In an incredible turn of events this weekend, Australia have defeated England at Twickenham Stadium in front of 81,000 expectant fans to remind the rugby public that the Wallabies are still a force to be reckoned with.
Very few single rugby pundits, journalists or fans, myself included, gave the Wallabies much of a chance this evening, but that is the beauty of sport…and what a beautiful game it was.
It was thrilling throughout and a real statement of what rugby should be.
England will find themselves highly disappointed by the end result, but as fans we were treated to some wonderfully open rugby throughout. The Wallabies will be pumped up by the fact that they performed on the biggest stage, away from home to take a victory over their old rivals in a match that will send shockwaves ahead of next year’s British and Irish Lions tour.
The biggest statement for Wallabies selection was made by outside centre, Joseph-Aukuso Sua’ali’i who was utterly incredible on his international debut.
Many predicted that due to his inexperience, he could well be a weak link in the Australian side. The reality was so far from it. He was deadly in attack and devastating in defence, so much so that RugbyPass gave him a 9.5 out of 10 on this evenings player ratings
Speaking about his performance, RugbyPass said:
“The hype is real. In his first game of professional rugby union, the league convert was immense. Put his 1.96m frame to good use chasing kickoffs, but was only a fraction of what he offered. Very positive with almost every carry, looking to keep the ball alive and did on plenty of occasions with slick hands. Glided around Ollie Slieghtholme with frightening ease for Tom Wright’s try. Not just the best Wallaby on the pitch, the best player. Dare we say it this early, but there were hints of Sonny Bill Williams with his offloading.”
Comparisons have already been made to the lights of Israel Folau and Sonny Bill Williams, and for the 21 year-old, they don’t get much bigger than that.
Australia face Wales next week, and now the match has an entirely different meaning.
One of the former superpowers of world rugby have made a serious statement this evening.
Sign In