First Nations and Pasifika Invitational side provides blueprint for Wallabies

The Australian

3 days ago

If the Wallabies do lose the match, questions will need to be asked about how a hastily-assembled First Nations and Pasifika Invitational side could rattle the Lions, losing a 24-19 nailbiter, when Joe Schmidt's Test side couldn't.
Schmidt has had over a year to prepare his squad so there are no excuses for not delivering when a team packed with players he discarded almost pulled off by showing a bit of ticker and bashing their opponents.
The inquisitions can wait because for now, the most urgent conundrum facing the Wallabies is whether they are tough enough and brave enough to stand toe to toe with the Lions after they didn't answer the bell in last weekend's series opener in Brisbane.
There were some mitigating circumstances – they missing some key players and were undercooked after playing just one lead-up match – but there's no cop outs this time.
When you take away the smoke and mirrors, rugby remains a simple game that rewards courage as much as skill and the Wallabies need to be prepared to put their bodies on the line the way the FNP did.
'You need to take it to them, like head on,' the FNP captain Kurtley Beale said.
'There were patches there where we had the momentum and the Lions were kind of taking a backward step.
'These boys, they love physicality and playing rugby, and you need that physicality to lay the platform for your backs to play off.'
Beale's own frustration is different to many of the other FNP players who Schmidt shunned because he played in the Lions' last Test series in Australia.
At 36, Beale was never in the frame to play a Test this time but a lot of his teammates were and that annoys him.
Lukhan Salakaia-Loto has more reason than most to feel duped because he's played three warm-up games against the Lions and caused them no end of trouble each time.
Driven in part by his desire to prove the national selectors wrong, he's done more than anyone else to expose fault lines in the Lions with his powerful ball running and wrecking-ball defence.
'We play a combative game and there's going to be times when you dip in and out of the physical battle,' he said.
'There are times when we lost the battle. I got bashed a few times.
'But that comes natural to us, the physicality. We love those conditions. I think we put in a performance that we should be proud of.'
Flanker Charlie Gamble, who was named man of the match despite being on the losing side, said the state and invitational sides had already shown the Lions were not unbeatable so it was now up to the Wallabies to finish the job.
'The Tahs and the Brumbies really showed that if you shut time and space down with their team that they create errors,' he said.
'They're not superhuman. They make errors and we showed that physically.
'It's in our First Nations and Pacific culture. We showed that if you can obviously put a couple bodies in there and hurt them a little bit, it definitely rattled them.
'I think the Wallabies can take a bit of that.'
Gamble was another player unwanted by the Wallabies but ready to step up anytime, if he ever got the call from Schmidt.
'I won't stay awake,' he said. 'I'm always ready when it happens, if it happens. If it never happens, it is what it is … maybe one day, we'll see.
'If I do get an opportunity, then I'm just going to have to take it. It might never happen, but let's keep myself fit and see what happens.' Rugby Union
The man at the centre of the most controversial call in Wallabies vs Lions history has admitted he was nervous of being penalised after watching a replay of his cleanout on Carlo Tizzano. Rugby Union
Having blown an unassailable lead and the series against the Lions, the Wallabies now face a brutal reality check about their failing tactical approach, writes Julian Linden.