Referee's didn't help, but ultimately we lost each and ever test this summer on our own. I was a little pi**ed off during and straight after the match, and maybe we still deserved to win today's test, but it was our own errors that allowed the ref to have a bearing on the result, because ultimately we should have won comfortably.
Wales errors:
First test: picking players who were not match fit (Warburton, Charteris, Jon Davies and Scott Williams in particular). Sending a team out to Aus to prepare backfired, because we still weren't up to standard, and blew an opportunity to give those players short of match fitness gametime against the BaaBaa's. We just allowed Aus to play their game by not sending in enough players to the breakdown. A match we could have won after coming back to within a point, but Aus were the deserved winners.
Second test: Poor decision by Howley to stick with Warburton, Phillips and Priestland. Phillips and Priestland's kicking game completely handed Aus the game. Despite this, we should have won, but for a series of silly penalties at the end.
Third test: Further poor selections by Howley, especially for not bringing Ian Evans into the match day squad. Phillips and Priestland were improvements on their previous two games, but still stifled Wales' attacking game. Basic and costly errors by Alun Wyn Jones at the restart ultimately cost us the game. Another game we should have won.
Realistically we could and possibly should have won this series by winning the final two tests, and that's despite not playing anywhere close to our best. Just about every aspect of our play was below where we have been in the WC and 6 nations. Discipline was shocking, as was the unforced error count. Out tactic game was nowhere near the level requires. We barely saw our dangerous backs with ball in hand, and we ultimately cost ourselves two wins by not staying composed in the final 5-10mins of the games.
I was fuming at the ref today, and was severely unhappy last week, and I think we've got a right to be a bit miffed, but the blame cannot be put solely on their shoulders. We were far more to blame, it was just difficult to take because all the decisions in the final 10min today seemed to go against us.
i totally agree. I would have preferred see us take a development team somewhere like Canada or Japan maybe.
Despite the long season, this was a great tour for the lads. A development tour against Canada or Japan would have got us nowhere. We were genuinely competitive on this tour, and the players should learn a hell of a lot from it. It's all a building process, and if we can take lessons from this and improve then we'll be all the better for it. I saw a win or two as vital beforehand, and it's a massive disappointment that it didn't come, but it just goes to show that there's work to be done. The squad is continuing to grow in strength with the likes of Beck, Ken Owens and Tipuric growing into the squad. The breakthrough will come at some stage against the big three, I think this group of players is too good not to, it's just taking a little longer than expected.
