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The Australian way? Exhibit A: Queensland vs Wales, July 19 2024.
A Reds second XV full of kids put on jerseys and played like it could be the last time they wore them. They were full of endeavour, full of spirit and an eagerness to confront a Welsh side that was supposedly far superior. All while integrating two new Rebels and a host of development squad players.
Les Kiss’ men lost, missed the opportunity for a famous win, but the defeat was more fulfilling for fans than an insipid victory would have been. The big wins will come and they will be watched by fans who are proud of how the Reds got there.
The Wallabies would do well to think about why it is that the young Queenslanders have been lauded. Notwithstanding that, let’s look at the good, the bad and the ugly from the July Tests.
Three wins. The opposition wasn’t flash and neither were any of the performances but at least the Wallabies won.
In the process, there were three outstanding individual performers worthy of special mention. Firstly, Fraser McReight arrived on the international stage as a world-class fetcher. Is he a World XV candidate? Absolutely not. But he has the ability to get there.
McReight’s work over the ball as well as in defence was excellent and he complemented the other stand-out in the pack, Rob Valetini. The Brumbies’ man carried and tackled himself to a standstill but looked better at No.8 than he did on the side of the scrum.
Jake Gordon also deserves praise for his starts against Wales. Much maligned, often just because he’s a Tah, Gordon was a revelation at scrum-half. He possesses a good passing game but a better kicking one. It was a pleasure to see a player not use box-kicking as a default option but a strategic sword. I’d like to see Gordon be more of a running threat as he’s got that in the locker too.
The coaching staff now have three Test wins on the board but far more impressive was their balanced and sensible approach at every turn. The appointment of Liam Wright as captain, for example, was supposedly a surprise but made sense on every level. In many ways, Wright is to captaincy what Schmidt is to coaching.
The selectors made decisions that were generally uncontroversial, although the number of changes for Georgia was an unnecessary risk in my view. That said, there was obviously a coherent plan to look at fringe players against Georgia.
Some good young players staked claims for starting positions. Isaac Kailea’s emergence at loosehead is very timely. Josh Flook won’t be taking Len Ikitau’s jumper anytime soon but what a backup to have.
You’d take the Georgian No.10 ahead of both Ben Donaldson and Noah Lolesio. That’s a big problem but I’ll come to the fly-half crisis shortly.
Ben Donaldson. (Photo by Brett Hemmings/Getty Images)
This Wallaby team lacks a hard edge and a ruthless streak. It seems to shy away from rather than relish confrontation. It certainly struggled to put the Welsh and Georgians away. And it’s very hard to see where they are going to find that edge.
Let’s be crystal clear, nobody wants a bunch of blokes running around shirtfronting their opposite numbers but you do need uncompromising, physical players in Test match rugby. There is nobody obvious in the Wallaby pack that fits that description, nobody to bully the bullies.
Over the years, there has been Tony Shaw, Mark Loane, Matt Cockbain, Owen Finegan, Willy O and even players like Kane Douglas. Who do you turn to now?
For all his scrum dominance and physical size, Taniela Tupou doesn’t bring mongrel. Neither does James Slipper or Allan Alaalatoa. The Wallabies need more physicality from their three elder statesman if they are to win again this year.
Word is that Schmidt has reached out to Sean McMahon who could cover all back-row positions. I’m sure he’s already spoken to Matt Philip too. Anyone else notice the Red’s hooker, Richie Asiata, against Wales? He may be a bolter come November.
In that context, I couldn’t bring myself to put Noah Lolesio in the ‘ugly’ column. It’s tough for a No.10 to take a game by the scruff of the neck with few forward runners and no enforcers.
Noah Lolesio. (Photo by Jason McCawley/Getty Images)
But… Lolesio appeared flat-footed and all at sea in his starts. When he wasn’t crabbing sideways, he was standing still. Coming on late against Georgia, his skill execution was just not up to standard. He invited Georgia into the game and any side above the Wallabies in the rankings would have accepted the invitation.
With 20 Tests to his name and numerous Super Rugby seasons, now accompanied by a stint in Toulon, the 24-year-old Lolesio should be much further along by now. It’s not too much to expect him to do the simple stuff, to take command in games.
England’s Marcus Smith is 25 years old with 30 Tests behind him and pushed the All Blacks all the way in two titanic matches this month.
Another 24-year-old, Jack Crowley, with fewer Test appearances than Lolesio, stepped into the shoes of some guy called Sexton and orchestrated a win against South Africa in South Africa. His replacement, Ciaran Frawley, who came on with 15 minutes to play and fewer than a handful of Tests to his name, led the men in emerald green down the field and kicked a long-range drop goal to win. It wasn’t down to the luck of the Irish.
The performances were not good. Let’s just say that and hope we can all agree without descending into an ungodly argument about where exactly on the ‘not good scale’ they sit.
When at the very least, the question must be how far can the team improve before the Lions arrive in 11 months’ time, the floor was just too low.
Big leads were squandered and all contests were in the balance during the second half. The Wallabies seemed to switch off for a quarter in all three Tests. Ill discipline crept in and penalties flowed.
The maul defence, in particular, was pretty much as bad as it gets. It was both worrying and surprising given the coaching team and their mauling credentials. Neither Queensland nor the Brumbies are known for being weak in that area. Mike Cron put it mostly down to ‘attitude’ which isn’t great given the problem seemed to get worse after his comments.
Too many of the Wallabies’ ills are key indicators of attitude. Not age, not combinations, not new coaching. Attitude.
Against Wales, the entire developmental Reds team played as if it was the last time they might wear the jumper. They were absolutely desperate, not for 60 or 65 minutes but for 82. It’s no coincidence that they largely combatted the Welsh maul.
An elite rugby team has to start with fight, with an unwillingness to allow the opposition even one easy minute. Jean de Villiers was brutally blunt about this last week. De Villiers dismissed Schmidt’s chances of turning the Wallabies around and said “they need to put up a fight and I think that’s what you don’t see from this Australian team.”
To be clear, there is nobody better to fix that than Joe Schmidt who knows the Wallabies must be “a lot better.” It is a side that must be given time.
Unfortunately, time is not on the Wallabies’ side. Australia now find themselves faced with ten Tests in four months that are all very loseable. Mainly against sides who ironically love to maul. That’s not unfairly negative, it’s the entirely possible, harsh truth.
There are three Tests at home against the Boks and All Blacks. Those sides are coming off series against opposition levels above the Welsh. Both Tests against the Pumas are in Argentina and sandwiched between the games against South Africa and New Zealand. A ‘big boy’ schedule that is brutally unforgiving.
And that’s all before a Grand Slam starting in England and ending in Ireland. The ‘weakest sides’ will be a resurgent Scotland and a much strengthened Welsh side at home in Cardiff.
For reasons Christy has already gone into, the Wallabies simply can’t afford to be on the end of hidings, especially at home. Not only will crowds turn away, broadcasting deals will become even harder to negotiate and rankings will be jeopardised before the Rugby World Cup draw in January 2026.
Joe Schmidt loves a challenge. But even he must be wondering what he’s got himself into.
Join The Roar rugby editor Christy Doran, former Wallaby Matt Toomua and a cast of regular and special guests as they look at the biggest issues in the game on The Roar Rugby Podcast. If you’re looking for great odds on the next game check out Aussie bookmaker PlayUp. Chances are you’re about to lose. Set a deposit limit.