Wallabies are making progress despite Lions loss, says coach Schmidt
The 29-26 defeat at the Melbourne Cricket Ground was the Wallabies second in succession against Andy Farrell's team and means the Australians have only pride to play for in the final test in Sydney next weekend.
The nature of the performance from a Wallabies side that held an 18-point lead over the tourists at one point before Hugo Keenan's last-gasp winning try has given Schmidt belief his team are moving in the right direction.
"I think they are progressing," said the New Zealander. "It's never linear. It always tends to ebb and flow.
"Our challenge is to try and be as consistent as we can, even within the game. When you build a lead of 23-5 and that slips, that's hugely disappointing. Particularly when it happens in the last play of the game.
"We are trying to build consistency, we're trying to play a brand of rugby that entertains people and at the same time a brand of rugby that we enjoy playing.
"I'm really proud of the effort the players put in and I'm really disappointed for them."
Top stories
Swipe. Select. Stay informed.
Singapore Tanjong Katong Road South closed for repairs after car fell into sinkhole
Asia Trump says Thailand and Cambodia agree to hold immediate ceasefire talks
Singapore Mum at 15: More teens in Singapore gave birth in 2024
Singapore HSA will not trace vape users who throw away e-vaporisers in disposal bins at 23 CCs
World Israel resumes airdrop aid to Gaza, military says
World Turkey marks 50.5 deg C heat record in south-east
Business Already owning 5 properties, woman wanted elderly dad's 4 homes
Opinion Metallurgy degree for IT job in Singapore? Why not, says Tata Consultancy's growth markets chief
Schmidt's side for the third test is likely to be missing wing Harry Potter, who was replaced by Tate McDermott in the 19th minute of the game.
"I don't think Harry Potter will be fit, that's a hamstring injury that looked severe enough to put him out for a period of time, so that might be an opportunity for somebody else," said Schmidt.
"We've got a fair few bumps and bruises, including some fall-out from the last action of the game and we'll get players checked out and see how they come through."
The Wallabies have announced former New Zealand lock Tom Donnelly will join the set-up as an assistant coach ahead of the Rugby Championship. He will replace the departing Geoff Parling. REUTERS
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Straits Times
6 hours ago
- Straits Times
Ferrari's Charles Leclerc clinches pole position for Hungarian Grand Prix
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox BUDAPEST – Charles Leclerc fought through an 'extremely difficult' qualifying on Aug 2 to put Ferrari on pole for the Hungarian Grand Prix, with McLaren's Formula One leader Oscar Piastri alongside on the front row. McLaren's Lando Norris, Piastri's closest title rival, qualified third with Mercedes' George Russell in fourth. The pole was Ferrari's first in a grand prix in 14 rounds this season, and it came after Leclerc pipped Piastri by a mere 0.026sec. 'Honestly, the whole qualifying has been extremely difficult. When I say extremely difficult, it's not exaggerating. It was difficult for us to get to Q2, it was difficult for us to get to Q3,' said Leclerc. 'Q3, the conditions changed a little bit. Everything became a lot trickier, and I knew I just had to do a clean lap to target third. At the end of the day, it's pole position. I definitely did not expect that. 'Honestly, I have no words. It's probably one of the best pole positions I've ever had. It's the most unexpected, for sure.' Does he think he can win the race then? Top stories Swipe. Select. Stay informed. Singapore $3b money laundering case: MinLaw names 6 law firms taken to task over involvement in property deals Singapore Police reopen access to all areas in Marina Bay after crowd congestion eases at NDP Preview area Singapore Opening of Woodlands Health has eased load on KTPH, sets standard for future hospitals: Ong Ye Kung Asia KTM plans new passenger rail service in Johor Bahru to manage higher footfall expected from RTS Singapore HSA investigating teen allegedly vaping on MRT train Asia 4 workers dead after falling into manhole in Japan Singapore New vehicular bridge connecting Punggol Central and Seletar Link to open on Aug 3 Singapore New S'pore jobs portal launched for North West District residents looking for work near home 'The start and Turn 1 will be key,' he added. 'I have no idea how it will go, but one thing for sure is that I'll do absolutely everything in order to keep that first place. If we manage to do that, that should make our life easier for the rest of the race.' McLaren had taken eight previous poles this season and qualified one-two in Hungary last time around. They have also won 10 of 13 races so far but overtaking is not easy at the circuit outside Budapest and Leclerc has a real chance of Ferrari's first win of 2025 if he can stave off the McLarens. Former British driver and pundit Martin Brundle said that there would be some 'head-scratching at McLaren' regarding what went wrong in qualifying. The wind changed towards the end of the session, which could have played a part. 'I think the wind changed a lot. It always sounds so pathetic blaming things on the wind. But it did a 180 from Q2 to Q3 and meant a lot of the corners felt completely different,' said Piastri. 'It was difficult to judge in those conditions and maybe not the best execution. I was surprised we couldn't go quicker than that. Second is still a decent spot to start so we'll see what we can do tomorrow. 'Charles has been quick all just changed a little bit. He did a very good job and well done to him. I wasn't expecting to be second to a Ferrari this weekend.' Norris added: 'From how our form is, then of course (it's disappointing), but I think Charles did a good job on the last lap. He probably risked a little bit more in these conditions. The wind changed a lot and it really seemed to punish us in a bigger way it seems. 'Not too many complaints. We thought we both did some good laps at the end, and we were just slow. I think it's going to be an exciting race. I would expect us to have a bit more pace than Charles, so I'm looking forward to it.' Behind the top four, the Aston Martins of Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll were fifth and sixth. Gabriel Bortoleto of Sauber qualified seventh, ahead of a surprise eighth by four-time world champion Max Verstappen of Red Bull, and the Racing Bulls duo of Liam Lawson and Isack Hadjar in ninth and 10th. Heading into the race, Piastri leads the drivers' standings on 266 points, ahead of Norris (250) and Verstappen (185). REUTERS, AFP
CNA
6 hours ago
- CNA
Lions coach Farrell says Wallabies will be a force to be reckoned with
SYDNEY :British & Irish Lions coach Andy Farrell said a Wallabies revival was on its way and reiterated his view that it was insulting for people to suggest that they might not be strong enough opponents for a touring Lions side. After taking the Lions close in Melbourne last week, the Wallabies handed the visitors their only loss of their nine-match tour of Australia on Saturday with a convincing 22-12 victory in Sydney. Farrell had no complaints about the defeat, even if it cost his side a 3-0 series sweep, and he thought the Wallabies could be a real power when they host the World Cup in 2027. "I said to (Australia coach) Joe (Schmidt) before the game there on the pitch, that I think special things are going to happen for this team over the next 18 months," Farrell told a post-match press conference. "By the time the World Cup comes around, they'll be a force to be reckoned with, like everyone's seen in the past, they've got some special athletes and some special players, and that's no surprise to us after how they performed over the last couple of weeks." A decade of struggles on and off the pitch have knocked Australia down the pecking order in the rugby world and the twice world champions made a pool stage exit at the World Cup for the first time in 2023. Farrell, though, scoffed at the idea that they were no longer worthy of their place in the Lions touring cycle along with New Zealand and South Africa. "We all know how hard it is to be successful on the Lions tour against a good side like Australia, and they are a good side, and they proved that over the series," he said. "I mean, everyone has their ups and downs. I've looked at the progress over the last 18 months. It's been through the roof and you look at that side that's been out there over the last ... three weeks, they're a hell of a team." Asked about whether he was disappointed not to make it a clean sweep by winning Saturday's final test, Farrell said there were obviously frustrations.
Straits Times
6 hours ago
- Straits Times
Schmidt not tempted to stay on despite Wallabies beating Lions in tour finale
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox SYDNEY - Australia coach Joe Schmidt said he would be sticking to his plan to stand down next July despite his team showing some genuine promise by winning the final test against the British & Irish Lions 22-12 on Saturday. Robbie Deans was sacked as coach after his Wallabies side lost 2-1 to the Lions in 2013 but encouraging performances during this series, capped by the third test victory, meant Schmidt was faced with questions about staying on. Schmidt originally signed a short-term deal up until the end of the Lions series because of his desire to spend more time with his family in New Zealand and help look after his youngest son, who has severe epilepsy. In April, he agreed to extend the deal until next July when he is scheduled to hand over the reins to Queensland Reds coach Les Kiss. "I'm looking forward to Les Kiss coming in and taking over," the 59-year-old said when asked about extending again until the 2027 World Cup, which Australia will host. "I actually apologise to the players. A little while ago, I bit one of their heads off, and my son had had a bad day. I can normally separate the two things, but it does impact me when he's had a bad day. "I know that I've a short enough shelf life and need to be more present at home. I haven't been home for two months. Top stories Swipe. Select. Stay informed. Singapore Police reopen access to all areas in Marina Bay after crowd congestion eases at NDP Preview area Singapore Opening of Woodlands Health has eased load on KTPH, sets standard for future hospitals: Ong Ye Kung Singapore $3b money laundering case: MinLaw names 6 law firms taken to task over involvement in property deals Asia KTM plans new passenger rail service in Johor Bahru to manage higher footfall expected from RTS Singapore HSA investigating teen allegedly vaping on MRT train Asia 4 workers dead after falling into manhole in Japan Singapore New vehicular bridge connecting Punggol Central and Seletar Link to open on Aug 3 Singapore New S'pore jobs portal launched for North West District residents looking for work near home "As much as I just think they're a great group of young men. There's other things that I need to make sure I tick off." In victory as in defeat, Schmidt is not given to hyperbolic comments about his team and he merely said that he had been impressed by how they bounced back after losing the second test, and the series, to a late try in Melbourne last week. He also gave a little insight into the thoroughness of his preparations after Saturday's match was suspended for 40 minutes due to a lightning warning in the area. That the Wallabies came out firing after the delay while the Lions were a bit flat was clearly no accident. "We had been warned that there might be lightning, so we had a little bit of a plan," Schmidt said. "We wanted to make sure that players kept moving. So we had different guys rotating onto the bikes. "We had four balls in the changing room that we've just thrown around just so they could stay connected, and the rest of the time it was really just trying to get us organised for the restart of the game. "The players stayed dialled in really well." REUTERS
