just have to stick at it. That’s a discipline in itself to stick at it.”

Their last quality tight forward was Nathan Sharpe. The cupboard has been bare for quite some time. The backline though has had numerous problems at 10 and 12 in particular. They haven't solved the midfield for many, many years. The past two seasons have been particularly poor return, as the article points out. 

Folau, being a key neutralizer of aerial bombardments and catalyst for attacking movements, will be missed. One of my early calls was to play Folau in the midfield, taking advantage of his creativity, bringing other players into the game. Something some ex-Aussies called for as well. We'll see how the big midfield of Kerevi and Kuridrani gels as the World Cup draws near. 

Shame - poor AO tried to get out of the situation pertaining to Folau after claiming he was a worse player than Kirchner.   Not frequent to happen but he has a flash of lucidity bu t relapsed immediately afterwards.  LMAO  

Shame - poor AO tried to get out of the situation pertaining to Folau after claiming he was a worse player than Kirchner.   Not frequent to happen but he has a flash of lucidity bu t relapsed immediately afterwards.  LMAO  

The wriggly wee wirm wants to reacquaint itself with 2013's RC? Where Kirchner and Morné were part of the best Bok attack of the decade? You did yourself no favours in this debate the first time, it only got worse thereafter. 

League convert Folau endured a mixed first appearance in the Wallabies' No.15 jersey in the 38-12 loss to South Africa on Saturday night, as he was well contained by the Springboks and too often ignored by teammates.

Folau was expected to add an extra dimension to the Wallabies' attack but admitted the transition from Super Rugby, where he starred with NSW Waratahs, was huge. He turned the ball over at the ruck with his first run and also gave a penalty away later in the first half from a kick-return which gave the Boks a 16-6 lead.

http://www.espn.com.au/rugby/story/_/id/15330797/poor-finishing-costing-wallabies-folau

Here's another:

Cooper endured a miserable night on his long-awaited return to the No.10 jersey. He failed to spark Australia's under-pressure attack, and he gave away the penalty from which the Springboks stormed to an early lead with reserve prop Coenie Oosthuizen barging past him to score in the sixth minute. Israel Folau's move to fullback also failed to reap the rewards expected as the game-breaker was often ignored out wide, while the Boks impressive loose-forwards also forced a first-half penalty goal by trapping him after a kick-return.

http://en.espn.co.uk/the-rugby-championship-2013/rugby/story/197175.html

Israel Folau was penalised right in front of his own sticks for not releasing the ball, gifting the Springboks another three points from the boot of Steyn.

https://www.rte.ie/sport/rugby/2013/0907/472855-springboks-hammer-australia-in-brisbane/

Morne part of the best Bok attack of a decade"  Impossible and delusional as well.   Who did not attack the gain line more than 1% of the times he handled the ball, who stood so deep in the pocket the backline outside of him was consequently under pressure by the time the received the balls an d whose kicking out of hand was sub-standard even called BS by commentators   You must really be out of the lucid interval you had - pity.  LMAO,  

Wrong again Lügnerin, it was Pienaar who was called out in the second half of the Dunedin test of 2012. One foot in front of the other, there's a good chap. 

Morné's long pass and Albert's physicality were cornerstones of that 2013 side, with Willie connecting the halfbacks to the wings, concealing the limitations of our centres. Now, under J-Raz, we have Willie feeding forwards. This couldn't be funnier! I truly feel a great deal of sympathy for you Lügies. 

Hell stupedo - do you really know what you talk about?  Making a pass to Alberts who died with the ball two meters and then died with the ball makes Morne a good attacking player/  Blaas my siel - you are indeed an Idiot Speaker.  LMAO

What game was it anyway that sent you dilly? the Samoa test by any change,  That was the only one of two matches where Alberts carried the ball five meters in a carry.  Blaas my siel    

You need to read better Lügnerin.

The Alberts who died with the ball, soaking up multiple defenders and generating space and momentum for thr rest of the team. Just the threat of an Alberts carry was enough for a screen for Morné to get an attack away. One of the Bok tries away to Scotland was an excellent example. The last successful blindsider the Boks fielded . Now we have the forward equivalent of Damian, with such poor mobility he looks like a giraffe skating on ice. 

Nom dimwits - Alberts never ever did what the Idiot Speakers claim he did - delusional lies and total BS on Morne.  No wonder the Springboks was always bar in one game poor against the AB's when Meyer was coach.  The only game they won was when Morne and Alberts did not play in 2014 at home.  The lies are multiple - the win only occurred despite the negative contribution by Matfield who donated a line-out a few meters out by being outjumped and the AB;s scoring  try.  Lambie - another of the players who, they despise - kicked a 55 meter penalty conversion, which the Mozart Idiot Speaker said was NOT a pressure kick..  

You have to accept that Mozart is a willful farce when it comes to rugby issues and Idiot Speaker AO is worst - a totally delusional liar about player and coach performances.               

Well, the one thing we can say for sure on this thread is that Omlett doesn't agree with the "two words" that Omellete put up but he's such an arse-licking sychophant that he won't disagree with his master, he'd rather pretend he's debating the same issue with ou Maaik instead .

LMAO!

Ignoring all the  bickering here between the usual suspects, I predict that Oz will still find a way to become competitive come RWC time and no doubt knock out a NH team on their way to the Semi Finals. 

Agree totally with you - but need to give a description what I mean with Idiot Speak.   It is when members submit some false information on site and hope that the members are Idiots who will believe their BS statements  A typical example was in the try scored by Goodhue last week and wrote that it was  not really the mistake made by Vermeulen - but imply that it was really the fault of De Allende that the try was scored.

Basically it entails distorting facts about incidents in matches and about Er asmus as a coach and thinking other members are suckers who would accept their distortions as factual.

That is why I am not going to response to future to their postings others to alert members when the guilty parties make distorted postings and thus try and mislead other members by what can be called Idiot Speak.   .   

Agree totally with you - but need to give a description what I mean with Idiot Speak.   It is when members submit some false information on site and hope that the members are Idiots who will believe their BS statements  A typical example was in the try scored by Goodhue last week and wrote that it was  not really the mistake made by Vermeulen - but imply that it was really the fault of De Allende that the try was scored.

Basically it entails distorting facts about incidents in matches and about Er asmus as a coach and thinking other members are suckers who would accept their distortions as factual.

That is why I am not going to response to future to their postings others to alert members when the guilty parties make distorted postings and thus try and mislead other members by what can be called Idiot Speak.   .   

Maybe Moola. In Foley, Kerevi and Kuridrani they have the biggest midfield they've fielded in as long as I can remember. That with Toomua on the bench. I'd say they are better stocked than us. This changes how they play, as they usually dance behind the gainline, crabbing. With some directness to play through the opposition, the potency and effectiveness of their more elaborate steppers is amplified. All of this is theory though, but the base ingredients are there for a physical game better suited to a knockout game. Against the Boks, their kicking game was better, and retention of kicks as well. I doubt they'll get the same returns against NH teams, as the Boks are particularly weak competing in the air. 

When all is said and done, Lügnerin was wrong. This is not a strong Aussie side. They may find a way to turn it all around in the WC, but as things stand, they are an especially weak Wallaby side. A far cry from the attacking side of 2015 who effortlessly carved opponents up.