RLWC Daily Wrap: Quarter-Final One
No surprises in the first QF of the RLWC as Australia begin to settle on their best team. Take a look at the quick wrap of the match along with some pressing thoughts.
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On a seemingly freezing Huddersfield night (if the couple sitting Nathan Cleary’s Conversions are anything to go by), it was always going to be a tough 80 minutes for the Lebanon Cedars.
Unfortunately, there was to be no amazing upset this morning.
30-Nil at halftime, it seems strange to say that the scoreline is a reflection of a strong performance from Lebanon, but it’s true. Without their effort, running hard, kicking well and forcing Australian mistakes, the match could well have been 50-0 at halftime, rather than 48-04 at fulltime.
That might be a sad thing to say about a quarter-final, but it's how it is.
It’s safe to assume that anyone who likes Rugby League enough to read this, probably watched the match. If so, you can move on to the ‘Quick-fire Questions and Thoughts’.
Here’s a quick summary if you missed it!
Cleary Kicks out on the full in minute 2
Liam Martin seems to knock on but it’s called backward. Australia instantly spread the ball to Josh Addo-Carr who scores Australia’s first.
Lebanon competes in the arm wrestle for the next 8 minutes off strong running and lovely Mitchell Moses kicks.
Moses switches tactics away from dangerous bombs, tries to grubber to himself, and provides the Kangaroos with great field position.
Tedesco decides he’d had enough — powers his way through multiple tackles straight through the middle and puts Josh Addo-Carr under the posts.
25 minutes of Kangaroos’ attack before halftime.
Josh Mansour scores for Lebanon in the 51st minute.
Quick-fire Questions and Thoughts
A game like this isn’t exactly filled with key moments. But, there were a few thoughts that this game bought up about the Kangaroos and the World Cup.
Should the NRL’s set-restart rule be implemented in the RLWC?
I just wrote about 800 words on this and deleted all of it.
The gist of my tome was that the biggest weapon teams have in international basketball is knowing the rules better than the more talented and atheletic USA sides (as well as stronger team chemistry). More physical defence, no three-seconds rule and no goaltending are all little nuances the USA struggles to adjust to.
I understand the set-restart rule has been implemented in the Super League with some slight differences, so it's not an “NRL taking over the RLWC” problem. That doesn’t change the fact that it completely takes away any chance teams like Lebanon have of beating teams like Australia.
Lebanon might be able to defend Australia and compete if they can get away with a bit or, at the very least, give away a penalty to catch their breath.
I don’t think it would be bad to have a different set of International rules.
Can everybody relax about Cleary’s kicking?
Yes, he missed a few conversions and looked out of sorts at times. He kicked 6/9. He’ll be fine. If the rumours of a gastro bug going through the team then I get it. I wouldn’t want to swing my legs too much either.
What’s the final team?
The Kangaroos squad has so many good players in it, I really don’t know who should be picked.
Obviously, there are some locks. But in some positions like prop, back-row and right-centre, every option has a right to the throne.
Jack Wighton’s aggressive defensive and powerful attack would be awesome at right centre, but Campbell Graham was exceptional in his game time. Graham could also slot into the right wing at the expense of Valentine Holmes.
Then you’ve got Angus Crichton, Liam Martin, Jeremiah Nanai and Cameron Murray fighting it out for two second-row spots. Not to mention the six props that are all worthy of selection.
I might have my preference. I’m sure you do too. One thing is for sure, whichever team runs out against in the Semi Final is going to be very tough to beat.
Standout Performances
Josh Addo-Carr
He’s a try-scoring machine. While he failed to steal history away from Valentine Holmes by only scoring five tries, the Fox is one of the Kangaroos' best weapons. Especially outside of Latrell Mitchell and Cam Munster.
Nathan Cleary
While his kicking might have been a tad off, his in-game play was at its best. The work Cleary did with the ball in the middle of the field looked unstoppable, no matter the team.
Liam Martin
It might not be enough for him to secure the spot for next week, but he couldn’t have done any more.
I’ll see you tomorrow for two mouthwatering matches; England v Papua New Guinea and New Zealand v Fiji. Keep an eye out for my next post taking a look at the key matchup in the England match, or just subscribe.
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