Latest news with #Skelton
IOL News
3 days ago
- Sport
- IOL News
Wallabies need to find more 'Valetinis' and 'Skeltons' to compete with Springboks
Australia's Will Skelton squares off with British and Irish Lions players during the second Test. Image: William West / AFP FOR about 75 minutes it looked like Melbourne and the sporting cathedral, the MCG, would again be the Wallabies' lucky charm against a touring British and Irish Lions team. In Australia's past two series against the Lions, in 2001 and 2013, the Wallabies lost the first Test then levelled both in Melbourne. And, when the Aussies galloped into a 23-5 lead in the first half before 90,307, it looked like the Aussies were on their way to a famous victory. But a second-half collapse saw the touring side wrap up the two-Test series with Hugo Keenan's 79th-minute try. It was heartbreaking for a Wallabies team who played some of their best rugby in the last decade in that first half, but had to be content with the 29-26 scoreline at the end. After coming off second best in the first Test - the 27-19 scoreline doesn't really tell the story of the Lions' dominance in Brisbane - the Wallabies stepped up their performance with a combination of brute force and attacking intent. The hosts beefed up their pack for the match, with powerhouse forwards Will Skelton, Rob Valetini and Dave Porecki all back from injury and their presence was huge - helping combat the brutality that helped the Lions win in Brisbane. In that first half Skelton and Valetini carried with a lot of venom, giving the Wallabies' inexperienced back division some front-foot ball to have a go at the Lions. Skelton, particularly also pushed and shoved the visitors and making his presence felt. The Lions were stunned by three tries in eight first-half minutes from Australia's James Slipper, Jake Gordon and Tom Wright. Fullback Wright's try came after he started an attacking move deep in his half. Centre Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii then cut the Lions defence to shreds before Wright went over to score. That passage of play would not just have had the Lions' coaching staff taking note, but also Springboks coach Rassie Erasmus and his brainstrust ahead of their meeting with the Wallabies in the Rugby Championship next month. Last year against the Springboks, the Wallabies were unable to match the Boks' physicality and got hammered at set-piece time by the South Africans in two Test matches Down Under. But for 40 minutes against a big Lions pack they stepped up and went toe-to-toe in the physicality stakes. However, when Valetini didn't return after the break, and Skelton was subbed off early in the second half, the Wallabies' physical efforts went down to Brisbane levels again. The Lions hammered them at scrum time and started to get more joy at the breakdowns by winning the collisions. The Wallabies hung on for dear life in that second half, and could only manage six more points. The fact of the matter is, for the Wallabies to compete against the Springboks they need loose forward Valetini and lock Skelton to go deep into matches. They don't have the depth the Boks possess to compete physically for 80 minutes. However, it was encouraging to see some fight from the ever-improving Australian team. We saw them grow in confidence during their November tour matches, especially in their win over England that they can compete again. However, they need to find more brutes from somewhere if they are going to trouble the Springboks in two Test matches in South Africa.
The 42
3 days ago
- Sport
- The 42
LIVE: Australia v British & Irish Lions, second Test
Just under 10 minutes to go until kick-off at the 100,000-capacity Melbourne Cricket Ground. This is less the Lions' Everest, more a climb up the Sugar Loaf or something to that effect. But the Wallabies will surely give it socks here for as long as they can. Skelton and Valetini's returns, and a bit of do-or-die national pride, mean they can't be ruled out today. Billy Stickland / INPHO Billy Stickland / INPHO / INPHO
The Independent
4 days ago
- Sport
- The Independent
Lions braced for Wallabies backlash in bid to write own history at MCG
Any British and Irish Lions and Australia players in need of inspiration in the final moments before kick off in Saturday's second Test need only glance up at the wall in front of them. While the dressing rooms of one of the world's great sporting colosseums will be bedecked in the iconography of both sides as they make the Melbourne Cricket Ground their temporary home, still adorning each will be the carved wooden honours boards that list the immortal achievements of the many cricketing greats who have captured this cathedral and made it their own. From Grimmett and O'Reilly through the Chappell brothers to Warne and McGrath, the greats have made an indelible mark on this sacred temple of Australian sport. For the Wallabies, they will hope to make their own imprint with victory a must. At 1-0 down, it is do or die for the home side as they bid to avoid being the first of the three southern hemisphere nations to be conquered in successive series by the touring Lions. Perhaps Joe Schmidt and his side can take something from a certain DG Bradman, commemorated with statues inside and out of a venue at which he averaged a mere 128.53. The antics of Adelaide are those best remembered from the famous Bodyline Ashes of 1932-33 but it was in Melbourne where Australia squared the series having been beaten and beaten up by England in Sydney. A returning Don, who had missed the opening game due to a contractual dispute, tonned up in the second innings after a golden duck in the first with typical brilliance and belligerence. Battered and bruised by the Lions in the opening encounter of this series, now the Wallabies hope to do some damage of their own. One might have foreseen a sluggish start from a side in only their second outing of the year but few forecast the passivity with which Australia played. 'We don't want to be nice, and we don't want to be submissive," head coach Schmidt stressed on Thursday. "I just think that they played on the edge really well [last week], they got in amongst us, sometimes just beside us, which made it very hard to play. "We're hopeful that we will be able to take that to them this week and keep them on the back foot a little bit more.' It helps, of course, to have a full complement of bruisers for what is shaping to be a proper Melbourne melee on a wet night. Totally full fitness may still evade Rob Valetini and Will Skelton but the pair certainly give a more fearsome look a Wallabies team short of weapons of destruction a week ago. The artillery each provides is clear, with Valetini's tireless carrying and Skelton's unique strengths such vital parts of the side that Schmidt is building. 'He is an unusually large human being,' Lions lock Ollie Chessum said of his opposite number Skelton. 'I think he's going to bring the physical edge that we expect to see from the Wallabies this weekend.' The significance of playing at the MCG is not lost on the Lions, who intend to embrace the occasion and soak up the atmosphere. A series win is well within reach for a team who feel that, even in a brilliant 42 minutes in which they seized a match-winning lead, they did not hit the heights of which they are capable in the first Test. Throughout this tour the talk has been of writing their own history; the MCG would be an apt place to do it. 'They're going to draw on every emotional aspect of this game that they can,' Chessum said. 'They are 1-0 down in the series but they are at the MCG, in front of their fans, on their home soil with the series on the line. We know they're going to throw the kitchen sink at us. 'We said right from the start that we want to lay down a marker and be the best Lions team there has ever been. If we are to do that, we've got to make ourselves part of that history and do the job at the weekend. this is everything that international rugby is all about. Physicality goes up through the roof, the intensity goes up through the roof, the speed of the game goes up through the roof – and you have to walk towards it because if you don't you'll get found out pretty quickly.' The disruption caused by Garry Ringrose 's courageous and correct withdrawal has been limited, it is claimed, by a squad tighter than those on past tours. It is at this point on a trip, with the last midweek game over and selection pecking orders becoming clear, that a group can fracture or fray – but all in Lions camp are clear that the bonds of the class of 2025 are strong. Perhaps that could be best seen in Ellis Genge and Finn Russell leaving their seats in the stands to comfort temporary tourist Darcy Graham after an injury in the win over the First Nations & Pasifika XV; in their different ways, both the England prop and Scotland fly half have been central leaders over the last few weeks. As, increasingly, has been Owen Farrell, whose presence in the matchday 23 in Melbourne comes as little surprise to most in rugby. The assumption always was that the 33-year-old would have some Test involvement once he accepted the call-up from his father, and a standard-driver will hope to ensure there is no drop off once he and the rest of the replacements are utilised. Melbourne has been full of Lions supporters this week, perhaps even more red-tinted than Brisbane a week ago with plenty of travelling fans ticking off Tests two and three. They will not much mind, one would guess, if next week's game becomes something of a dead rubber. Such talk, though, is premature. 'When you wear this jersey and represent the Lions you know it comes with huge honour and a sense of responsibility, and we know we are not playing a pub team,' captain Maro Itoje underscored. 'The Wallabies are a proper team, I played them last year in the autumn and we lost to them when we were supposed to win. They are a team that can punish you if you don't approach the game properly.'
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Wallabies relying on Skelton and Valetini to save the series against the British and Irish Lions
MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — Rugby Australia is throwing its biggest body and its most destructive ball carrier at the British and Irish Lions with the recalls of Will Skelton and Rob Valetini in a bid to save the series. If that doesn't work for the Wallabies in the second test on Saturday, then the following week in Sydney becomes little more than a victory lap for the Lions and their 40,000 touring Irish, English, Scottish and Welsh supporters. At 6'8" (203 centimeters) and 140-plus kilograms (310 pounds), the France-based Skelton certainly adds significant size and weight to a Wallabies pack that was outgunned in the 27-19 loss to the Lions last weekend in Brisbane. Valetini brings the extra firepower. 'You get a lot of confidence when you have two people with their experience and their presence coming (back) into your side,' Wallabies captain and No. 8 Harry Wilson said Friday. 'They're two real leaders in the group and to have them back, in such a big match, is really exciting for us.' Wallabies coach Joe Schmidt spoke about Skelton's on-field calmness and wealth of experience in Europe being of huge importance to the Australian team when he announced a squad this week that contained three changes to the forward pack, none in the backline and a 6-2 split of forwards and backs on the bench. Opening salvos The Wallabies are expecting another physical contest up front at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, where a crowd exceeding 90,000 people is expected and there's a chance of rain. Wilson said his lineup needs to fight fire with fire from the kickoff rather than let the Lions out to a big lead like they did in the series opener, which was 24-5 after 42 minutes. The Australians also need to give a young backline, particularly 22-year-old flyhalf Tom Lynagh and 21-year-old center Joseph Aukuso-Sua'ali'i, some front-foot ball to generate better attacking opportunities. 'We want to go out there, we want to oppose ourselves physically, we want to back our skills and we just want to go out and start fast,' Wilson said. 'The 6-2 bench means ... more reason to go out there, throw your body around knowing there's some quality bench players to come and finish.' Pressure on Andy Farrell's 2025 squad is determined to join the Lions greats by winning the series 3-0, regardless of how the head coach has tried to downplay that objective. 'They want to wrap up the series and we want to keep the series alive, so there's no doubting there's a lot on the line for both teams,' Wilson said. 'There's a lot of pressure on, and it's what you love about it.' The Lions have won the opening test in the last two series Down Under — in 2001 and 2013 — and lost the second test in Melbourne. In '01, the Australians won the deciding match for an historic series victory in Sydney. The Lions won the third test in Sydney 12 years ago to reclaim the trophy. 'We have put ourselves in a good position after the first test, but we know there will be a massive reaction from this Wallaby team,' head coach Andy Farrell said as he announced a Lions starting lineup containing three changes. 'We will have to be a lot better than we were last week.' Owen Farrell, a late inclusion in the squad and making his fourth Lions tour, was added to the bench after leading the team to a win over the First Nations and Pasifika squad on Tuesday in their last mid-week game of the tour. Ireland midfielder Garry Ringrose was a late exclusion from the second test starting lineup after reporting symptoms of concussion, allowing Huw Jones to retain his spot at outside center in new midfield combination with Bundee Aki. England's Ollie Chessum was drafted in to partner skipper Maro Itoje as a replacement for injured Ireland lock Joe McCarthy, and Andrew Porter replaced Ellis Genge at loosehead, giving the Lions an all-Ireland frontrow. The Lions are now 7-0 in Australia, including the victory in the first test and wins over Super Rugby franchises Western Force,Queensland Reds, Waratahs and Brumbies and two invitational teams. ___ AP rugby: The Associated Press
Fox Sports
5 days ago
- Sport
- Fox Sports
Wallabies relying on Skelton and Valetini to save the series against the British and Irish Lions
Associated Press MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — Rugby Australia is throwing its biggest body and its most destructive ball carrier at the British and Irish Lions with the recalls of Will Skelton and Rob Valetini in a bid to save the series. If that doesn't work for the Wallabies in the second test on Saturday, then the following week in Sydney becomes little more than a victory lap for the Lions and their 40,000 touring Irish, English, Scottish and Welsh supporters. At 6'8" (203 centimeters) and 140-plus kilograms (310 pounds), the France-based Skelton certainly adds significant size and weight to a Wallabies pack that was outgunned in the 27-19 loss to the Lions last weekend in Brisbane. Valetini brings the extra firepower. 'You get a lot of confidence when you have two people with their experience and their presence coming (back) into your side,' Wallabies captain and No. 8 Harry Wilson said Friday. 'They're two real leaders in the group and to have them back, in such a big match, is really exciting for us.' Wallabies coach Joe Schmidt spoke about Skelton's on-field calmness and wealth of experience in Europe being of huge importance to the Australian team when he announced a squad this week that contained three changes to the forward pack, none in the backline and a 6-2 split of forwards and backs on the bench. Opening salvos The Wallabies are expecting another physical contest up front at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, where a crowd exceeding 90,000 people is expected and there's a chance of rain. Wilson said his lineup needs to fight fire with fire from the kickoff rather than let the Lions out to a big lead like they did in the series opener, which was 24-5 after 42 minutes. The Australians also need to give a young backline, particularly 22-year-old flyhalf Tom Lynagh and 21-year-old center Joseph Aukuso-Sua'ali'i, some front-foot ball to generate better attacking opportunities. 'We want to go out there, we want to oppose ourselves physically, we want to back our skills and we just want to go out and start fast,' Wilson said. 'The 6-2 bench means ... more reason to go out there, throw your body around knowing there's some quality bench players to come and finish.' Pressure on Andy Farrell's 2025 squad is determined to join the Lions greats by winning the series 3-0, regardless of how the head coach has tried to downplay that objective. 'They want to wrap up the series and we want to keep the series alive, so there's no doubting there's a lot on the line for both teams,' Wilson said. 'There's a lot of pressure on, and it's what you love about it.' The Lions have won the opening test in the last two series Down Under — in 2001 and 2013 — and lost the second test in Melbourne. In '01, the Australians won the deciding match for an historic series victory in Sydney. The Lions won the third test in Sydney 12 years ago to reclaim the trophy. 'We have put ourselves in a good position after the first test, but we know there will be a massive reaction from this Wallaby team,' head coach Andy Farrell said as he announced a Lions starting lineup containing three changes. 'We will have to be a lot better than we were last week.' Owen Farrell, a late inclusion in the squad and making his fourth Lions tour, was added to the bench after leading the team to a win over the First Nations and Pasifika squad on Tuesday in their last mid-week game of the tour. Ireland midfielder Garry Ringrose was a late exclusion from the second test starting lineup after reporting symptoms of concussion, allowing Huw Jones to retain his spot at outside center in new midfield combination with Bundee Aki. England's Ollie Chessum was drafted in to partner skipper Maro Itoje as a replacement for injured Ireland lock Joe McCarthy, and Andrew Porter replaced Ellis Genge at loosehead, giving the Lions an all-Ireland frontrow. The Lions are now 7-0 in Australia, including the victory in the first test and wins over Super Rugby franchises Western Force,Queensland Reds, Waratahs and Brumbies and two invitational teams. ___ AP rugby: in this topic
