Schmidt got it wrong and must ring changes

Sydney Morning Herald

6 days ago

Rob Valetini and Will Skelton are all but certain to feature in the second Test against the British and Irish Lions in Melbourne next Saturday, but they can't be the only 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.