Australia’s first Test outing under Michael Cheika showed they have not completely lost the art of closing out a tight match in the last few minutes.
In all three of their Test defeats this year ahead of Saturday’s 33-28 victory over Wales in Cardiff, the Wallabies, under previous coach Ewen McKenzie, had blown winning positions in the final quarter of the match.
Against New Zealand in Brisbane last month in Mckenzie’s last match in charge, they were in front five minutes from the end before going down 29-28 to a late try.
Photo: Reuters
In Mendoza a couple of weeks earlier, they blew an early 14-0 lead to hand Argentina their maiden Rugby Championship win. That followed a 28-10 loss to South Africa in Cape Town after they conceded three tries in the last 10 minutes.
The New South Wales Waratahs developed the knack of just getting over the finish line under Cheika this season, most notably when Bernard Foley slotted a decisive late penalty to give them a first Super Rugby title in May.
Flyhalf Foley was also Australia’s match-winner at the Millennium Stadium on Saturday, a drop-goal and penalty in the last eight minutes handing the Wallabies a 10th straight win over the Welsh and a first victory away from home this year.
“There’s plenty to improve on, we’re not claiming that we had a cracker,” Cheika told reporters in Cardiff. “It’s been two weeks of getting our heads together and playing a new system. The guys getting into that, defensively as well, not just attack.”
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