Rob Howley blames missed chances for defeat – Rugby News Update
Rob Howley, the interim coach of Wales in place of Warren Gatland blamed the missed chances for his side’s loss to Australia on Saturday, June 9.
Wales are currently on a three-match tour of the Australia and the Wallabies emerged victorious by a 27 – 19 score-line at Brisbane. The second match of the series takes place at Melbourne on the weekend, and Howley wants a better performance from his team,
especially in regards to the pace of the game.
This was the first defeat Wales have had to endure in six matches, with Howley pinpointing the intensity of the game as an aspect his squad needs to improve upon. He said that during the first half they were out paced by the Wallabies, and they had played
at that intensity level for many games. Over the next six days, they will work on that to give the Wallabies a better game.
By half-time, the Wallabies were leading 10 – 3, with the home team scoring 1 try. In the second half, Wales responded after they understood the pace of the game, and they pegged back the Wallabies to 20 – 19 in the 62nd minute. The game was anyone’s
at that point, but the Aussies emerged winners by scoring a try in the 66th minute and duly converting a kick, to open up an 8-point gap.
Howley commended his team on the comeback, and this augurs well for the future tests. Wales has not won in Australia since 1969.
He said, "We didn't grasp the speed of the ball at the tackle area and that is something we will have to do some work on. We also played too much in our territory instead of going for field position. But while we were 10-3 down at half-time, we only lost
the second half 17-16. Our brand of rugby involves an offloading style, but on our terms and we lacked accuracy under pressure."
Robbie Deans, the Australia head coach was happy with the victory, especially after their shock defeat to Scotland during the week. "We spoke about character in the preparation. We knew what we were capable of doing, and how to put it into practice, and
that's what we did," he stated.
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