Energised Aussies get that 1999 vibe

29 October 2015 - 02:18 By Craig Ray in London

Australia backline coach Stephen Larkham believes that the Wallabies' 2015 vintage is better than the 1999 team that won the World Cup in Wales, when he was a player. Since meeting New Zealand in the World Cup semifinal four years ago, the Wallabies have managed just one win in 11 matches against the All Blacks, which includes two draws.The sides meet in the World Cup final on Saturday.Until Michael Cheika took over last year, their playing style was confused, but the head coach has taken a no-nonsense approach and focused on giving the team clear leadership."I was very proud of the way the boys played on tour last year," Larkham said in reference to their end-of-year tour to Britain, France and Ireland, which only yielded one win in three games."I thought it was a very entertaining style of play and they started to combine, and I hadn't seen that in previous years. So, I started to find a little bit of pride back in that Australian jersey."The biggest thing we've brought in is a little bit of structure to the game."The game plans, the attacking style and defensive style, would change from week to week. Since Cheik came on board, there's been a clear direction. This team is definitely better than that of 1999."And the Wallabies will need more clear direction when they take on the best side in the world at Twickenham on Saturday...

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