Writing in the New Zealand Herald, Wynne Gray argues that the Wallabies should have made better use of their bench in Saturday's Tri-Nations defeat by the Springboks at Loftus Versfeld.
"Coaches often talk about test rugby being a 22-man game. The substitute laws and pace of the game have allowed that luxury for more than a decade.
"Using that expanded roster has become more prevalent as coaches have learned to trust their bench. The All Blacks have been comfortable using halfbacks Jimmy Cowan, Piri Weepu and the Franks brothers at prop for half a game during the latest Tri-Nations.
"When they claimed the trophy in dramatic fashion on the Highveld in Soweto, they used five of their bench, Weepu, Sam Whitelock, Israel Dagg, John Afoa and Victor Vito, for varying cameos - a mix of forwards and backs.
"In contrast, the Wallabies used a quartet of forward replacements and none of the backs as they slid yesterday from a 21-7 lead at Loftus Versfeld in Pretoria to a 44-31 defeat to the Boks."
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