Wallabies search for answers
Australia coach promises change after team are outgunned and outplayed by the Springboks in the Rugby Championship.
Winless coach Ewen McKenzie said Sunday he may have to change his attacking game plan after the Wallabies slumped to their worst losing streak in four years against South Africa.
The Wallabies have won just one of their six Tests this season following Saturday’s record 38-12 mauling by the Springboks in Brisbane.
Australia must regroup quickly against Argentina in Perth next Saturday to avoid a fifth straight loss and a run not seen since Eddie Jones’ ill-fated last year in charge in 2005.
McKenzie has now lost all three internationals since taking over as coach from Robbie Deans in July, with the Wallabies conceding a total of 12 tries in two losses to the All Blacks and one to the Springboks.
The Springboks won for the first time in nine visits to Brisbane over the space of 42 years with a four-tries-to-nil thrashing to remain unbeaten in the southern hemisphere series along with the All Blacks, who they face in Auckland next weekend.
Improvement needed
Faced with a losing streak and dwindling home support, McKenzie said he would leave no stone unturned to improve the Wallabies’ record.
He said it was errors in judgement rather than skill that undermined a game plan proving to be too high-risk for his under-strength side against the likes of the All Blacks and Boks.
“I’m confident about (developing our game) but we’re too far away from where we need to be at the moment,” he said.
“We need to turn stones over everywhere because it’s not as though we’re losing by one point.
“There will be some big decisions in there along the way, some big calls, because I’m the first to say if you’re not getting the outcomes you need to change something.”
McKenzie was also concerned that a trend was developing after the Wallabies, trailing 19-12, capitulated midway through the second half where the Boks produced a three-try blitz in eight minutes.
That collapse came after emphatic 47-29 and 27-16 defeats by New Zealand.
“The bottom line is that we made too many errors to be able to win. I can’t keep saying that every week, because in the end you have to find out why we are making so many errors,” McKenzie said.
“Either we are playing a game that’s too complicated and the skill level doesn’t match it or we dumb it down a bit and make it simpler, but that would be disappointing.
“I am not going to throw in the towel, we’ve got skilful players, they’ve just got to handle the pressure situations a bit better.”
It was the biggest win by the Springboks in Australia and they totted up more points than their last 32-25 win over the Wallabies in Australia in 2009.
The Wallabies have recalled blindside flanker Dave Dennis to their squad and lock Sitaleki Timani is being monitored ahead of the next Rugby Championship match with the Pumas.