Joe Schmidt throws serious doubt on Australia's chances of beating Lions after narrow Fiji escape
It took a 78th-minute try from back-rower Harry Wilson to save the Wallabies from an embarrassing defeat less than two weeks out from the opener against the Lions at Suncorp Stadium.
Fiji were rampant in the second half in Newcastle and Schmidt insisted that "quiet resolve" rather than outright conviction would be his team's currency during the three Tests against Andy Farrell 's tourists.
'We didn't play well enough for people to have the expectation that we're going to come bowling into Brisbane and knock the Lions over. I'm not sure that expectation was there before Fiji,' head coach Schmidt said.
'There's not real confidence, but there's a quiet resolve. And that quiet resolve, hopefully over the three-match series, can build to something that will earn us the support of a very interested group.
'We haven't been together for six months. To have five trainings and to be seamless would be an expectation that I hoped for rather than immediately believed would happen. Now we have another short runway to improve on where we were against Fiji.'
Not only did Australia scrape home in a game that saw a Fijian try by Sireli Maqala controversially ruled out, but they also lost fly-half Noah Lolesio with 20 minutes to go after his head hit the ground during a tackle by Elia Canakaivata.
Schmidt is hopeful that Lolesio will only be a short-term absentee after providing a positive update on the 25-year-old playmaker.
'The first question Noah asked me was 'did we win?'. He was still very much focused on the game and he appeared to be in good shape. That's the most important thing,' Schmidt said.
'It was whiplash and his head hit the ground. I'm hopeful that that will be something that resolves itself reasonably quickly. But we won't take any risks that we don't need to.'
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Daily Mail
2 hours ago
- Daily Mail
Australia boss Joe Schmidt admits Wallabies don't have 'real confidence' after struggling in last-gasp win over Fiji ahead of Lions series
There was not much for Joe Schmidt to shout about after his Wallabies salvaged a last-minute victory over Fiji in their one and only Test before they face the Lions. For large parts of the game, the Australians were outmuscled by their Pacific Island opponents, showing little to strike fear into Andy Farrell's camp. Even their poster boy midfielder Joseph Suaalii was kept under wraps. Australia's decision making was poor, gifting Fiji a half-time try when they could have kicked out the ball with the clock in red, and turning down kicks at goal to pull clear on the scoreboard. Asked if his team have shown enough to challenge the Lions, Schmidt said: 'I'm not a really confident sort of person. 'There's not real confidence but there's a quiet resolve. And that quiet resolve, hopefully over the three-match series can build to something. 'It's a great opportunity for us to bring the game back to the focus point that we'd love it to be in Australia. 'We didn't play well enough today for people to have expectation that we'll come bowling into Brisbane and knock the Lions over. 'I'm not sure that expectation was there before today, and so we're going to have to build that quiet resolve and inch by inch we can work our way towards that.' All of Schmidt's fingers will be crossed that big Will Skelton returns in time for the series opener in Brisbane because they looked in desperate need of his clout. They also face new injury concerns over hooker Dave Porecki and No 10 Noah Lolesio.
Belfast Telegraph
3 hours ago
- Belfast Telegraph
‘There's no real confidence': Joe Schmidt casts doubt on Australia's chances against the Lions
It took a 78th-minute try from back-rower Harry Wilson to save the Wallabies from an embarrassing defeat less than two weeks out from the opener against the Lions at Suncorp Stadium. Fiji were rampant in the second half in Newcastle and Schmidt insisted that 'quiet resolve' rather than outright conviction would be his team's currency during the three Tests against Andy Farrell's tourists. 'We didn't play well enough for people to have the expectation that we're going to come bowling into Brisbane and knock the Lions over. I'm not sure that expectation was there before Fiji,' head coach Schmidt said. 'There's not real confidence, but there's a quiet resolve. And that quiet resolve, hopefully over the three-match series, can build to something that will earn us the support of a very interested group. 'We haven't been together for six months. To have five trainings and to be seamless would be an expectation that I hoped for rather than immediately believed would happen. Now we have another short runway to improve on where we were against Fiji.' Not only did Australia scrape home in a game that saw a Fijian try by Sireli Maqala controversially ruled out, but they also lost fly-half Noah Lolesio with 20 minutes to go after his head hit the ground during a tackle by Elia Canakaivata. Schmidt is hopeful that Lolesio will only be a short-term absentee after providing a positive update on the 25-year-old playmaker. 'The first question Noah asked me was 'did we win?'. He was still very much focused on the game and he appeared to be in good shape. That's the most important thing,' Schmidt said. 'It was whiplash and his head hit the ground. I'm hopeful that that will be something that resolves itself reasonably quickly. But we won't take any risks that we don't need to.'
BBC News
3 hours ago
- BBC News
Fired-up Wales aim to level series in Japan
Summer tour second Test: Japan v WalesVenue: Noevir (Misaki Park) Stadium, Kobe Date: Saturday, 12 July Kick-off: 06:50 BSTCoverage: Watch live on S4C and BBC iPlayer; listen live on BBC Radio Wales, BBC Radio Cymru & BBC Sounds; text commentary and highlights on BBC Sport website and app. Wales wing Tom Rogers says his side will be fired up against Japan in Kobe next Saturday to ensure they do not finish the season without a side led 19-7 at the interval in Kitakyushu through tries from Rogers, Ben Thomas, as well as a penalty try, and were in sight of claiming Wales' first win for 21 Eddie Jones' Brave Blossoms stormed back in sweltering conditions to win 24-19 and register only their second victory against the signalled an 18th successive Test defeat for Wales who have the chance to level the series next weekend."The boys will be fired up for this next game," said Rogers."We need to put a performance out there for the country and people who support us."We've got to use this loss as a bit of fire for next week. We've got a good bunch of boys here and I'm sure we'll turn it around next weekend." Coping with defeat Rogers, 26, was one of the Wales players who were staring in disbelief after the final whistle."It's a tough, tough loss," said Rogers."It's always a pleasure playing for your country. Every time you wear that shirt, you want to win. It didn't go our way, it's just gutting."I thought we played well in the first half, but we just couldn't get our game plan on the pitch in the second half."Rogers joined captain Dewi Lake and interim head coach Matt Sherratt in refusing to blame the hot and humid conditions for the defeats and second-half collapse."I don't think you can use the heat as an excuse," said Rogers."At the end of the day, you're playing rugby for your country." 'Wales have hunger and desire to bounce back' Rogers' Scarlets team-mate Josh Macleod pulled on the red jersey for the first time in almost three years."It's a massive honour but I'm hurt for the group at the moment," said the Scarlets captain."The boys have had to endure a couple of tough years, with some tough results."Flanker Macleod, 28, says the squad's character can not be questioned."It's not through a lack of effort, intent, hunger and desire," said Macleod."We've got that in shedloads. There'll be a couple of tweaks, but on the whole, we'll stay as positive as we can and look forward to another Test."All eyes are on next week to try and solve it. Hopefully we'll have a different changing room next Saturday."
