Wallabies great baffled by key coaching decision

2 years ago 100

Wallabies large Drew Mitchell has questioned Dave Rennie's coaching determination to hook playmaker Bernard Foley precocious successful Sunday's heartbreaking 30-29 loss to France successful Paris.

World No.6 Australia were connected the verge of an almighty upset against the Rugby World Cup favourites earlier France winger Damian Penaud scored a scintillating effort - assisted by immoderate mediocre defence - to bargain triumph astatine the death.

The show and the effect summed up Rennie's tenure.

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French winger scores sizzling try

The Wallabies are susceptible of playing committed, astatine times inspired, rugby but are plagued by inconsistency and a deficiency of slayer instinct.

Mitchell wasn't the lone 1 baffled by the determination to regenerate Foley astatine five-eighth with seat inferior Reece Hodge.

Hodge did footwear a clutch precocious punishment but Mitchell was not convinced.

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"I deliberation it was a mediocre substitution taking Bernard Foley off," Mitchell said connected Stan Sport.

"You've got 7 minutes to play and you instrumentality your cardinal determination shaper off. (It's) not truthful overmuch (about) Reece Hodge - I'd get him connected determination - but astatine 10 was a mediocre determination lone due to the fact that you're taking your cardinal determination shaper successful Bernard Foley off.

"The cardinal communicator, the driver, the steerer of the ship. Having idiosyncratic who's not a (specialist) 10 travel connected to play 10 successful the astir important infinitesimal of the game?

'Try from the extremity of the Earth!'

"I thought that was a mediocre decision."

It was a reversal of fortunes and emotions for Australia, who played overmuch amended than they had successful the 16-15 triumph implicit an understrength Scotland the play prior.

They indispensable present re-set for a crippled they should triumph comfortably against Italy successful Florence connected Sunday (12am AEDT).

France awarded contentious effort connected halftime

But this was a large missed accidental to marque a pre-World Cup connection and easiness unit connected their coach.

"Let's not observe getting close, they should person won that game," Mitchell said.

"The aforesaid things are repeating implicit and over. We should beryllium celebrating a triumph here. It's hard erstwhile we get ourselves successful these positions and we find a mode to suffer the game."

Wallabies fullback strikes successful archetypal start

Rennie has indicated helium volition experimentation with selections against Italy earlier picking his apical squad against Ireland connected November 20 (AEDT).

The Stan Sport panel engaged successful immoderate absorbing statement astir whether Rennie needed to commencement getting much accordant with his selections.

"We request to commencement getting adjacent to a (top) team," Mitchell said.

"It doesn't person to beryllium the nonstop aforesaid squad we're going to beryllium playing successful the archetypal excavation crippled of the World Cup but they request to commencement getting combinations.

"In 2019 we didn't cognize who the No.10 was, adjacent into the quarter-final fto unsocial into the archetypal game. So I deliberation astatine immoderate point, particularly successful important positions, we request to commencement the gathering combination. You physique assurance successful each different and knowing each other's games that you tin determination guardant into what is going to beryllium a important World Cup."

Rennie said his players were simply "gutted" successful the sheds.

"Because they emptied the tanks contiguous and we were 1 power oregon exit distant from winning it," Rennie said.

"We're each beauteous disappointed, but I'm blessed with the quality and cognition shown.

"No-one truly gave america a accidental to travel to Paris and instrumentality connected a broadside that's been precise awesome implicit the past 15 months.

"We talked astir playing without fear, competing hard and throwing everything astatine them and we did that for a large chunk of the game. It's a disappointing result but arrogant of the effort."

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