Australian headlines lay it on thick after the Sydney nightmare

SYDNEY - Headlines such as "End of the World," "Record loss shatters Wallabies' cup hopes" and "That Old Black Magic spells disaster" yesterday analysed the Wallabies' record loss to the All Blacks.

Critics were far from optimistic after the Wallabies conceded 50 points for the first time in a century of transtasman rivalry in their defeat at Telstra Stadium.

"While New Zealand have to win the return Bledisloe Cup match in Auckland on August 16 to secure the silverware for the first time since 1997, the Wallabies once more showed they are a team in decline," Greg Growden wrote in the Sun-Herald.

"The Wallabies were outpaced, outclassed, outmuscled and outmanoeuvred by one of the best All Black teams seen on this side of the Tasman for some years," he said.

"It was not entirely a case of Australia playing abysmally, but more that the dumbfounded Wallabies had no idea how to keep at bay the most exhilarating, rollicking and exciting attacking unit.

"Tackles were missed, but so many tries came from the All Blacks - the most clinical of attacking units. And then in the final minutes, the All Blacks rubbed their noses right in it by smashing the Wallaby scrum."

However, former All Black halfback Chris Laidlaw assured viewers of yesterday's Channel 7 rugby programme that the Wallabies still had a chance of defending their crown in October-November.

Laidlaw's upbeat approach perplexed his fellow panel members, commentators Gordon Bray and Sally Loane, and former Australian prop Chris Handy, who awoke to a stream of terrified talkback callers and depressing newspaper headlines.

Invited in as a rugby analyst, Laidlaw did not appear to have tongue embedded in cheek when he suggested that the result was not too bad for the Wallabies.

"The lineout and quality of the ball recycling was better than the All Blacks' and they had parity in the scrum, an area where the All Blacks would have expected to dominate," he said.

Laidlaw described the sweeping 70m movement that culminated in Matthew Burke's opening the scoring as the try of the game, while Wendell Sailor's 40m solo run through a cluster of All Blacks was superior to his similar effort against England last month.

Sailor has been pilloried in the media for his mid-air tackle on fullback Mils Muliaina that resulted in the wing spending 10 minutes in the sinbin as the All Blacks turned a %three-point lead into a 20-8 advantage.

%"His defence has been highlighted, but with Wendell you never get the complete package - he's devastating on attack, the closest thing to Jonah Lomu," Laidlaw said, adding with a hint of a grin: "We would hope he stays in the team."

The Wallabies' lineout pinched five opposition throws and the forwards stood up to their All Black opponents, Laidlaw said.

He described as extraordinary headlines such as "End of the World," "Record loss shatters Wallabies' cup hopes" and "That Old Black Magic spells disaster."

"I thought we had the monopoly on manic depression after rugby losses."

Laidlaw said the major problem area for the Wallabies was the midfield, where the All Blacks, notably second five-eighths Aaron Mauger, broke through a muddled defence. The return of Stirling Mortlock and Daniel Herbert offered a solution.

Handy was encouraged by the Wallabies' performance at the restarts: "They were okay, but then they had plenty of practice."

- NZPA