Snapping a six-match losing streak was not enough to leave the Wallaroos satisfied with their 30-10 win over Scotland in Edinburgh this morning.
The Wallaroos were outplayed in the first half, with Scotland entering the break with a 10-5 lead in the WXV Global Series Test.
But following a blunt half-time address from their coaching staff and with the wind behind them in the second term, the Wallaroos regrouped to score 25 unanswered points and secure their first victory since March.
Desiree Miller provided the only points for the Wallaroos in the first half with a try.
Samantha Wood, Brianna Hoy and player-of-the-match Faitala Moleka crossed the stripe in the second half.
The three second-half tries were scored during seven minutes, with Hoy and Moleka’s efforts coming while Scotland was reduced to 14 players following Evie Gallagher’s yellow card.
Wood added two conversions and as many penalty goals to finish with a 15-point haul.
“Credit to Scotland, they found opportunities, and you could see where they exploited those areas,” Wallaroos captain Siokapesi Palu Sekona said after the match.
“Overall, we know we have a lot of things to improve on, but we’ll take the positives out of that.”
Palu Sekona said the Wallaroos were taught some harsh lessons in the previous week’s 29-26 loss to France in Aix-en-Provence.
The Wallaroos had led 19-0 during the match, while France had only 11 players on the field at one stage due to red and yellow cards.
“We learned from last week’s game,” Palu Sekona said.
“We have to be relentless. When you get opportunities like that [Gallagher’s yellow card], you’ve got to capitalise.”
The Wallaroos celebrate Desiree Miller’s (right) first-half try. (Getty Images: Ian MacNicol)
Rugby Australia’s director of women’s high performance Tim Walsh is essentially the Wallaroos’ caretaker head coach until Sione Fukofuka assumes the role next year.
Walsh was unimpressed with the Wallaroos’ display in the opening half, admitting he did not hide his feelings when he spoke to the players at the break.
“It wasn’t a pleasant message,” Walsh said.
“I thought if we didn’t have two or three individuals that really took the game to Scotland, I reckon it would have been a draw, or we would have lost.
“So I wasn’t happy with our performance. Glad we got the win and came home with it, but the advantage was the wind and a few key players who I thought had tremendous games.”
The Wallaroos are heading back to Australia, with two WXV Global Series Tests against Scotland coming up next month.
They play each other in Sydney on October 17, ahead of the Wallabies’ Bledisloe Cup clash against the All Blacks.
The final Test will be staged in Canberra on October 23.
As far as Walsh is concerned, the Wallaroos will not be taking the easy route on the training paddock over the next three weeks.
“We’ve got some work to do,” he said.
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