'Scared' Picklum leads the way after victory in Brazil
Australian surfer Molly Picklum has shown why she's top of the women's World Surfing League standings, claiming her first win on tour this season in Saquarema, Brazil.
After beating Canadian Erin Brooks 13.06 to 7.60 earlier on Sunday (Monday AEST) in the second semi-final, Picklum took on local Luana Silva in the final of the Vivo Rio Pro, stop 9 of the competition.
Picklum opened with a 6.83 and followed it up with the highest single wave score of the event for the women, an 8.17. Her final total of 15.00 was also the highest of the event for the women at Praia de Itauna.
Silva's best two-wave score totalled 9.23, well short of being able to stop Picklum winning for the third time.
"She's (Silva) been surfing so well. I knew she's such a competitor and she's such a fighter," said the 22-year-old from Gosford.
"I was pretty scared all the way till the end even though I had a couple of good scores. But yeah, she's capable of great things and I'm so happy to get that one over her."
The WSL Tour's most consistent women's surfer in 2025 - reaching the quarter-finals in eight out of nine events, including three Finals - Picklum enjoys top spot with just two regular-season events remaining on the calendar.
"I've worked so hard this year to really put my best foot forward," she added.
"I've dreamt so much of winning here in Rio, too. I'm a real energetic person, I love the Brazilian energy, and to get a win this year means so much for sure.
"Thank you so much and shout out to everyone back at home. I know you're all probably up watching and I felt all the love."
In the men's draw, Aussie Ethan Ewing was beaten in the semis by American Griffin Colapinto, 14.84 to 14.20, after earlier downing defending champion and home hope Italo Ferreira (14.43-13.30) in the quarters.
Colapinto was then out-gunned 16.90 to 14.40 by compatriot Cole Houshmand in the decider, who went two-for-two in CT Finals, backing up his 2024 breakthrough win at Bells Beach with another victory.
Australian surfer Molly Picklum has shown why she's top of the women's World Surfing League standings, claiming her first win on tour this season in Saquarema, Brazil.
After beating Canadian Erin Brooks 13.06 to 7.60 earlier on Sunday (Monday AEST) in the second semi-final, Picklum took on local Luana Silva in the final of the Vivo Rio Pro, stop 9 of the competition.
Picklum opened with a 6.83 and followed it up with the highest single wave score of the event for the women, an 8.17. Her final total of 15.00 was also the highest of the event for the women at Praia de Itauna.
Silva's best two-wave score totalled 9.23, well short of being able to stop Picklum winning for the third time.
"She's (Silva) been surfing so well. I knew she's such a competitor and she's such a fighter," said the 22-year-old from Gosford.
"I was pretty scared all the way till the end even though I had a couple of good scores. But yeah, she's capable of great things and I'm so happy to get that one over her."
The WSL Tour's most consistent women's surfer in 2025 - reaching the quarter-finals in eight out of nine events, including three Finals - Picklum enjoys top spot with just two regular-season events remaining on the calendar.
"I've worked so hard this year to really put my best foot forward," she added.
"I've dreamt so much of winning here in Rio, too. I'm a real energetic person, I love the Brazilian energy, and to get a win this year means so much for sure.
"Thank you so much and shout out to everyone back at home. I know you're all probably up watching and I felt all the love."
In the men's draw, Aussie Ethan Ewing was beaten in the semis by American Griffin Colapinto, 14.84 to 14.20, after earlier downing defending champion and home hope Italo Ferreira (14.43-13.30) in the quarters.
Colapinto was then out-gunned 16.90 to 14.40 by compatriot Cole Houshmand in the decider, who went two-for-two in CT Finals, backing up his 2024 breakthrough win at Bells Beach with another victory.
Australian surfer Molly Picklum has shown why she's top of the women's World Surfing League standings, claiming her first win on tour this season in Saquarema, Brazil.
After beating Canadian Erin Brooks 13.06 to 7.60 earlier on Sunday (Monday AEST) in the second semi-final, Picklum took on local Luana Silva in the final of the Vivo Rio Pro, stop 9 of the competition.
Picklum opened with a 6.83 and followed it up with the highest single wave score of the event for the women, an 8.17. Her final total of 15.00 was also the highest of the event for the women at Praia de Itauna.
Silva's best two-wave score totalled 9.23, well short of being able to stop Picklum winning for the third time.
"She's (Silva) been surfing so well. I knew she's such a competitor and she's such a fighter," said the 22-year-old from Gosford.
"I was pretty scared all the way till the end even though I had a couple of good scores. But yeah, she's capable of great things and I'm so happy to get that one over her."
The WSL Tour's most consistent women's surfer in 2025 - reaching the quarter-finals in eight out of nine events, including three Finals - Picklum enjoys top spot with just two regular-season events remaining on the calendar.
"I've worked so hard this year to really put my best foot forward," she added.
"I've dreamt so much of winning here in Rio, too. I'm a real energetic person, I love the Brazilian energy, and to get a win this year means so much for sure.
"Thank you so much and shout out to everyone back at home. I know you're all probably up watching and I felt all the love."
In the men's draw, Aussie Ethan Ewing was beaten in the semis by American Griffin Colapinto, 14.84 to 14.20, after earlier downing defending champion and home hope Italo Ferreira (14.43-13.30) in the quarters.
Colapinto was then out-gunned 16.90 to 14.40 by compatriot Cole Houshmand in the decider, who went two-for-two in CT Finals, backing up his 2024 breakthrough win at Bells Beach with another victory.
Australian surfer Molly Picklum has shown why she's top of the women's World Surfing League standings, claiming her first win on tour this season in Saquarema, Brazil.
After beating Canadian Erin Brooks 13.06 to 7.60 earlier on Sunday (Monday AEST) in the second semi-final, Picklum took on local Luana Silva in the final of the Vivo Rio Pro, stop 9 of the competition.
Picklum opened with a 6.83 and followed it up with the highest single wave score of the event for the women, an 8.17. Her final total of 15.00 was also the highest of the event for the women at Praia de Itauna.
Silva's best two-wave score totalled 9.23, well short of being able to stop Picklum winning for the third time.
"She's (Silva) been surfing so well. I knew she's such a competitor and she's such a fighter," said the 22-year-old from Gosford.
"I was pretty scared all the way till the end even though I had a couple of good scores. But yeah, she's capable of great things and I'm so happy to get that one over her."
The WSL Tour's most consistent women's surfer in 2025 - reaching the quarter-finals in eight out of nine events, including three Finals - Picklum enjoys top spot with just two regular-season events remaining on the calendar.
"I've worked so hard this year to really put my best foot forward," she added.
"I've dreamt so much of winning here in Rio, too. I'm a real energetic person, I love the Brazilian energy, and to get a win this year means so much for sure.
"Thank you so much and shout out to everyone back at home. I know you're all probably up watching and I felt all the love."
In the men's draw, Aussie Ethan Ewing was beaten in the semis by American Griffin Colapinto, 14.84 to 14.20, after earlier downing defending champion and home hope Italo Ferreira (14.43-13.30) in the quarters.
Colapinto was then out-gunned 16.90 to 14.40 by compatriot Cole Houshmand in the decider, who went two-for-two in CT Finals, backing up his 2024 breakthrough win at Bells Beach with another victory.
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Crestfallen Alexei Popyrin has crashed out to a Briton ranked No.461 in the world while only a wonderful trademark comeback from Jordan Thompson could rescue Australia's depressingly icy start to Wimbledon's hottest opening day ever. Big-serving Popyrin, the 20th seed and the biggest Australian men's hope apart from Alex de Minaur, was left "numb" after tumbling out to French-born English wildcard Arthur Fery 6-4 6-1 4-6 6-4 in one of the biggest upsets of a record-breaking first Monday. And even never-say-die Thompson cut a forlorn figure after his latest comeback win from two sets down against Czech Vit Kopriva, admitting his back injury made the victory no fun and that he might still have to pull out of his second-round match. As the temperature hit 32.9C, the rest of the first wave of Australia's 17-strong battalion - their biggest for 30 years - were all put in the shade with seven tumbling out in conditions which one victim, Olivia Gadecki, admitted had been perfect conditions for them. Of those, none was more deflating than Popyrin's capitulation to wildcard Fery, a 22-year-old local Wimbledon lad who took full advantage of his 'home' advantage at the All England Club where his father, who owns French soccer club Lorient, is a member. Fery was not even originally in the initial batch of wildcards named by the All England Club because his ranking had dropped so low, until he turned heads with a fine performance at Nottingham. But Popyrin felt he'd played so poorly against a man ranked 439 places below him that, afterwards, he sounded almost as dejected, demotivated and burned out as de Minaur had done following his early exit from the French Open. "I just felt numb, I didn't feel sad, I didn't feel happy, I just felt numb," he sighed. "And that's not a feeling I've ever had before. "I think it just shows that I understand why this result happened. It was because I was under-prepared going into Wimbledon, demotivated going into Wimbledon." The Sydneysider has been bemoaning his lack of consistency and after being Australia's last man standing at Roland Garros, reaching the fourth round, he was quickly dumped down to earth again in front of a roaring crowd on cramped court 15. Thompson started stiffly, a back brace protecting his latest in a long line of injuries this year but also limiting his movement, yet somehow clawed his way back to prevail 3-6 4-6 6-3 7-6 (7-1) 6-1 against Kopriva for his third comeback from two sets down in three successive Wimbledons. In all, it was Thompson's fourth five-set win at the grass-court slam -- but at what cost? 'Tommo', who'd feared he might not even get to the start line, still wasn't sure if he'd now be fit to play his next match against Frenchman Benjamin Bonzi, shock conqueror of Daniil Medvedev 7-6 (7-2) 3-6 7-6 (7-3) 6-2. "I'm just praying I can get back on the court," said the 31-year-old, sounding very gloomy. The rest was a long, burning tale of woe, from the moment Kim Birrell became the first player knocked out in a completed match at this year's championships - 6-0 6-4 to last year's semi-finalist and 22nd seed Donna Vekic - to Ajla Tomljanovic's late-evening loss to Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova 4-6 6-3 6-2. Tomljanovic was adamant the Aussie collapse was just an unfortunate collective "bad day at the office ... but you have to forget about it." Nine more, headed by de Minaur, will hope for better on what promises to be another roasting Tuesday. There were a couple of gallant cracks at causing an upset, with Sydneysider James Duckworth taking Canadian 25th seed Felix Auger-Aliassime to five sets before losing 6-2 3-6 6-7 (2-7) 6-4 6-4. Then 21-year-old Perth qualifier Talia Gibson made it tough for four-time grand slam champ Naomi Osaka in the biggest match of her career, twice missing out when serving to take the contest into a third set, before the Japanese superstar made her pay with a 6-4 7-6 (7-4) triumph. "I was a little bit disappointed I wasn't able to quite take it to a third set but I will take a huge amount of confidence from that match, being able to show myself that I'm able to fully compete with a champion like her," said Gibson. Chris O'Connell found the ever tricky French veteran Adrian Mannarino too much to handle, going down 6-2 6-4 6-3 in two-and-a-quarter one-sided hours, while Gadecki battled gallantly, saving five match points only to succumb 6-2 7-6 (10-8) to Argentine lucky loser Solana Sierra. Crestfallen Alexei Popyrin has crashed out to a Briton ranked No.461 in the world while only a wonderful trademark comeback from Jordan Thompson could rescue Australia's depressingly icy start to Wimbledon's hottest opening day ever. Big-serving Popyrin, the 20th seed and the biggest Australian men's hope apart from Alex de Minaur, was left "numb" after tumbling out to French-born English wildcard Arthur Fery 6-4 6-1 4-6 6-4 in one of the biggest upsets of a record-breaking first Monday. And even never-say-die Thompson cut a forlorn figure after his latest comeback win from two sets down against Czech Vit Kopriva, admitting his back injury made the victory no fun and that he might still have to pull out of his second-round match. As the temperature hit 32.9C, the rest of the first wave of Australia's 17-strong battalion - their biggest for 30 years - were all put in the shade with seven tumbling out in conditions which one victim, Olivia Gadecki, admitted had been perfect conditions for them. Of those, none was more deflating than Popyrin's capitulation to wildcard Fery, a 22-year-old local Wimbledon lad who took full advantage of his 'home' advantage at the All England Club where his father, who owns French soccer club Lorient, is a member. Fery was not even originally in the initial batch of wildcards named by the All England Club because his ranking had dropped so low, until he turned heads with a fine performance at Nottingham. But Popyrin felt he'd played so poorly against a man ranked 439 places below him that, afterwards, he sounded almost as dejected, demotivated and burned out as de Minaur had done following his early exit from the French Open. "I just felt numb, I didn't feel sad, I didn't feel happy, I just felt numb," he sighed. "And that's not a feeling I've ever had before. "I think it just shows that I understand why this result happened. It was because I was under-prepared going into Wimbledon, demotivated going into Wimbledon." The Sydneysider has been bemoaning his lack of consistency and after being Australia's last man standing at Roland Garros, reaching the fourth round, he was quickly dumped down to earth again in front of a roaring crowd on cramped court 15. Thompson started stiffly, a back brace protecting his latest in a long line of injuries this year but also limiting his movement, yet somehow clawed his way back to prevail 3-6 4-6 6-3 7-6 (7-1) 6-1 against Kopriva for his third comeback from two sets down in three successive Wimbledons. In all, it was Thompson's fourth five-set win at the grass-court slam -- but at what cost? 'Tommo', who'd feared he might not even get to the start line, still wasn't sure if he'd now be fit to play his next match against Frenchman Benjamin Bonzi, shock conqueror of Daniil Medvedev 7-6 (7-2) 3-6 7-6 (7-3) 6-2. "I'm just praying I can get back on the court," said the 31-year-old, sounding very gloomy. The rest was a long, burning tale of woe, from the moment Kim Birrell became the first player knocked out in a completed match at this year's championships - 6-0 6-4 to last year's semi-finalist and 22nd seed Donna Vekic - to Ajla Tomljanovic's late-evening loss to Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova 4-6 6-3 6-2. Tomljanovic was adamant the Aussie collapse was just an unfortunate collective "bad day at the office ... but you have to forget about it." Nine more, headed by de Minaur, will hope for better on what promises to be another roasting Tuesday. There were a couple of gallant cracks at causing an upset, with Sydneysider James Duckworth taking Canadian 25th seed Felix Auger-Aliassime to five sets before losing 6-2 3-6 6-7 (2-7) 6-4 6-4. Then 21-year-old Perth qualifier Talia Gibson made it tough for four-time grand slam champ Naomi Osaka in the biggest match of her career, twice missing out when serving to take the contest into a third set, before the Japanese superstar made her pay with a 6-4 7-6 (7-4) triumph. "I was a little bit disappointed I wasn't able to quite take it to a third set but I will take a huge amount of confidence from that match, being able to show myself that I'm able to fully compete with a champion like her," said Gibson. Chris O'Connell found the ever tricky French veteran Adrian Mannarino too much to handle, going down 6-2 6-4 6-3 in two-and-a-quarter one-sided hours, while Gadecki battled gallantly, saving five match points only to succumb 6-2 7-6 (10-8) to Argentine lucky loser Solana Sierra.
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THE Wallabies were once Australia's favourite team. Sports fans above the age of 30 will recall the halcyon days. But times have changed, which is why the new-generation Wallabies have been bending over backwards to connect with fans in Newcastle the past few days. Players were mobbed by school kids at an open training session on Friday. Wallabies then served in the canteen, cooked snags on the barbecue, sold raffle tickets, and stood in the cold watching club rugby on Saturday Joseph Sua'ali'i - the game's $5 million man - joined starry-eyed youngsters for a game of touch footy. The Wallabies have invested in Newcastle, and they're hoping the city invests in them when they play Fiji this weekend. It's a long way from those glory years, and it's hard to imagine the likes of George Gregan, Wendell Sailor or Matt Burke having to man the canteen to drum up support. In 2002, the Bledisloe Cup took pride of place in a clattered trophy cabinet. Not even a heart-breaking defeat courtesy of a Johnny Wilkinson drop goal in the World Cup final on home soil in 2003 hurt the Wallabies' popularity. As the saying goes - or went - 'everyone wanted tro be a Wallaby'. You could mount a similar argument in 2015. Again, Australia made the World Cup final, going down 34-17 to the All Blacks. Kids wanted to be the next Will Genia, the next Israel Folau, Matt Giteau, Michael Hooper, Kurtley Beale ... However, the Wallabies results and popularity have since dropped off a cliff. Rock bottom was the 2023 World Cup in France and Australia's failure to progress past the group stage. The Matildas, Aussie cricket, Socceroos and Kangaroos now vie for Australia's most-loved-team tag. The Wallabies sit fifth, ahead of the Boomers, just. But maybe, just maybe, it's time for the Australian public to jump back on board. An encouraging 2024 under well-credentialed Kiwi coach Joe Schmidt is reason for optimism. The Wallabies take on Fiji at McDonald Jones Stadium on Sunday ahead of a blockbuster series against the British and Irish Lions. The hard work has not been restricted to the training paddock and gym. The Wallabies have gone above and beyong to interact with the community since arriving in Newcastle. "Going to watch the Shute Shield, everyone was very accommodating," Wallabies breakaway Fraser McReight said. "There were plenty of young fans getting autographs. We had about 300 school kids at an open training session as well. It has been great. "Getting together with communities and representing the brand of the Wallabies is super important." So too is winning Test matches. While there is much hype about the Lions series, the Wallabies are focused on Fiji. The Pacific Island nation upset Australia 22-15 - and sent shockwaves across the 2023 World Cup - in their last encounter. "That was a tough game obviously," said McReight, who played breakaway at the Stade Geoffroy-Guichard. "They were up for it and played a cracker. It was the first time they had beaten us in 60 or 70 years. "This is not a warm-up game. This is a game we need to get ready for. It's a Test match against Fiji, which is a bloody good side. "They have threats all over the park, but so do we. It is about building on how we finished last year. "Now we are in year two under Joe Schmidt, we build a bigger base and be more clinical. "We watched some clips [from the last loss to Fiji] this week. A lot of the clips were the first time I had rewatched parts of that game. We are not too worried about getting revenge. "We have a new group here. We have a new destination where we want to go." Western Force back-rower Nick Champion de Crespigny is one of two uncapped players, alongside Corey Toole, in the 36-man Wallabies squad. The 28-year-old from Canberra, like many of the current crop, is largely unknown in the wider rugby community. He finished school and moved to Sydney, where he played in the Shute Shield before four years in the Top 14 in France with Castres. He played for the Force in a 54-7 defeat to the Lions on Saturday - the tourists' opening game - and arrived in Newcastle Sunday night. Now, he has a chance to make a name for himself with the Wallabies. "To play for the Wallabies is the pinnacle," Champion de Crespigny. "You grow up watching them. It would mean everything to me." And just maybe to the rest of us. THE Wallabies were once Australia's favourite team. Sports fans above the age of 30 will recall the halcyon days. But times have changed, which is why the new-generation Wallabies have been bending over backwards to connect with fans in Newcastle the past few days. Players were mobbed by school kids at an open training session on Friday. Wallabies then served in the canteen, cooked snags on the barbecue, sold raffle tickets, and stood in the cold watching club rugby on Saturday Joseph Sua'ali'i - the game's $5 million man - joined starry-eyed youngsters for a game of touch footy. The Wallabies have invested in Newcastle, and they're hoping the city invests in them when they play Fiji this weekend. It's a long way from those glory years, and it's hard to imagine the likes of George Gregan, Wendell Sailor or Matt Burke having to man the canteen to drum up support. In 2002, the Bledisloe Cup took pride of place in a clattered trophy cabinet. Not even a heart-breaking defeat courtesy of a Johnny Wilkinson drop goal in the World Cup final on home soil in 2003 hurt the Wallabies' popularity. As the saying goes - or went - 'everyone wanted tro be a Wallaby'. You could mount a similar argument in 2015. Again, Australia made the World Cup final, going down 34-17 to the All Blacks. Kids wanted to be the next Will Genia, the next Israel Folau, Matt Giteau, Michael Hooper, Kurtley Beale ... However, the Wallabies results and popularity have since dropped off a cliff. Rock bottom was the 2023 World Cup in France and Australia's failure to progress past the group stage. The Matildas, Aussie cricket, Socceroos and Kangaroos now vie for Australia's most-loved-team tag. The Wallabies sit fifth, ahead of the Boomers, just. But maybe, just maybe, it's time for the Australian public to jump back on board. An encouraging 2024 under well-credentialed Kiwi coach Joe Schmidt is reason for optimism. The Wallabies take on Fiji at McDonald Jones Stadium on Sunday ahead of a blockbuster series against the British and Irish Lions. The hard work has not been restricted to the training paddock and gym. The Wallabies have gone above and beyong to interact with the community since arriving in Newcastle. "Going to watch the Shute Shield, everyone was very accommodating," Wallabies breakaway Fraser McReight said. "There were plenty of young fans getting autographs. We had about 300 school kids at an open training session as well. It has been great. "Getting together with communities and representing the brand of the Wallabies is super important." So too is winning Test matches. While there is much hype about the Lions series, the Wallabies are focused on Fiji. The Pacific Island nation upset Australia 22-15 - and sent shockwaves across the 2023 World Cup - in their last encounter. "That was a tough game obviously," said McReight, who played breakaway at the Stade Geoffroy-Guichard. "They were up for it and played a cracker. It was the first time they had beaten us in 60 or 70 years. "This is not a warm-up game. This is a game we need to get ready for. It's a Test match against Fiji, which is a bloody good side. "They have threats all over the park, but so do we. It is about building on how we finished last year. "Now we are in year two under Joe Schmidt, we build a bigger base and be more clinical. "We watched some clips [from the last loss to Fiji] this week. A lot of the clips were the first time I had rewatched parts of that game. We are not too worried about getting revenge. "We have a new group here. We have a new destination where we want to go." Western Force back-rower Nick Champion de Crespigny is one of two uncapped players, alongside Corey Toole, in the 36-man Wallabies squad. The 28-year-old from Canberra, like many of the current crop, is largely unknown in the wider rugby community. He finished school and moved to Sydney, where he played in the Shute Shield before four years in the Top 14 in France with Castres. He played for the Force in a 54-7 defeat to the Lions on Saturday - the tourists' opening game - and arrived in Newcastle Sunday night. Now, he has a chance to make a name for himself with the Wallabies. "To play for the Wallabies is the pinnacle," Champion de Crespigny. "You grow up watching them. It would mean everything to me." And just maybe to the rest of us. THE Wallabies were once Australia's favourite team. Sports fans above the age of 30 will recall the halcyon days. But times have changed, which is why the new-generation Wallabies have been bending over backwards to connect with fans in Newcastle the past few days. Players were mobbed by school kids at an open training session on Friday. Wallabies then served in the canteen, cooked snags on the barbecue, sold raffle tickets, and stood in the cold watching club rugby on Saturday Joseph Sua'ali'i - the game's $5 million man - joined starry-eyed youngsters for a game of touch footy. The Wallabies have invested in Newcastle, and they're hoping the city invests in them when they play Fiji this weekend. It's a long way from those glory years, and it's hard to imagine the likes of George Gregan, Wendell Sailor or Matt Burke having to man the canteen to drum up support. In 2002, the Bledisloe Cup took pride of place in a clattered trophy cabinet. Not even a heart-breaking defeat courtesy of a Johnny Wilkinson drop goal in the World Cup final on home soil in 2003 hurt the Wallabies' popularity. As the saying goes - or went - 'everyone wanted tro be a Wallaby'. You could mount a similar argument in 2015. Again, Australia made the World Cup final, going down 34-17 to the All Blacks. Kids wanted to be the next Will Genia, the next Israel Folau, Matt Giteau, Michael Hooper, Kurtley Beale ... However, the Wallabies results and popularity have since dropped off a cliff. Rock bottom was the 2023 World Cup in France and Australia's failure to progress past the group stage. The Matildas, Aussie cricket, Socceroos and Kangaroos now vie for Australia's most-loved-team tag. The Wallabies sit fifth, ahead of the Boomers, just. But maybe, just maybe, it's time for the Australian public to jump back on board. An encouraging 2024 under well-credentialed Kiwi coach Joe Schmidt is reason for optimism. The Wallabies take on Fiji at McDonald Jones Stadium on Sunday ahead of a blockbuster series against the British and Irish Lions. The hard work has not been restricted to the training paddock and gym. The Wallabies have gone above and beyong to interact with the community since arriving in Newcastle. "Going to watch the Shute Shield, everyone was very accommodating," Wallabies breakaway Fraser McReight said. "There were plenty of young fans getting autographs. We had about 300 school kids at an open training session as well. It has been great. "Getting together with communities and representing the brand of the Wallabies is super important." So too is winning Test matches. While there is much hype about the Lions series, the Wallabies are focused on Fiji. The Pacific Island nation upset Australia 22-15 - and sent shockwaves across the 2023 World Cup - in their last encounter. "That was a tough game obviously," said McReight, who played breakaway at the Stade Geoffroy-Guichard. "They were up for it and played a cracker. It was the first time they had beaten us in 60 or 70 years. "This is not a warm-up game. This is a game we need to get ready for. It's a Test match against Fiji, which is a bloody good side. "They have threats all over the park, but so do we. It is about building on how we finished last year. "Now we are in year two under Joe Schmidt, we build a bigger base and be more clinical. "We watched some clips [from the last loss to Fiji] this week. A lot of the clips were the first time I had rewatched parts of that game. We are not too worried about getting revenge. "We have a new group here. We have a new destination where we want to go." Western Force back-rower Nick Champion de Crespigny is one of two uncapped players, alongside Corey Toole, in the 36-man Wallabies squad. The 28-year-old from Canberra, like many of the current crop, is largely unknown in the wider rugby community. He finished school and moved to Sydney, where he played in the Shute Shield before four years in the Top 14 in France with Castres. He played for the Force in a 54-7 defeat to the Lions on Saturday - the tourists' opening game - and arrived in Newcastle Sunday night. Now, he has a chance to make a name for himself with the Wallabies. "To play for the Wallabies is the pinnacle," Champion de Crespigny. "You grow up watching them. It would mean everything to me." And just maybe to the rest of us. THE Wallabies were once Australia's favourite team. Sports fans above the age of 30 will recall the halcyon days. But times have changed, which is why the new-generation Wallabies have been bending over backwards to connect with fans in Newcastle the past few days. Players were mobbed by school kids at an open training session on Friday. Wallabies then served in the canteen, cooked snags on the barbecue, sold raffle tickets, and stood in the cold watching club rugby on Saturday Joseph Sua'ali'i - the game's $5 million man - joined starry-eyed youngsters for a game of touch footy. The Wallabies have invested in Newcastle, and they're hoping the city invests in them when they play Fiji this weekend. It's a long way from those glory years, and it's hard to imagine the likes of George Gregan, Wendell Sailor or Matt Burke having to man the canteen to drum up support. In 2002, the Bledisloe Cup took pride of place in a clattered trophy cabinet. Not even a heart-breaking defeat courtesy of a Johnny Wilkinson drop goal in the World Cup final on home soil in 2003 hurt the Wallabies' popularity. As the saying goes - or went - 'everyone wanted tro be a Wallaby'. You could mount a similar argument in 2015. Again, Australia made the World Cup final, going down 34-17 to the All Blacks. Kids wanted to be the next Will Genia, the next Israel Folau, Matt Giteau, Michael Hooper, Kurtley Beale ... However, the Wallabies results and popularity have since dropped off a cliff. Rock bottom was the 2023 World Cup in France and Australia's failure to progress past the group stage. The Matildas, Aussie cricket, Socceroos and Kangaroos now vie for Australia's most-loved-team tag. The Wallabies sit fifth, ahead of the Boomers, just. But maybe, just maybe, it's time for the Australian public to jump back on board. An encouraging 2024 under well-credentialed Kiwi coach Joe Schmidt is reason for optimism. The Wallabies take on Fiji at McDonald Jones Stadium on Sunday ahead of a blockbuster series against the British and Irish Lions. The hard work has not been restricted to the training paddock and gym. The Wallabies have gone above and beyong to interact with the community since arriving in Newcastle. "Going to watch the Shute Shield, everyone was very accommodating," Wallabies breakaway Fraser McReight said. "There were plenty of young fans getting autographs. We had about 300 school kids at an open training session as well. It has been great. "Getting together with communities and representing the brand of the Wallabies is super important." So too is winning Test matches. While there is much hype about the Lions series, the Wallabies are focused on Fiji. The Pacific Island nation upset Australia 22-15 - and sent shockwaves across the 2023 World Cup - in their last encounter. "That was a tough game obviously," said McReight, who played breakaway at the Stade Geoffroy-Guichard. "They were up for it and played a cracker. It was the first time they had beaten us in 60 or 70 years. "This is not a warm-up game. This is a game we need to get ready for. It's a Test match against Fiji, which is a bloody good side. "They have threats all over the park, but so do we. It is about building on how we finished last year. "Now we are in year two under Joe Schmidt, we build a bigger base and be more clinical. "We watched some clips [from the last loss to Fiji] this week. A lot of the clips were the first time I had rewatched parts of that game. We are not too worried about getting revenge. "We have a new group here. We have a new destination where we want to go." Western Force back-rower Nick Champion de Crespigny is one of two uncapped players, alongside Corey Toole, in the 36-man Wallabies squad. The 28-year-old from Canberra, like many of the current crop, is largely unknown in the wider rugby community. He finished school and moved to Sydney, where he played in the Shute Shield before four years in the Top 14 in France with Castres. He played for the Force in a 54-7 defeat to the Lions on Saturday - the tourists' opening game - and arrived in Newcastle Sunday night. Now, he has a chance to make a name for himself with the Wallabies. "To play for the Wallabies is the pinnacle," Champion de Crespigny. "You grow up watching them. It would mean everything to me." And just maybe to the rest of us.
