Why Wallabies could have the 'blueprint' to defeating British and Irish Lions in second Test

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a day ago

When the Wallabies watched back their defeat to the British and Irish Lions in the first Test, they could have hit the pause button after just 10 seconds to identify a key area of the match in which they were soundly beaten.
Making a hit-up on the second phase following the kick-off in Brisbane last Saturday night, Wallabies loose-head prop James Slipper was abruptly halted by a stinging two-man tackle executed by Lions hooker Dan Sheehan and back-rower Tom Curry.
The moment set the tone for the match, as the Lions had immediately signalled they were intent on dominating the physical contest, a key battleground in any Test.
After Sheehan and Curry stopped Slipper in his tracks, the Lions imposed themselves again by winning a defensive breakdown penalty in the next phase, from which they established a 3-0 advantage on the scoreboard in the second minute of play.
The Lions enjoyed a 24-5 lead soon after half-time, and despite a spirited Wallabies' fightback, the tourists completed a comfortable 27-19 victory, with the final scoreline not reflecting how dominant they were in the series opener.
Lions coach Andy Farrell admitted his team had room for improvement, an ominous warning ahead of Saturday night's second Test at the MCG.
Having been out-muscled on both sides of the ball by the Lions, "physicality" virtually become a buzzword for the Wallabies after arriving in Melbourne.
Reacting to the Wallabies' loss, coach Joe Schmidt added some world-class firepower to his forward pack in the form of back-rower Rob Valetini and lock Will Skelton.
Both players were sorely missed in the first Test, having been sidelined due to calf injuries.
Valetini and Skelton have the potential to provide much-needed aggression to the Wallabies' attack and defence, and have shown they can win the collisions at the Test level.
"When you get two people with their presence and experience coming into your side, it always does give you confidence," Wallabies captain Harry Wilson told reporters on Friday.
"They're two real leaders in the group and to have them back in such a big match is really exciting for us."
There are question marks over Valetini and Skelton's match fitness, however, given they were also unavailable for the Test against Fiji in Newcastle earlier this month.
It's one of the reasons Schmidt opted to select six forwards — including damaging ball-runner Langi Gleeson — on his eight-player reserves bench, wanting to maintain an aggressive template he hopes Valetini and Skelton can create for the Wallabies before they are replaced.
"We want to impose ourselves physically," Wilson said.
"We want to back our skills and go out there and start fast … and throw your body around, knowing there's some quality bench players to come and finish."
Personnel changes can go a long way to teams upping the ante when it comes to physicality, but an attitudinal adjustment can be just as effective.
The Wallabies would be wise to take a leaf out of the First Nations and Pasifika XV's playbook in the wake of their performance against the Lions in Melbourne last Tuesday night.
It wasn't a mistake-free display from the First Nations and Pasifika XV, who trailed 14-0 early, conceded 12 line breaks and gave away 13 penalties to the Lions' eight during the 80 minutes.
But they stuck to their pre-match plan of being aggressive in attack and defence to rattle the Lions, who were forced to cling on during the final 10 minutes before prevailing 24-19 at the Docklands stadium.
Such was the physical presence of the First Nations and Pasifika XV, their captain Kurtley Beale believed they showed the Lions can be vulnerable.
"You need to take it (physicality) to them," said Beale, who has appeared in 95 Tests for the Wallabies.
"There were patches there where we had the momentum and the Lions were kind of taking a backfoot step, and I think that created opportunities for us.
"These boys (First Nations and Pasifika XV), they love the physicality. You need the physicality to lay the platform for your backs to play off."
The First Nations and Pasifika XV's effort didn't go unnoticed by the Wallabies.
"Just seeing the way they went after them (Lions) with the line speed, the big hits in defence," Wilson said.
"It was a great blueprint there about how really to try to physically dominate them."
Defence is said to be built on attitude and mindset, so the Wallabies have had plenty to think about in the past week.
They also don't need a reminder about what's at stake when both teams run out on the MCG in front of a crowd that may exceed 90,000 spectators.
"There is no denying — we've got to go out here, we have to win," Wilson said.
"We've got to win the next two (Tests) to win the series."