Hello, you either have JavaScript turned off or an old version of Adobe's Flash Player.
ISRAEL Folau felt the most potent "connection" yet between the new-look Wallabies when they were desperately tackling for each other in the wet because they are now trivia buffs together.
Hello, you either have JavaScript turned off or an old version of Adobe's Flash Player.
The match-winning fullback said the most vital seeds were sown in off-field team building for the much-needed one-point victory in Perth when the Argentinians were shut out for the final 15 minutes.
In a post-Test dressing room of sodden bodies, the confidence kick was most obvious for Nic White, Scott Fardy, Scott Sio, Matt Toomua and Tevita Kuridrani.
In the middle of a ring of more senior Wallabies, the five rookies belted out the national anthem as winners for the first time. It was pure singing in the rain for them. No more losing streak.
Last Tuesday, the Wallabies had a novel team dinner with no stooped heads hovering over iPhones. Senior hooker Stephen Moore had devised a Wallaby trivia game with questions for Wallabies about their fellow Wallabies.
"Where was Nic White born?", "Who was in the front-row with Ewen McKenzie in the 1991 World Cup final?"... the questions were simple, fun but connecting.
Hello, you either have JavaScript turned off or an old version of Adobe's Flash Player.
You forget how little new team-mates sometimes know about each other or Wallaby history. That there was a Wallaby back in 2011 who for months had no idea that team manager Rob Egerton had actually won a World Cup in 1991 as a player is damning evidence of that.
"The most important thing was just getting that win because now we can build on top of that with confidence," Folau said after he brilliantly shed four defenders for Australia's only try.
"Off the field, we got a lot closer as a group and you could feel that connection out there on the field.
"It was just spending more time together, more team activities, getting to know each other better."
The starch of doing more for each other was best reflected in the vastly improved attitude in defence which had previously been porous for 12 tries in three McKenzie-era losses.
Folau dabbed a neat kick into space to apply pressure in the final 15 minutes to show another shade to his dominating game. Dumb rugby made way for clear thinking everywhere.
"There was more clarity for every individual. Simple things had to be done well like exiting from our danger zone with kicks but still coming in to have a crack like I tried to do when it was on," he said.
The impact from the bench was vastly superior to recent weeks with a Saia Faingaa tackle, a 30m Matt Toomua touch-finder, a Sitaleki Timani hit and a replacement front-row producing the best scrum of the night with three minutes to play.
Folau believes the road trip to Cape Town and Rosario to play South Africa and Argentina is well-timed.
"It will be a big test for us but it's a good thing for us to be travelling away and spending more time together as a new team," Folau said.
Here's a trivia question: "How many tries has Israel Folau scored for the Wallabies?" Answer: Four and ripe for more in 2013.
Anda sedang membaca artikel tentang
Wallabies' win far from trivial
Dengan url
http://sportlivestyle.blogspot.com/2013/09/wallabies-win-far-from-trivial.html
Anda boleh menyebar luaskannya atau mengcopy paste-nya
Wallabies' win far from trivial
namun jangan lupa untuk meletakkan link
Wallabies' win far from trivial
sebagai sumbernya
0 komentar:
Posting Komentar