Schmidt got it wrong and must ring changes
With the Wallabies overpowered in the contact zones in Brisbane, coach Joe Schmidt must surely reverse some selection errors by starting Angus Bell and Billy Pollard up front as hooker Matt Faessler was predictably underdone. Halfback Jake Gordon was in similar territory, although he might be paradoxically spared by the impact that Tate McDermott brings off the bench.
The best position for Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii is also still up for debate - his selection at No.13 has forced Len Ikitau into a battering ram role that is a waste of his footwork and distribution skills.
Lucky Lions dodged a yellow card
Referee Ben O'Keeffe must have looked very hard to find the arms in the Ben Earl tackle on Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii in the 59th minute as the No.13 tried to crash over from close range. It was a poor decision – Earl made little or no attempt to wrap – he turned his head away and threw a shoulder towards Suaalii's lower limbs. In fact, you could argue that Earl already had a knee on the ground when he hit Suaalii. It was a clear penalty and should have been a yellow card as the Lions had committed repeat infringements by that stage. Those types of tackles are a blight on the game – knee surgeons must wince every time they see them.
There was good and bad from Suaalii
There is a serious case for starting Hunter Paisami at No 12, moving Len Ikitau back into his right spot at No.13 and putting Suaalii to the wing, where the Lions looked relatively vulnerable on Saturday. Suaalii ran hard all night, with 10 carries, but there is no reason the Wallabies couldn't manufacture those opportunities for him in the No.11 or No.14 jersey. Defensively, there are still a few issues – he was caught a bit narrow for Huw Jones' disallowed try and his tendency to want to whack the man in possession, even after the pass is away, means he can take himself out of the play.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Sydney Morning Herald
24 minutes ago
- Sydney Morning Herald
Moorabbin to the MCG: The magical journey of Wallaby Harry Potter
On Saturday, English-born Harry Potter will step out onto the MCG to represent Australia's Wallabies against the British and Irish Lions in front of a predicted 90,000-strong crowd. But a few months ago, Potter secretly attended another Melbourne rugby ground, albeit a much smaller one with equally enthusiastic fans. In April, the 27-year-old made a surprise visit to Moorabbin Rugby Club – where he played as a junior after moving to Australia from England when he was 10. Club president Ian Nathan said Potter dropped by one night to help three of Moorabbin's junior teams with their training. 'It's amazing to have guys of that calibre come down,' Nathan said. 'It gives the kids a chance to see that even though Melbourne is supposedly not a rugby place, we've got guys playing for Scotland, Samoa, Japan and Australia, representing all parts of the world.' Nathan said Potter spent time with the juniors and offered them advice, saying, 'if you work hard, you can make it anywhere'. 'I think that's great for the kids to hear,' Nathan said. 'You don't have to grow up to be six foot four to be able to play ... that's one of the wonderful things about rugby, because it does cater for all shapes and sizes.' Nathan remembered Potter showing 'signs of being a really good player' in his early days at Moorabbin. The inevitable wizard puns and magic jokes ramped up once he moved back home. (The first J. K. Rowling book was published in 1997, the year the future Wallaby was born, before burgeoning into a literary juggernaut and movie franchise.)
The Age
24 minutes ago
- The Age
Moorabbin to the MCG: The magical journey of Wallaby Harry Potter
On Saturday, English-born Harry Potter will step out onto the MCG to represent Australia's Wallabies against the British and Irish Lions in front of a predicted 90,000-strong crowd. But a few months ago, Potter secretly attended another Melbourne rugby ground, albeit a much smaller one with equally enthusiastic fans. In April, the 27-year-old made a surprise visit to Moorabbin Rugby Club – where he played as a junior after moving to Australia from England when he was 10. Club president Ian Nathan said Potter dropped by one night to help three of Moorabbin's junior teams with their training. 'It's amazing to have guys of that calibre come down,' Nathan said. 'It gives the kids a chance to see that even though Melbourne is supposedly not a rugby place, we've got guys playing for Scotland, Samoa, Japan and Australia, representing all parts of the world.' Nathan said Potter spent time with the juniors and offered them advice, saying, 'if you work hard, you can make it anywhere'. 'I think that's great for the kids to hear,' Nathan said. 'You don't have to grow up to be six foot four to be able to play ... that's one of the wonderful things about rugby, because it does cater for all shapes and sizes.' Nathan remembered Potter showing 'signs of being a really good player' in his early days at Moorabbin. The inevitable wizard puns and magic jokes ramped up once he moved back home. (The first J. K. Rowling book was published in 1997, the year the future Wallaby was born, before burgeoning into a literary juggernaut and movie franchise.)
Sydney Morning Herald
an hour ago
- Sydney Morning Herald
The Wallabies were uninspiring last week. Australia deserves better
But still, Schmidt's messaging in this series so far has hit the wrong note. Even before the first Test there was a reference to the 'short runway' the Wallabies had, and the statement that accompanied the team announcement for the Melbourne Test included a line on how 'the week's preparation here in Melbourne has allowed us a bit more time together'. Whatever the ins and outs of the Wallabies' preparations – and Schmidt's statements hint at his unhappiness – this is not a message that can be sold to the Australian rugby public, which has for more than a decade been asked to accept deferred gratification as one great plan or another unfolds, only for none to come to fruition. It's a line that goes way back, to even before the 2011 Rugby World Cup when Robbie Deans was granted a contract extension before the tournament and indicated afterwards the performance of younger players at that event pointed to a brighter future. The points made here would be much more muted had it not been for the performance of the First Nations and Pasifika team on Tuesday, and also the Waratahs in their tour game against the Lions. Loading Had those games been walkovers, as expected, we could have fallen into the comfortable old excuse about Australia 'not having the cattle', which is so much easier to process than the awkward business of posing hard questions. But the fact is the First Nations and Pasifika side and the Waratahs rattled the Lions, and the tourists' response on Tuesday was telling: after being punched on the nose by Kefu's troops, they tried to go around them, not through them as needed. They lost the fight, even if their superior class won the evening in the end. Schmidt poked a hole in their approach by highlighting the number of line breaks they conceded, but it was as clear as day that the Lions were upset by the First Nations and Pasifika's line speed: they were stressed and started looking for the easier options with ball in hand, a concession to Lukhan Salakaia-Loto and Charlie Gamble in particular.
