Joe Schmidt should let Wallabies play for their states against the Lions. Here's why
The All Blacks, to the pleasant surprise of many at the time, allowed established Test stars such as Sam Whitelock, Codie Taylor, Owen Franks and Israel Dagg to play for the Crusaders against the Lions just two weeks before the first Test of the series.
Wallabies coach Joe Schmidt has signalled this won't happen this year, and the apparent discrepancy has already been picked up in the northern hemisphere, where fears of the tour being devalued are a quadrennial storyline.
The complexity of this year's schedule is that the Wallabies are playing against Fiji in Newcastle on July 6, one day after the Waratahs host the Lions in Sydney and four days after the Reds welcome them in Brisbane.
It is the addition of that Fiji fixture two weeks before the first Test on July 19 that will weaken the Reds and the Waratahs for the Lions tour games, not Schmidt's desire to shield his players from injury risk, and the question really become one of whether the Wallabies are better served by the Fiji Test or playing in the tour games.
It is self-evident that the tour as a whole would benefit from the Wallabies' top-liners being available for the first three tour games (the Force, the Reds and the Waratahs – the Brumbies game is just 10 days away from the opening Test and a less realistic prospect).
Imagine the frisson in Brisbane if Harry Wilson was permitted to run it off the back fence against the Lions in a Queensland jersey on July 2.
But from a high-performance perspective, the tour games are also surely better preparation for the Test series than the hit-out against Fiji, whose style is completely different to that of the Lions and whose players are largely familiar to the Wallabies thanks to the presence of the Drua in Super Rugby Pacific.
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"There were a couple of uncharacteristic errors from the Springboks where, I think next week, if they pick and go there, he (du Toit) is such a powerful, athletic man, he will be a handful," he said. "It was probably a mix of us and a little bit of inaccuracy from the Springboks because when they were accurate, you saw that first 20 minutes. "I saw wave after wave and even that very first drive was impressive. "We probably got a little bit lucky, even when Andre (Esterhuizen) went down the left-hand touch a couple of times. "One of the times, (Wallaby) Tom Wright went 70 metres and scored at the other end." Schmidt says the Wallabies can't expect a repeat of the Springboks' second-half lapse when the two teams meet again next Sunday morning (AEST) at DHL Stadium. "We know that pressure is coming," he said. "I've coached against the Boks with a few other international teams and come out second. "I know whether they're favourites or not, they're a heck of a team." Lock Will Skelton and veteran flyhalf James O'Connor revealed the Wallabies quietly celebrated while also reviewing the epic 38-22 triumph on laptops, knowing full well the Boks will likely respond in ruthless fashion. "A lot of the boys are already onto next week. The boys are reviewing, everyone's clipping stuff," Skelton said. "We know what's going to come. They're going to try and punch you in the face this week. "So we're going to have to have a good week of preparation again, and really fight until the end." After playing a lead role in his first Test since 2022, 35-year-old O'Connor said the Wallabies "enjoyed each other's company" but were not getting carried away. "That's the thing about rugby - you're already on to next week. I know my mind went there," he said. "I thought straight away: 'What are they going to be coming with - 6-2 bench, back to basics, bomb squad, aerial contest? "They're going to meet us in the trenches there, so I'm already thinking about what's coming and then just focusing on recovery." With winger Dylan Pietsch (broken jaw), utility back Ben Donaldson (abductor muscle) and prop James Slipper (concussion) all returning home, Filipo Daugunu, Hamish Stewart and Rhys van Nek will fly to South Africa to join the Wallabies. Under no illusions, Australia are bracing for some fierce backlash from South Africa in the two sides' return Rugby Championship stoush in Cape Town. While delighted with his side's resilience and growing belief shown in Saturday's colossal comeback win over the back-to-back world champions in Johannesburg, Wallabies coach Joe Schmidt isn't getting carried away. He believes the Springboks took their foot off the pedal after motoring to a 22-0 lead inside 18 minutes before succumbing to the Wallabies at Ellis Park for the first time since 1963. "I've coached enough teams because I'm really old," the 60-year-old Kiwi said. "I've had teams who got a very, very rapid start. It can sometimes just cause a bit of a lapse in effort and concentration. I think they just gave us a little bit of belief. "As well as (man of the match) Fraser (McReight) did and the other players did, we were probably a little bit lucky because Pieter-Steph (du Toit) at one stage just went to pick and go and he just knocked it on." Schmidt said it was unlikely the Springboks would repeat such mistakes next weekend. "There were a couple of uncharacteristic errors from the Springboks where, I think next week, if they pick and go there, he (du Toit) is such a powerful, athletic man, he will be a handful," he said. "It was probably a mix of us and a little bit of inaccuracy from the Springboks because when they were accurate, you saw that first 20 minutes. "I saw wave after wave and even that very first drive was impressive. "We probably got a little bit lucky, even when Andre (Esterhuizen) went down the left-hand touch a couple of times. "One of the times, (Wallaby) Tom Wright went 70 metres and scored at the other end." Schmidt says the Wallabies can't expect a repeat of the Springboks' second-half lapse when the two teams meet again next Sunday morning (AEST) at DHL Stadium. "We know that pressure is coming," he said. "I've coached against the Boks with a few other international teams and come out second. "I know whether they're favourites or not, they're a heck of a team." Lock Will Skelton and veteran flyhalf James O'Connor revealed the Wallabies quietly celebrated while also reviewing the epic 38-22 triumph on laptops, knowing full well the Boks will likely respond in ruthless fashion. "A lot of the boys are already onto next week. The boys are reviewing, everyone's clipping stuff," Skelton said. "We know what's going to come. They're going to try and punch you in the face this week. "So we're going to have to have a good week of preparation again, and really fight until the end." After playing a lead role in his first Test since 2022, 35-year-old O'Connor said the Wallabies "enjoyed each other's company" but were not getting carried away. "That's the thing about rugby - you're already on to next week. I know my mind went there," he said. "I thought straight away: 'What are they going to be coming with - 6-2 bench, back to basics, bomb squad, aerial contest? "They're going to meet us in the trenches there, so I'm already thinking about what's coming and then just focusing on recovery." With winger Dylan Pietsch (broken jaw), utility back Ben Donaldson (abductor muscle) and prop James Slipper (concussion) all returning home, Filipo Daugunu, Hamish Stewart and Rhys van Nek will fly to South Africa to join the Wallabies.
