Australia coach Mal Meninga was beaming with satisfaction after his group kicked off the second spherical of matches within the 2021 World Cup with a cruel 84-0 rout of Scotland in Coventry.
Fresh from a gap 42-8 win over Fiji, the Kangaroos went up a gear towards their outclassed opponents, working in 15 tries with out reply, 4 of them from winger Josh Addo-Carr.
“We knew had some improvement in us, particularly around our executions and we excelled tonight,” Meninga stated.
“I’m very happy with the performance. It’s early yet so we’re not going to get carried away but I can’t criticise any of it. I thought we were very good.
“We came with a clear plan and we stuck to it. Our ball control in those conditions was fantastic.
“The boys are working very hard for each other and they kept it going for the 80 minutes, that’s what pleases me, our attitude and mindset is really good.”
Half-back Nathan Cleary pressed his claims for a beginning position forward of rival Daly Cherry-Evans with a 28-point haul from a try to 12 targets on debut however Meninga remained tight-lipped on his plans for the remainder of the match.
It’s early but so we’re not going to get carried away however I cannot criticise any of it. I thought we have been superb.
Mal Meninga
“It’s different opposition,” Meninga stated. “We’re being patient with that.
“Nathan feels part of the team now. He’s in there now, talking and joking, he certainly had a great game tonight.”
Addo-Carr was named man of the match after posting the second hat-trick of the match earlier than rounding off a sensational efficiency with a stunning fourth strive simply earlier than the tip, however he most well-liked to speak concerning the group.
“I thought it was a great team performance,” Addo-Carr stated. “The most pleasing thing was we kept them to zero.
“We wanted to play the Australian way and I think we did. We were tough, resilient, ruthless.”
Scotland coach Nathan Graham admitted his largely part-time group had been outclassed.
“We were playing against the best players in the world,” he stated. “I’d say 75 per cent of our players are part-time and to step up to this standard is a massive, massive ask.
“I thought we competed at times but fitness-level, skill-wise and the monotonous way they play, if you take half a play off or you make an error, you’re punished straight away and that’s what happened tonight.”
Graham says ahead Sam Luckley and centre Bayley Liu pulled out of the group at lunchtime on the day of the match by sickness however expects to have them again for the ultimate group recreation towards Fiji in Newcastle subsequent weekend when he hopes his facet can salvage some respect.
“We’ve always gone out with the intent to enjoy this tournament,” he stated. “A lot of our players are working during the day, for those guys this is a massive thing to be involved in.
“Fiji is another big ask for us but we’ll do a body count – we’ve had some sickness in the camp – and hopefully we’ll be good to go next week.”
To compound the Bravehearts’ distress, winger Campbell Graham, who was set to play for them earlier than the Kangaroos got here calling, scored a hat-trick on his debut however Graham nonetheless hopes he’ll play for Scotland at some point.
“We’ve always known the situation with Campbell,” Graham stated. “If he was not going to be in the Australia squad, he was always going to be in ours.
“As soon as he got picked, I got on the blower and wished him well. That’s his country of birth but I know in the future he wants to represent his heritage. We’ll see how that goes.”
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