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'We don't train to tackle around the head... we've got to be better and tackle lower'

Michael Hooper (Photo by PATRICK HAMILTON/AFP /AFP via Getty Images)

Australia recovered from the loss of Lachie Swinton – the first Wallabies debutant to be red-carded – as the hosts rebounded from a record defeat to win a chaotic Bledisloe Cup Test 24-22 over New Zealand in Brisbane.

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Both sides were down to 14 men before halftime, with Swinton following All Blacks forward Ofa Tu’ungafasi to the sheds for near-identical high tackles.
But, fresh off a record 43-5 hiding in Sydney last week, it was the Wallabies who controlled the second half on Saturday to win a seventh-straight Test at Suncorp Stadium.

Makeshift No.10 Reece Hodge’s boot and a late Taniela Tupou try put the Wallabies up by nine, but it took a crushing Marika Koroibete tackle to snuff out the All Blacks’ hopes after New Zealand hit back with a 78th-minute try of their own.

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Wallabies coach Dave Rennie was content to cop Swinton’s call after Tu’ungafasi had suffered the same fate for a similar offence, while captain Michael Hooper had no complaints ab out the dismissal.

“We don’t train to tackle around the head and we have to talk about player safety … we want players playing as long as we possibly can in this game,” Hooper said.

“If that’s the interpretation from up top, we’ve got to be better and tackle lower.”

Rennie was more concerned with celebrating a maiden victory after a draw and two heavy losses from his first three games in charge.

“We saw plenty of character out there; both sides, there were some curveballs. (I’m) really proud of the steel that we showed and the impact we got off the bench to seal the win.”

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Winger Tom Wright landed the first blow of an action-packed match, scoring with his first touch in Test rugby.

His reward was to find himself on the receiving end of a thumping Tu’ungafasi challenge that initially brought pats on the back for the New Zealand forward.

Sam Cane
Sam Cane clauses with Australia players /Getty

Replays showed Tu’ungafasi had hit Wright on the chin, though, with no mitigating factors leaving referee Nic Berry reaching for the red card in the 23rd minute.

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It should have been the decisive advantage, but instead the Wallabies finished the half with one man fewer on the park than the All Blacks.

First debutant Swinton replicated Tu’ungafasi’s hit with a challenge on Sam Whitelock, except without any signs of his arms in the tackle, to recklessly earn a red of his own.

Then winger Koroibete was yellow-carded for a line-ball penalty that was deemed the final straw as the Wallabies desperately defended on halftime.

Hodge’s boot – he kicked five-of-seven for the night – kept the scores tight despite Codie Taylor’s try against the grain for the Kiwis.

The tide turned when New Zealand’s Scott Barrett found himself sin-binned for a ruck infringement, Hodge kicking the Wallabies clear before Tupou burrowed over and they hung on to salvage some pride in a 2-1-1 series loss.

“It’s what we love about it, it throws up games like that after last week,” New Zealand coach Ian Foster said.

“It was a very disruptive game, didn’t flow. But (there was) a massive degree of intent from both teams to play, particularly in the circumstances with the cards.

“But they controlled the game better than us and are deserved winners.”

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Tom 5 hours ago
Will Bristol's daredevil 'Bears-ball' deliver the trophy they crave?

Also a Bristol fan and echo your sentiments.


I love watching Bristol but their approach will only get them so far I think. Exeter played like this when they first got promoted to the prem and had intermittent success, it wasn't until they wised up and played a more balanced game that they became a consistently top side.


I really want Bristol to continue playing this brand of rugby and I don't mind them running it from under their posts but I don't think they need to do it every single time. They need to be just a little bit more selective about when and where on the pitch they play. Every game they put themselves under so much needless pressure by turning the ball over under their posts trying to do kamikaze moves when it's not required. By all means run it from your goal line if there is a chance for a counter attack, we all want to see Bristol running in 100m tries from under their posts but I think until they learn when to do it and when to be pragmatic, they are unlikely to win the premiership.


Defense has been a real positive from Bristol, they've shown a lot of improvement there... And I will say that I think this kamikaze strategy they employ is a very good one for a struggling side and could be employed by Newcastle. It's seems to have turned around Gloucester's fortunes. The big advantage is even if you don't have the biggest and best players, what you have is cohesion. This is why Scotland keep battering England. England have better individuals but they look muddled as a team, trying to play a mixed strategy under coaches who lack charisma, the team has no identity. Scotland come out and give it full throttle from 1-15 even if they struggle against the top sides, sides like England and Wales who lack that identity drown under the relentless will and synergy of the Scots. If Newcastle did the same they could really surprise some people, I know the weather is bad up there but it hasn't bothered the Scots. Bristol can learn from Scotland too, Pat is on to something when he says the following but Scotland don't play test matches like headless chickens. They still play with the same level of clarity and ambition Bristol do but they are much better at picking their moments. They needed to go back to this mad game to get their cohesion back after a couple of seasons struggling but I hope they get a bit wiser from matches like Leinster and La Rochelle.


“If there’s clarity on what you’re trying to do as a team you can win anything.”

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