Did Schmidt get it right with Wallabies squad?
Loading
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Sydney Morning Herald
an hour ago
- Sydney Morning Herald
‘I want to protect my team': Why the Wallabies' wrecking ball is a force of nurture
The same first-half recipe must be the same (and last longer) on Saturday for the Wallabies to win, only this time Valetini won't be there due to injury. Skelton has a job on his massive hands. 'We saw that when we're physical from the off, we can score points, we can play our game,' Skelton says. 'We saw that in the first Test, that first 30, they dictated everything. And then we sort of switched it again, on the weekend [in Melbourne]. It'll be our job out there on Saturday to do the same. 'I just wanted to do my job [at the MCG], that was it. Try and get my hands on the ball, and I focus really hard on my set-piece. I'm very aware that if I do play, I'm not the best jumping option, so things around me change. So I try and make sure that I give as much as I can in other areas of the game. 'I thought I played OK. But I've got really high standards, too. I know I am going to be able to push out longer for the team this weekend as well.' After drawing criticism for not firing up in response to Tom Lynagh getting tackled midair in Brisbane, the Wallabies were far more combative in the second Test. And Skelton was right in the middle of most flare-ups, particularly when taking on Lions captain Maro Itoje. But it wasn't a deliberate focus, he said. 'That's just in the moment, mate,' Skelton says. 'I don't go out there thinking I'm trying to rough someone up. I want to protect my team, but if I'm not doing my job after that, then I shouldn't be doing that at all. 'That's probably what I used to do when I was a bit younger. Try and look for scraps which aren't there, and then I am not thinking about what I've got to do on the field. There is definitely a balance.' But in what many say what his best Test performance, the sight of Skelton at his best at the MCG was a double-edged sword for Wallabies fans. It served to remind how rarely the big man has been seen, in his prime, in a gold jersey across an 11-year Test career. Having departed Australia in 2017 to play in England, and now France, Skelton has just 34 Test caps - and only 16 as a starter. Since he debuted in 2014, Skelton has only played in 25 per cent of the 135 Wallabies Tests that have been staged. Skelton performs a delicate balance between club and country, trying to keep both mostly happy with partial presence. As such, he is likely to return to France and his club side La Rochelle, after the weekend and not carry on and play in The Rugby Championship. 'That's the plan, yeah. So I'll go back, have a few weeks off and then do a small pre-season were before I start again in Top 14,' he says. Skelton clarifies he still has some final discussions to come with Joe Schmidt, but with his small family currently camped up at his parents place in western Sydney, is a return to their home in France is likely, before a possible reunion with the Wallabies for the spring tour. Loading 'Hopefully, if I'm playing well enough,' Skelton says. 'Because they're coming to sort of my neck of the woods, too [the Wallabies play games in France and Italy]. I'm already there and like I said, if the body's right and I'm playing well, if I am in form, and I get picked, I'd love to play. 'I love playing for the Wallabies. It's always refreshing coming back into camp. I learn so much as well from the coaches and from the boys. You always want to be a part of it.' At 33, Skelton feels in great shape. Unlike in the grind of a Top 14 season, where the focus is to be fresh for games, the demands of Wallabies training always shocks Skelton.
The Age
an hour ago
- The Age
‘I want to protect my team': Why the Wallabies' wrecking ball is a force of nurture
The same first-half recipe must be the same (and last longer) on Saturday for the Wallabies to win, only this time Valetini won't be there due to injury. Skelton has a job on his massive hands. 'We saw that when we're physical from the off, we can score points, we can play our game,' Skelton says. 'We saw that in the first Test, that first 30, they dictated everything. And then we sort of switched it again, on the weekend [in Melbourne]. It'll be our job out there on Saturday to do the same. 'I just wanted to do my job [at the MCG], that was it. Try and get my hands on the ball, and I focus really hard on my set-piece. I'm very aware that if I do play, I'm not the best jumping option, so things around me change. So I try and make sure that I give as much as I can in other areas of the game. 'I thought I played OK. But I've got really high standards, too. I know I am going to be able to push out longer for the team this weekend as well.' After drawing criticism for not firing up in response to Tom Lynagh getting tackled midair in Brisbane, the Wallabies were far more combative in the second Test. And Skelton was right in the middle of most flare-ups, particularly when taking on Lions captain Maro Itoje. But it wasn't a deliberate focus, he said. 'That's just in the moment, mate,' Skelton says. 'I don't go out there thinking I'm trying to rough someone up. I want to protect my team, but if I'm not doing my job after that, then I shouldn't be doing that at all. 'That's probably what I used to do when I was a bit younger. Try and look for scraps which aren't there, and then I am not thinking about what I've got to do on the field. There is definitely a balance.' But in what many say what his best Test performance, the sight of Skelton at his best at the MCG was a double-edged sword for Wallabies fans. It served to remind how rarely the big man has been seen, in his prime, in a gold jersey across an 11-year Test career. Having departed Australia in 2017 to play in England, and now France, Skelton has just 34 Test caps - and only 16 as a starter. Since he debuted in 2014, Skelton has only played in 25 per cent of the 135 Wallabies Tests that have been staged. Skelton performs a delicate balance between club and country, trying to keep both mostly happy with partial presence. As such, he is likely to return to France and his club side La Rochelle, after the weekend and not carry on and play in The Rugby Championship. 'That's the plan, yeah. So I'll go back, have a few weeks off and then do a small pre-season were before I start again in Top 14,' he says. Skelton clarifies he still has some final discussions to come with Joe Schmidt, but with his small family currently camped up at his parents place in western Sydney, is a return to their home in France is likely, before a possible reunion with the Wallabies for the spring tour. Loading 'Hopefully, if I'm playing well enough,' Skelton says. 'Because they're coming to sort of my neck of the woods, too [the Wallabies play games in France and Italy]. I'm already there and like I said, if the body's right and I'm playing well, if I am in form, and I get picked, I'd love to play. 'I love playing for the Wallabies. It's always refreshing coming back into camp. I learn so much as well from the coaches and from the boys. You always want to be a part of it.' At 33, Skelton feels in great shape. Unlike in the grind of a Top 14 season, where the focus is to be fresh for games, the demands of Wallabies training always shocks Skelton.
News.com.au
2 hours ago
- News.com.au
Wallabies vs British and Irish Lions: Third Test preview, how to watch
This Lions tour was said to be the first step of Rugby Australia turning a $36.8 million deficit into a profit. That may still be the case, with tens of thousands of touring fans pouring through the turnstiles for all three Tests. But where will a series whitewash leave the game as a whole in Australia? Aussies love a winner, but the Wallabies haven't been doing much of that recently. The U8s running around suburban grounds in Sydney and Brisbane don't care about RA's bank balance. They want to see their heroes winning games and lifting trophies. That's the only way to ensure the next generation grows up throwing a Gilbert around rather than a Steeden or a Sherrin. JOSEPH-AUKUSO SUAALII'S BEST POSITION Suaalii has played well enough on attack – his break to set up Tom Wright's try in Melbourne last weekend was a perfect example. But he has repeatedly been caught out defensively. At times, so has his midfield partner Len Ikitau, who has been moved to inside centre rather than his preferred spot at outside to accommodate Suaalii. Despite growing calls for Suaalii to be switched to the wing so the Wallabies can select a proven centre pairing of Hunter Paisami and Len Ikitau, head coach Joe Schmidt is sticking with his same midfield combo for game three but he can expect some criticism if it doesn't work out. THE BENCH Harry Potter's injury was a hiccup – and the Lions have much more depth that Australia – but Andy Farrell's supporters will argue that he also out-coached Joe Schmidt at the Melbourne Cricket Ground last weekend. Owen Farrell came on in the final quarter and provided an instant impact, off the ball as much as on it. Meanwhile, Ben Donaldson – who has several years more experience at Test level than Tom Lynagh - was left stranded on the bench as Australia desperately tried to hang on but couldn't, raising questions about Schmidt's tactics. Strangely, Schmidt picked a 6-2 forwards-backs split for Melbourne in the belief that it would rain, but when there wasn't a drop in the sky, it gave the Lions the advantage because they went with a traditional 5-3 split. But this week, with heavy showers forecast for Accor Stadium, the Lions have added an extra forward as a precaution for the weather while the Wallabies have returned to the 5-3 split they abandoned last week. THE WHISTLEBLOWERS Georgian referee Nika Amashukeli and his assistants will be under intense scrutiny this week after the controversial ending to the second Test when the match officials opted against penalising the Lions' backrower Jac Morgan for his clean-out on Carlo Tizzano. Schmidt launched a blistering attack over the ruling, saying it went against the game's pledge to player safety, which drew a sharp rebuke from World Rugby, which is trying to protect referees from the vile abuse they sometimes cop on social media. Regardless, with matches regularly stopped while Television Match Officials pore over replays of contentious incidents, the whistleblowers will be under more pressure than usual this weekend. TACKLE, TACKLE, TACKLE All the complaining in the world won't change the result from the first two matches but there is one area that might make a difference if they fix things up. When the Wallabies were the best team in the world, the cornerstone of their success was their outstanding defence. When they last won the World Cup, in 1999, they famously conceded just one try in six matches in the entire tournament. But in the two Tests against the Lions so far, they have given up eight tries, three in Brisbane then five in Melbourne, while also repeatedly falling off tackles. In Brisbane, the Wallabies missed 29 tackles in an eight point loss then missed 23 tackles in their three point loss in Melbourne. If they can plug those holes, they won't need to worry about blaming officials because they might just win.
