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Wallaby flyhalf Foley left 'shocked and bewildered' after Raynal's call

(Photo by Cameron Spencer/Getty Images)

Bernard Foley has been left “bewildered” by a referee call at the death that effectively cost the Wallabies the Bledisloe Cup in a gripping Test encounter in Melbourne.

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The Australians were left devastated after All Blacks fullback Jordie Barrett scored in the 81st minute on Thursday to secure a 39-37 victory to claim the prized trans-Tasman trophy for a 20th successive year ahead of the second Test in Auckland next week.

The Wallabies had forced a penalty with just over a minute remaining but as Foley went to kick the ball into touch, referee Mathieu Raynal made the rare call to sanction the veteran five-eighth for time-wasting.

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It gave New Zealand a scrum at close range and they spread the ball wide to Barrett for the match-winner.

Coach Dave Rennie said Foley was shattered by what unfolded after he had helped the Wallabies close an 18-point deficit in the second half.

He said that Foley thought the clock was off, so there was no urgency to play on.

“He’s a bit bewildered and shocked by the decision,” Rennie said.

“Obviously, he’s had a great performance and he feels like he’s let people down, he’s gutted.”

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It took the gloss off a impressive return to Test rugby by Foley after a three-year absence.

The 33-year-old had a shaky start as the Wallabies trailed 12-0 early but lived up to his ice-man nickname as the pressure was turned up.

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His goal-kicking was first rate with four conversions and two penalties while he found holes in the All Blacks defence, setting up two tries for fullback Andrew Kellaway.

“I thought he was sensational,” Rennie said of Foley.

“He controlled the game really well … he’s just very confident, he gives a lot of confidence to people around him, good energy and voice, a real positive mindset.

“Down 31-13, it’s easy to start thinking it’s going to be a tough finish to the game but he kept encouraging us to play and play at the right part of the field so I thought he had a big game.”

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Playing in Japan since the 2019 World Cup, Foley was thrilled to be back in the gold jersey.

“I loved it. I’ve missed the Test arena, the anticipation, the build-up, it was unreal,” he told Stan Sport.

“I was a bit disappointed with a few unforced errors early but I’ve worked on my mental game to stay on task and I was lucky to stay in the contest,” he said.

“This side has got so much potential – a lot haven’t played much Test match rugby but they thrived in the grind and they will be better for it. ‘

“These are great learning experiences.”

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2 Comments
J
Jamie 2 781 days ago

I suspect that the Wallabies will still be focusing too much on the final minute and not give themselves the kudos they deserve for being the better team for a significant part of the game, their performance in the second half should have won them the game.
Once again the AB's showed promise in the opening phases but that niggling tactical inconsistency that has been exploited by most top ranking teams all too readily this year crept in and the AB's struggled to find a way out of their own 22, the AB's inability to readily adapt to these defensive situations and move quickly into attack must continue to be a of major concern, especially for the RWC.
A more convincing win by the All Black's at Eden Park will not placate the critics, but it must not be forgotten that the first test was a hard robust game with bad injuries
The Wallabies saw their best chance to win back the Bledisloe Cup was in Melbourne, though maybe Brisbane's Suncorp Stadium would have been a better venue for the Wallabies with a fully partisan crowd.

W
Willie 781 days ago

Looking beyond the result for a moment.....
Last night confirmed NZ will not win the next World Cup and whoever is responsible for back alignment should resign before being sacked.
A disgraceful defensive display which will gladden the hearts of the Irish and French.

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Oh no, not him again? 2 hours ago
England internationals disagree on final play execution vs All Blacks

Okay, so we blew it big time on Saturday. So rather than repeating what most people have all ready said, what do I want to see from Borthwick going forward?


Let's keep Marcus Smith on the pitch if he's fit and playing well. I was really pleased with his goal kicking. It used to be his weakness. I feel sympathy for George Ford who hadn't kicked all match and then had a kick to win the game. You hear pundits and commentators commend kickers who have come off the bench and pulled that off. Its not easy. If Steve B continues to substitute players with no clear reason then he is going to get criticised.


On paper I thought England would beat NZ if they played to their potential and didn't show NZ too much respect. Okay, the off the ball tackles certainly stopped England scoring tries, but I would have liked to see more smashing over gainlines and less kicking for position. Yes, I also know it's the Springbok endorsed world cup double winning formula but the Kiwi defence isn't the Bok defence, is it. If you have the power to put Smith on the front foot then why muzzle him? I guess what I'm saying is back, yourself. Why give the momentum to a team like NZ? Why feed the beast? Don't give the ball to NZ. Well d'uh.


Our scrum is a long term weakness. If you are going to play Itoje then he needs an ogre next door and a decent front row. Where is our third world class lock? Where are are realible front row bench replacements? The England scrum has been flakey for a while now. It blows hot and cold. Our front five bench is not world class.


On the positive side I love our starting backrow right now. I'd like to see them stick together through to the next world cup.


Anyway, there is always another Saturday.

7 Go to comments
C
CO 3 hours ago
Scott Robertson responds to criticism over All Blacks' handling errors

Robertson is more a manager of coaches than a coach so it comes down to intent of outcomes at a high level. I like his intent, I like the fact his Allblacks are really driving the outcomes however as he's pointed out the high error rates are not test level and their control of the game is driving both wins and losses. England didn't have to play a lot of rugby, they made far fewer mistakes and were extremely unlucky not to win.


In fact the English team were very early in their season and should've been comfortably beaten by an Allblacks team that had played multiple tests together.


Razor has himself recognised that to be the best they'll have to sort out the crisis levels of mistakes that have really increased since the first two tests against England.


Early tackles were a classic example of hyper enthusiasm to not give an inch, that passion that Razor has achieved is going to be formidable once the unforced errors are eliminated.


That's his secret, he's already rebuilt the passion and that's the most important aspect, its inevitable that he'll now eradicate the unforced errors. When that happens a fellow tier one nation is going to get thrashed. I don't think it will be until 2025 though.


The Allblacks will lose both tests against Ireland and France if they play high error rates rugby like they did against England.


To get the unforced errors under control he's going to be needing to handover the number eight role to Sititi and reset expectations of what loose forwards do. Establish a clear distinction with a large, swarthy lineout jumper at six that is a feared runner and dominant tackler and a turnover specialist at seven that is abrasive in contact. He'll then need to build depth behind the three starters and ruthlessly select for that group to be peaking in 2027 in hit Australian conditions on firm, dry grounds.


It's going to help him that Savea is shifting to the worst super rugby franchise where he's going to struggle behind a beaten pack every week.


The under performing loose forward trio is the key driver of the high error rates and unacceptable turn overs due to awol link work. Sititi is looking like he's superman compared to his openside and eight.


At this late stage in the season they shouldn't be operating with just the one outstanding loose forward out of four selected for the English test. That's an abject failure but I think Robertson's sacrificing link quality on purpose to build passion amongst the junior Allblacks as they see the reverential treatment the old warhorses are receiving for their long term hard graft.


It's unfortunately losing test matches and making what should be comfortable wins into nail biters but it's early in the world cup cycle so perhaps it's a sacrifice worth making.


However if this was F1 then Sam Cane would be Riccardo and Ardie would be heading into Perez territory so the loose forwards desperately need revitalisation through a rebuild over the next season to complement the formidable tight five.

28 Go to comments
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TRENDING Marcus Smith on that substitution and his England plea Marcus Smith on that substitution and his England plea
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