What a difference a week makes

Last week's fiasco seems to have escaped my blogging. Perhaps because it was so painful - the match was incredibly flat because for the most part the ABs looked, frankly, inept.

Australia comfortably won every significant element of game play except the scrum, where they lost on points but never convincingly enough to matter. The ABs couldn't or wouldn't use the ball they got smartly, when they tried they coughed it up, and although there should have been a penalty try that was missed (and later apologised for) which would have made the result closer, Australia thoroughly deserved the win.

This week... well 39-10 tells the story really in a way that sometimes the result doesn't. A couple of other stats help too - the ABs dominated everywhere (Australia worked hard for their try, and probably just about deserved it on balance) but perhaps unusually they really dominated in the line out. They won MORE line outs where Australia were throwing in than line outs where they were - 8-7 in the end - and yet they didn't lose a single line out on their own throw!

There were several changes in the team. Woodcock, Hore and Somerville made a far better front row that Woodcock, Hore and Afoa - propping is one of those places where experience counts probably more than anything else and Somerville has that in spades, whereas Afoa (who might well be the real thing come the 2011 RWC) is still learning his trade.

Last week's makeshift loose forward trio was totally rejigged. McCaw completely ruled the breakdown. Kaino did the dirty work, and So'oialo was exemplary in every facet of play. On this performance you would have to say they could well be the best 3 in the world at their positions, and certainly you'd have to say if they continue to play like this, they're the top unit in the world by some distance. Thompson looks good too, whether playing with MacCaw or as a replacement. McCaw has done it before, regularly, but a side that last week lost the breakdown comprehensively to just Smith, this week won it convincingly against Smith and Waugh. That's not solely thanks to McCaw, but in a large part it was his work at each and every breakdown that did the damage.

You also have to wonder about Andy Ellis's future as an AB. Cowan just looked so much better than Ellis ever has. Now, this was, in my opinion, Cowan best game by some margin, and if you watch them in the Super-14s you would say Ellis is the better player, but if Cowan can keep this up, he will cement his place quickly. The 8, 9, 10 axis worked very nicely despite them all being from different Super-14 clubs AND Cowan having a short training session this week with his injury.

The future is in the ABs hand now - they have 2 games remaining, away in SA and away in Australia, whilst SA and Australia each have 3 games. However, if the ABs win both with a bonus point in each they've won the Tri-Nations (again) and are probably back to world #1. Win 1, lose 1 becomes more tense, lose both and they're scuppered. One thing I think this week has shown, which isn't really a shock to anyone, is that the ABs are looking a bit thin in some places. They more or less lost half a squad to retirement, injury and the lure of money playing overseas. There are replacements coming through - Afoa will be good, Thompson is a bit raw but good, Kahui looks pretty good too, Boric might well fit in nicely. Hore looks likely to keep Meealamu on the bench for a while to come but the process is slower than perhaps it should be just because so many players in so many positions have gone. That said, there's still three years to build experience and depth and although last week's loss might have been a tactical error it might also have shown Henry et al. where they need work in the months to come - and for the first time in some time there's someone that is plausible as a replacement for McCaw when he finally has to hang up his boots.