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Accuracy is the antidote to the Wallabies’ kicking kryptonite
Kicking as a tactic is not popular amongst Australian fans; it’s considered a boring tactic, something which slows down play, a thoughtless act, but done well kicking can be one of the greatest attacking assets in a team’s arsenal.
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Conversely, done poorly, and a team can find themselves defending their own line or even standing under the posts wondering how they got there.
The Wallabies know they were inaccurate in almost every facet of their game against the Boks, and that’s what killed them.
Frustrations began to creep in as they knew just a little more clinical execution and they could’ve made it a contest.
“We lost the accuracy battle… they [South Africa] were good at retrieving their contestable kicks, whereas we weren’t,” said lineout coach Geoff Parling in a Tuesday press conference.
“[T]hat little bit of inaccuracy fed into their physicality… the focus is to be more accurate in what we do, I know that might sound boring but if we are more accurate then we are further up the pitch.”
There’s no way around it, the Wallabies’ kicking was horrendous, it was simply not Test standard.
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There were three main issues with the Wallabies kicking game.
Firstly, the length of kicks, secondly the Wallabies’ ability to catch the Springboks’ kicks and thirdly, the timing of kicks.
The length of kicks, especially from halfback Jake Gordon, was well off the mark.
Gordon was clearly having an off day, as his box-kicking was the best of any Aussie halfback all year, but on Saturday they went disastrously wrong.
In this clip, Gordon makes two key mistakes: kicking too early and kicking too deep.
He releases the kick well short of the Bok D-line which gave them time to turn and block the Wallabies chasers.
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This already has his chasers at a disadvantage but the kick itself goes around two metres too long and not high enough to give his chasers an opportunity to get to the ball or put pressure on the Springbok catcher.
It also came off first phase with the Wallabies just throwing away possession, something which was in short supply early on.
This second clip shows the Springboks making the ruck a nightmare for Gordon.
The kick is too long and not high enough with the Boks’ defensive line well set.
A tiny dink over the top or a huge bomb were the only kicks that were going to work, instead, Gordon hoists a nothing kick.
The second major issue, the ability to catch kicks, arose when the Wallabies had finally managed to secure some territory and had the Springboks under pressure.
Whiz-kid Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu and halfback Cobus Reinach hung around eight contestable kicks, some of them were terrible kicks but the Wallabies’ shape to protect their player coming forward to catch the ball was terrible.
It gifted the Boks possession and piled the pressure back on the Wallabies.
Like with so many things in the Wallabies’ game, inaccuracy killed them.
Take this next clip for example.
The Wallabies who are providing the “escort”, who are effectively running a block for the oncoming Wallabies catcher, over run the kicks.
No one is looking at the ball, and therefore fail to compete when they ball almost hits them in the head.
All they would have to do is reach up and bat it back as Cheslin Kolbe and Eben Etzebeth do in the first snippet.
The Wallabies players fail to compete and also block their own player from getting to the ball.
Each time it happened the incoming Wallabies receiver would have to jump early and trying to make up a couple metres in the air, making it impossible for them to secure possession.
The effect of this was two-fold.
It turned the Springboks’ poor kicks into good ones, making Feinberg-Mngomezulu’s life way too cushy in his starting debut in the no.10 jersey, and gave the Springboks easy territory and cheap possession.
This inaccuracy only heaped more pressure onto the Wallabies, penalties and poor field position regularly followed the unclaimed kicks.
Exiting is crucial at Test level, but the Wallabies gave the Springboks exits on silver platters regularly.
The poor kicking length and kick escort meant the Wallabies rarely kicked on their own terms.
Again, the thinking was not wrong, but due to the poor ruck security, the Wallabies were regularly forced to kick before they were ready, resulting in poor kicks and exits.
Both Gordon and Noah Lolesio here kick when they are in a poor position to do so.
Lolesio should never have received that ball, nevertheless, the kick was poor, and Tom Wright failed to compete well.
Gordon had no angle to kick and should have ordered another hit-up in the field to get closer to the 15m line to give himself a chance of getting a decent kick away.
Some of this is on the team and their inability to fix things on the run, that comes down to a lack of experience throughout the side.
Others were player errors; the Wallabies would’ve known the Springboks use shallow contestable box kicks to be able to deploy their new wide attacking structure.
Wright was regularly coming from too deep, either getting nowhere near the ball or being blocked by his retreating escort.
It may sound harsh, but he must win the aerial battle this weekend, he must demand that ball, whatever it takes.
Kicking is one of the greatest tools in a rugby toolbox and it’s something coach Joe Schmidt is very cognisant of.
“We didn’t really get into the aerial contest… I think they kicked seven contestables and got four back we didn’t get any of ours back… It’s one of the vital sources of possession,” Schmidt said in a Thursday press conference.
Kicks when they are used correctly disorganise defensive structures, reset defensive rhythms, and change the point of attack.
What makes a kick even better is the chase, and the Springboks have two of the quickest and most disruptive whippets in the game in Kurt-Lee Arrendse and Kolbe.
It’s due to these two that almost any kick the Springboks hoist, no matter how bad the shank, is a good one.
The Wallabies not only kicked poorly but chased lethargically, a fatal concoction when you are losing the blunt collisions and set-piece battle.
In both clips Filipo Daugunu chases half-heartedly, it could have been due to injury but nonetheless, they were poor chases, and the Springboks secured the kicks with ease.
Once again this failed to be a pressure point and the Springboks could continue to deploy their emerging wide attacking structure with impunity.
If the Wallabies hope to change their fortunes in Perth, they must be more accurate in every facet of their game, period.
Kicking went from being a potential weapon for the Wallabies to their kryptonite.
Although their attacking breakdown was anything but clinical, it was the poor kicking and terrible kick receipt that truly meant the Springboks could cruise through the contest.
If the Wallabies amend their accuracy deficit and at least retain 50 per cent of their own kicks and contest well for South Africa’s kicks, then the flow-on effects will see the Wallabies’ fortunes improve.
The game plan is sound, it’s time for the players to execute.
