Wallabies want competitiveness on Spring Tour
Wooden spooners from the Rugby Championship, the Wallabies have a new catch-cry for their performances.
It’s all about competitiveness.
Both coach Joe Schmidt and Fraser McReight, try-scorer from Saturday’s 33-13 loss to the All Blacks, mentioned that word multiple times after their defeat in the Kiwi capital.
“We want to be competitive,” McReight said.
“Obviously we want wins, that’s why we’re in it.
“But (we want) to be competitive, competitive on the scoreboard, competitive in most things around the park, in set pieces, defence, attack.”
For 40 minutes in Wellington on Saturday, the Wallabies were certainly that.
They held a mighty 68 per cent possession away to the All Blacks, stringing together long phases and making smart plays to put the Kiwis on the back foot.
After leading for most of the half, it was only a late Caleb Clarke try that put Australia in deficit at half-time.
McReight said it was their best opening half of the Schmidt era.
“It’s what we trained for and what we wanted to do. Unfortunately, we weren’t able to sustain it,” he said.
Schmidt was similarly impressed.
“You want to threaten across the across the full width of the pitch and the length of it as well, so I was delighted that the players, they chanced their arm and they had a go in their first half,” he said.
Unlike the All Blacks – for whom winning is compulsory – Australia are on a different path after the ignominy of their early World Cup exit and the wrecking-ball of Eddie Jones’ coaching stint.
Schmidt appeared unconcerned by the Wallabies’ results in the southern hemisphere competition: just one win in six Tests, a one-point squeaker over Argentina.
Australia conceded more points than ever before in the competition, an average of 35 points, which shows Schmidt his primary problem to solve.
The losses have slumped Australia to 10th in the world rankings.
“I don’t really look at rankings. I look at performances and aspects of performance,” Schmidt said.
“This year’s big project was about building depth. We’ve had 16 debutants, and a new leader and Harry (Wilson) has done very, very well.
“The confidence is growing on the back of of being able to put some things together.”
Australia’s challenge now is to reset before a northern tour with fixtures against world No.1 Ireland, World Cup semi-finalists England, and more fitting match-ups Wales and Scotland.
With next year’s intimidating British and Irish Lions tour on the horizon, Schmidt said it was a goal not necessarily to win but to compete.
“Those four Test matches, they make up the Lions for next year so we get a good look at their personnel,” Schmidt said.
“It’s going to be a really tough (northern) tour, but if we can keep building through that tour, then I think we put ourselves in a position of potentially being competitive next July.”
Wilson said he would ensure the Wallabies “kept their heads up” despite the poor Rugby Championship showing.
“Obviously we’re all extremely disappointed with the two (Bledisloe Cup) results,” he said.
“We really wanted to put a big performance in this week, and obviously we didn’t get it.”
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