Aussie Captain Wants More

Australian rugby captain, Rocky Elsom, says there were many things that his team need to improve upon despite their 22-15 win over Ireland.

The Wallabies managed to just nudge over the line against an Ireland team who surprised many people with the positive and determined attack they took to the game. The match was very similar to the last game that Australia played with England, when they were narrowly defeated.

Elsom says there were too many close scares during the performance and that the team can be very grateful there are a talented number of defensive players who managed to keep the Irish out, which allowed them to keep their noses in front.

The Irish will not be too disheartened by this performance because they have proven that they can match the weight of the Australian side. The only difference between the teams was the fact that the Aussies had just enough to get through the defence of Ireland with more creative play.

Defence

The defence was the best part of the Australian team against Ireland because they did not let many gaps appear in the armour. This allowed them to stay very compact and tight as a unit while the other players worked to get high up the pitch.

A solid defence means that the bigger and more defensive players in the team are able to read what is going on in front of them in a much easier way. They can then adapt to this and double up in the key areas of the pitch where Ireland are most likely to try and force their way through.

Had the Aussie defence had an off day then it could have been a field day for Ireland. The solid defence meant that once the Australians got their noses in front they were able to stay there and make sure there was no way for Ireland to get back into the match.

Improvements

Improvements are going to have to be made on both sides ahead of any future match. Australia have to work on getting the ball into wide positions much faster as well as being a little more creative in the middle.

This will allow them to stretch out their lead and make sure they can put themselves into a more comfortable match position in future games. This will stop so many areas of the team from being right on edge and it will mean  they can relax into their games a little bit more.

Ireland suffered similar problems to Australia in the respect that they just couldn’t create enough to get through a very good Aussie defence. Australia were also lucky in the respect that Ireland tended to go for a more kicking style of game as opposed to keeping the ball down and trying to search out a way through to the try line.

Betting Advice

Australia will always be the favourites when they are playing on their own turf. However, it is clear there are one or two areas of the Wallabies side that can be exposed and will be exposed by a much better team. Study their last few results and work out some averages, as this will give you something to put down on paper.

Ireland are equally unpredictable and your best option is to be a little more conservative and bet in play to see the pattern that matches take. This will allow you to make more calculated decisions despite the fact you will have to sacrifice good odds for this.