Australia beats Portugal and remains on borrowed time

2023-10-01 20:57:16

After their improved victory against Portugal (34-14), Sunday in Saint-Étienne, there remains a tiny chance for the Wallabies to qualify for the quarter-finals of the World Cup in France and above all to avoid elimination from the group stage for the first time in their history. Everything rests on the Fijians who will face Portugal in a week.

Published on: 01/10/2023 – 20:57

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Australia, victorious on Sunday October 1 over Portugal (34-14), with the offensive bonus, is still not officially eliminated from the 2023 World Cup and will have to wait a week in France for the result of Fiji-Portugal next Sunday, before most likely go home.

The Wallabies no longer have their destiny in their hands: they must hope for a defeat of Fiji, without bonus points, offensive or defensive, in a week in Toulouse. Which seems highly improbable.

The Portuguese, however, amazing despite their inaugural defeat against Wales (28-8) and during their draw against Georgia (18-18), reiterated, on Geoffroy-Guichard’s pitch, the formidable impression that They will leave in any case at the end of this world championship.

Portuguese audacity

During the first ten minutes of the game, they monopolized the ball, sweeping the field from left to right, making the Australians retreat completely elsewhere, to score the first try of the game, concluded by center Pedro Bettencourt (13th).

This same Bettencourt, author of a high tackle, punished with a yellow card (16th) allowed, despite himself, the Australians to wake up.

At 15 against 14, against a team from the third level in the world, they scored three tries in less than ten minutes thanks to Richie Arnold (19th), David Porecki (21st) and Angus Bell (26th).

With the fate of the match over, the Wallabies still needed to score a fourth try to pocket the offensive bonus, and gain an additional week of vacation in Saint-Galmier, in the Loire, their luxurious base camp.

A record for Australian prop James Slipper

At 15 against 15, the game became much more difficult for Australia, so lackluster, whose only merit was their obvious desire to restore their image a little.

It also became much harder because of the Portuguese, with their masterful desire, pushed by a stadium won over to their cause, tearing away at each defensive action, twirling when they were in possession of the ball, who will not have finally experienced a slump only when they were outnumbered. They even punctuated their performance with a completely deserved second try, by their replacement number 8, Rafael Simoes (70th).

Australia obtained its bonus point in the 47th minute after Fraser McReight’s try (29-7). Prop James Slipper, 34, had just come out of his 22nd World Cup match and broken the record for the most matches played in this competition by an Australian, surpassing legend George Gregan.

Gregan, Australia’s playing master when it reigned over world rugby in 1999. That’s everything the Wallabies are looking to become again before the next global meeting, at home, in four years. They go from very far away. And the construction site is immense.

With AFP