Post the South Africa game the Wallaroos could have woken up sore and sorry for themselves, instead with a win 33-26 they will have woken up just sore.
The Wallaroos had to make twice the number of tackles to their opponents – 211 to 106 – and with the South Africans going in with a 6:2 bench there was no confusion about what their plans were.
Like the Springbok men, the coach rolled out a bomb squad of five fresh forwards in the 54th minute.
The second half was hard work with the Boks having 69 per cent possession and in fact, South Africa had 89 per cent possession in the last 10 minutes.
It will be interesting to see if there are any injuries. Tabua Tuinakauvadra came off at halftime and looked to have injured herself just before the halftime whistle, Tania Naden went down late in the game and was soon replaced.
It was unusual to see backs Georgina Friedrichs and Desiree Miller come off in the 61st minute, maybe they are just managing their workload.
As for the South African game, what were the main takeaways? Arguably the Wallaroos were lucky there was not a scrum until the 16th minute by which time they had shown what they had in attack.
The Wallaroos were up 21-5 before that first scrum. From there, the Wallaroos were in deep trouble and continued to be throughout the game.
It was reminiscent of the scrum earlier in the season against the USA.
It was either messy ball or a penalty.
Scrum aside, credit where credit is due, the Wallaroos forwards kept fronting up against the big Springbok forward pack.
Of note, Atasi Lafai was yellow-carded at the beginning of the second half and the forwards held their own. The Boks did not score during that time.
I must highlight Ash Marsters who had a cracking game and made some decisive big hits as well as a couple of absolutely crucial turnovers.
The final one in the 82nd minute won the game for the Wallaroos. While the Aussie scrum left a lot to be desired, the lineout was perfect – 13 from 13, 100 per cent.
It has turned around significantly after being pretty average earlier in the tour, with only a 53% success rate against Ireland.
The Wallaroos backline is exciting. Some of the passing accuracy and speed were a pleasure to watch. Both wingers Maya Stewart and player of the match Desiree Miller were again outstanding.
Caitlyn Halse had a mixed day. Again she had a clearing kick charged down which this time resulted in a Bok try but otherwise had a good game. Remembering she is just 18.
It is interesting she really is a major playmaker in the backline and has arguably the best pass. She threw a great left-to-right pass for a Stewart try. Plus she always puts her body on the line in defence.
The final score was uncomfortably close it is worth noting Australia missed out on two tries, Cecilia Smith with a poor put down and a Layne Morgan knock-on was picked up after Miller scored.
A huge shout out to the Bok winger, Ayanda Malinga, holy smoke she is fast. Twice from the opposite side of the field she cut down Miller and Morgan to stop certain tries.
She is a bit like Maddi Levi in the Aussie sevens, her speed is just as valuable in defence as it is in attack.
Again Faitala Moleka was more than solid at 10. She has grown in confidence, then again maybe she has always had that confidence but with four consecutive starts, we are seeing more of her.
Earlier this year and maybe last year I commented that it would not be a surprise if Moleka was the long-term flyhalf and may well be the flyhalf for 2029.
The way she is playing we may have to bring that forward to next year’s World Cup.
Last comment on the game. The South African team has a huge future and has a clear strategy to grow the women’s game.
They aim to have 150 players on full-time contracts for next year playing in a four or five-team domestic Super League competition.
Not only do they have South Africa Rugby on board they also have a big supporter in Siya Kolisi using his profile to support them.
Next up are the Scots who will be another tough assignment.
Scotland has played 234 Tests with 95 wins (41 per cent) compared to Australia’s 83 Tests with 29 wins (35 per cent).
Scotland is fifth in the rankings and the Wallaroos seventh. But as last weekend’s game showed where South Africa are 11th, they do not mean much.
Similarly, Scotland pipped Japan 19-13 and Japan are 12th.
2024 has been pretty good for Scotland, nine games for five wins. The last few games have been more than reasonable four consecutive wins Japan 19-13, Italy 19-0, Fiji 59-15, Wales 40-14 – and back in April in the Six Nations it was a 12-15 loss to Ireland.
The first Wallaroos-Scotland game was way back in 1998 with an Australian win, they have met three times for three wins, the most recent at the World Cup in 2022 with a 14-12 win.
For the Wallaroos, fingers crossed there are not any major injuries from the South Africa game, the scrum must be competitive, and they must treasure possession.
If the Wallaroos have the ball the backs will score.
No doubt Scotland will play for territory and focus on the Wallaroos’ weakness, defending mauls. Scotland also has a rugby sevens player in their team inside back Lisa Thomson, who has a good kick on her.
So can the Wallaroos finish their season with a win and the WXV2 trophy?
