Wallabies improvement ‘through the roof' … and the Boks are up next
British & Irish Lions coach Andy Farrell has praised the improvement in the Wallabies ahead of their Rugby Championship campaign, starting with matches against the Springboks.
The Wallabies narrowly lost their Lions tour 2–1, though their second defeat came after a controversial refereeing decision in the dying minutes gave the Lions the win (score 29–26). They recovered from that and won the last match comfortably, 22–12, in Sydney last weekend.
In the build-up to the final match, Springbok coach Rassie Erasmus said his money had been on Australia to win the second game. He said he knew they would up the ante in the third Test, and bring the same fire when they take on the Springboks in their opening Rugby Championship matches in Johannesburg and Cape Town on 16 and 23 August, respectively.
Wallabies much improved over last 18 months
After the tour, coach Farrell said it was frustrating not to be the first unbeaten Lions side to tour since 1974.
Still, he lauded the tenacity of the current Australian set-up, who, though ranked eighth in the world now, are much-improved from the 2023 side that was the first Wallabies outfit to fail to reach the World Cup quarter-finals. They have also finished last in the previous two Rugby Championships.
'The best team won the night,' Farrell said. 'I've just said to the lads, on reflection, it may take one or two beers to be unbelievably proud of what they have achieved throughout this tour.
'We all know how difficult it is to be successful on a Lions tour against a good side like Australia, and they are a good side, and they proved that over the series.'
He said the Wallabies had progressed 'through the roof' over the past 18 months. He also backed them to continue bettering themselves and be a major threat come the 2027 World Cup in Australia.
'I said to Joe [Schmidt] out there on the pitch, I think that special things are going to happen for this team over the next 18 months, and when the World Cup comes around, they will be a force to be reckoned with.
'They have got some special athletes and some special players, and it's not a surprise to us how they have performed over the last couple of weeks.'
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