Coach unhappy with Wallabies’ test lead-up

Press, 8 September 1982, Page 48

Coach unhappy with Wallabies’ test lead-up

NZPA staff correspondent Whangarei The touring Australian rugby team tottered back to winning form with a 16-12 victory over North Auckland yesterday, but the last man smiling in Whangarei was the team’s coach Mr Bob Dwyer.

Because the match marked the team's final provincial engagement in New Zealand and the last dress rehearsal for the crucial third test against the All Blacks on Saturday. Mr Dwyer told reporters that his side’s onlyhope of test victory would be to pray. "That was deplorable," he said. “If that's the best we can do. we may as well go home tomorrow" The comments were part of a vitriolic attack launched by Mr Dwyer after the match, on the standard of the Australians' play, their attitude and personal motivation. He described the performance. which saw Australia come back from a 4-12 halftime deficit to post its first victory since the second test 10 days ago. as disorganised.

unthinking, unmotivated and disheartening. It was not until the 51st minute of the match that Australia reached the lead and, until the 78th minute, whdn the tour captain. Mark Ella dropped a goal, that the tourists exercised any sort of control over their fortunes. Until then, North Auckland had been much the better side, co-ordinating attacks with greater acumen and running with more purpose than their Wallaby opposites. Mr Dwyer could therefore only tear his hair and cry: “Dreadful, dreadful. We were loose, ill-disciplined — in fact we were hopeless, absolutely bloody hopeless. “I don’t 'know what the backs were doing. We were trying to make breaks about one inch from the scrum. I don't know the last time anyone got through there but

whoever he was, he certainly weighed more than 10-and-a--half stone... more like 18 stone I’d say. "If the players were tired. I don’t know what they were tired from... all they’ve done lately is sleep. We must have trained for only' two-and-a-half hours since Saturday.’’ The “man of the match," Campese, collected a personal total of 13 points from two tries, a penalty and a conversion and on at least two other occasions he was unlucky not to have scored after being defeated by either the bounce of the ball or the proximity of the touchline. Each time he ranged into play the tourists’

effort appeared to enter a new dimension. But even he. hailed by the crowd of 12.000 who remained after the match to applaud his selection as player of the day. did not escape Mr Dwyer's barbs. "Campese?" Dwyer queried when a reporter suggested his form was heartening with the test so close. “Campese was awful — absolutely bloody awful.” “He did some basic things — that’s all he did. He scored a nice try with his God-given gift. He used his head nil in the entire game and he dropped the ball in the tackle on every single occasion.”

His comments largely overstated the shortcomings of the Australian side and seemed born of the frustration of knowing that the tourists’ winning margin could and should have been a lot wider. North Auckland certainly chanced its arm and ran the ball on every possible occasion, but for the majority of the match its back,play was no less faltering than the Australians’. Eddie Dunn attempted to exercise the control as North Auckland’s backline pivot, which has brought them victory over sides such as Queensland earlier this year. Both Kawhena and Fred Woodman, on respective wings, brought an explosive promise to the home side’s line with their intercessions in midfield, but, .as Mr Dwyer suggested, ’ ’ play directed toward centrefield and away from the outsides often saw movements break down. Charles Going, at centre, favoured the up-the-middle style and was often wary of chancing play wider out. But his jinking movements through midfield were occasionally effective. ’ The fullback, Geoff Valli was the, confidence-building rock behind the North Auckland line, fielding testing kicks with ease and returning a 100 per cent kicking record. Mark Ella did not command play as completely as the tourists hoped or expected, while his brothers, Gary and Glen never found the vaunted combination wide out which the Northlanders had geared their defence to control. Scores: Wallabies 16 (David Campese 2 tries, conversion, penalty goal. Mark Ella dropped goal) beat North Auckland 12 (Kawhena Woodman try. Geoff Valli goal, 2 penalty goals).