Why a Wallaby Had to Learn to Tackle in League

The Wallabies just got thumped 50-19 at Eden Park in the first Bledisloe Test. So here's what the NRL has been saying about one of their best players: Roosters coach Trent Robinson, after the Grand Final, on Mark Nawaqanitawase - "His arms were painted on when he came across. He could not tackle." Of course the Wallabies can tackle. The joke is that it took rugby league to teach him: one missed tackle in four finals games. This is a two-question look at both codes: can rugby players actually tackle, and is the NRL more entertaining than union - on the field (stop-start, TMOs, NFL-sized forwards, and union's real win: the contest for the ball) and off it (Ardie Savea, the All Blacks' media team, the Wests Tigers soap opera, Andrew Webster's "pretty tiresome"). Less huddle. More tackle. CHAPTERS 0:00 The Roosters coach on a Wallaby winger 0:15 "His arms were painted on" - Trent Robinson on Mark 0:32 The Wallabies get thumped at Eden Park 0:39 The two questions 0:56 Q1: can rugby players actually tackle? 1:56 Q2: is the NRL more entertaining than union? 2:27 Union looks like the NFL (stop. start. huddle.) 2:39 NFL-sized bodies, and league's O-line v D-line 3:37 What union does better: the contest for the ball 4:34 Why Eden Park stung, to my eye 5:13 Off the field: people, and the soap opera 5:59 The Wests Tigers and Andrew Webster 6:23 The two answers 6:41 Back to Mark 7:21 Less huddle. More tackle. FIGURES AND SOURCES Bledisloe 1 result: ABC News, Stuff (50-19, HT 17-14, 7 tries to 3). Highlights: Wallabies / Rugby.com.au. Robinson quote + Roosters 19-18 Knights GF, 4 Oct 2026, Accor Stadium; Mark 2 tries, 1 missed tackle in 4 finals appearances: AAP; Fox League presser. Tackles per match: ~701 (80 NRL matches, Gabbett et al., 2008) vs ~156 (union systematic review); different eras and counting methods. Lomax 127 kg (allblacks.com); Skelton 203 cm, 135 kg official (nearer 145 in match-week reports); college (FBS) starting offensive linemen average ~311 lb (~141 kg), 2025. Webster: SEN radio, 29 May 2024, on criticism of Benji Marshall's Fiji trip. Next Test: Sat 17 Oct 2026, Accor Stadium, Sydney. PHOTOS / FOOTAGE Union footage from official channels (All Blacks, Wallabies, Rugby.com.au, Sky Sport NZ, Super Rugby Pacific). Robinson presser: Fox League. Photos: Reuters/AAP via The Star, 1News, Dan Himbrechts/AAP PHOTOS, Getty via RugbyPass, allblacks.com, Rugby.com.au, Sydney Roosters. Full list: ATTRIBUTIONS_EP20.md. Music: Music: "Too Cool" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/b... Music: "Downtown Walk" by | e s c p | (escp.space) - Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/...) via free-stock-music.com Cuts by Le Gang |   / thisislegang   | Royalty Free Music by https://www.free-stock-music.com | Creative Commons / Attribution 3.0 Unported License (CC BY 3.0) | https://creativecommons.org/licenses/... Night Drive by Alex-Productions | https://onsound.eu/ | Royalty Free Music by https://www.free-stock-music.com | Creative Commons / Attribution 3.0 Unported License (CC BY 3.0) | https://creativecommons.org/licenses/... Foggy Day by A. Cooper is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/...) - via Free Music Archive The Way by Mike Leite |   / mikeleite   | Royalty Free Music by https://www.free-stock-music.com | Creative Commons / Attribution 3.0 Unported License (CC BY 3.0) | https://creativecommons.org/licenses/...