Wallabies win ‘a job half done’ – Michael Cheika

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Wallabies head coach Michael Cheika is not getting carried away despite his side’s fine showing in their 47-26 victory over the All Blacks in Perth on Saturday.  

Cheika described his team’s performance as “a job only half done”, after they claimed the first leg of the Bledisloe Cup double against the world champions.

“A few things went our way, but I was really pleased for the lads. They have been working really hard,” he said after the game.

“I know we are all pumped and everything like that but all we have done is bought a ticket to Auckland.

“That’s what we did. Great atmosphere [in Perth] and great for the players to get the win but in the bigger scheme of things, we have got ourselves a ticket to go there and take the opportunity that we’re going to get given there.

“It was some game as well, there was plenty of action. When you get the atmosphere brewing it makes you want to do better and play better.”

While admitting to feeling sorry for Scott Barrett, who was sent off just before half-time by referee Jerome Garces for dangerous contact to the head, he didn’t think the fact the All Blacks were down to 14 men detracted from the win.

“Not a chance. When they have 15 on the field it feels like they have 20, so when they had 14 on the field it still feels like they had 17 or 18,” added Cheika.

“They have threats, and you saw that. It’s not like they weren’t scoring tries.

“They have got so much potency in their team we didn’t even talk about the guy getting sent off at half-time. Not a word. Because we know how good they are and that’s a sucker punch if you start thinking like that.”

Cheika said he was torn two ways on the decision. The referees had gone through the process as it is proscribed but he also felt for Barrett as well.

He felt Australia kicked the ball away a little too much towards the end and the last thing you needed to give the All Blacks was the ball.

“We’ve changed a little bit in our game and there’s still a lot of building to do. That’s what we want to do this season, build one thing on top of the other,” said Cheika.

Wallabies captain Michael Hooper added: “It is certainly a nice hit of confidence and vindication of that style that we are playing.

“We won’t buy too much into the records you’re talking about. What we will buy into is the ability to keep pushing as the game went on, to keep playing the stuff that we are trying to work on and grow as a team, in attack and defence.

“There were still a heap of threats coming our way, momentum swings and we dealt well with that and stayed on plan, stayed on task.”

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