White tipped to retire after third Lions Test
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The Age
3 minutes ago
- The Age
‘Special things ahead': Lions coach says Wallabies will be a force at 2027 World Cup
'I said to Joe (Schmidt) before the game there on the pitch that I think special things are going to happen for this team over the next 18 months, and by the time the World Cup comes around they'll be a force to be reckoned with, like everyone's seen in the past. 'They've got some special athletes and some special players and that's no surprise to us of how they've performed over the last couple of weeks.' When informed of Farrell's comments, Schmidt joked he agrees 'with everything Faz tells me'. 'Faz and I would be good friends, go back a long way, have worked together a lot and we would also be quite like minded around probably studying other teams,' Schmidt said. 'I'd like to think that he's right.' The Wallabies' victory in Sydney opened the door for the series win by the Lions to carry an asterisk - given the contentious nature of the end of the second Test at the MCG, where the Wallabies argued Jac Morgan's cleanout on Carlo Tizzano, prior to Hugo Keenan's matchwinning try, was illegal. But Schmidt didn't want to go down that road after the game on Saturday night, which had crept into early Sunday morning by the time the teams finished their media duties. 'We can't get those points back,' Schmidt said. 'We can only try to win the points that are ahead of us. I think I've said before I'm very boring and pragmatic and all we can do is try to affect what happens to us in the future and try to control as much of that as possible by trying to grow. 'The one thing I would say is I felt we grew through the series. We lost the first half of the series poorly, we won the second half, we played well in the first half of the second test, didn't succeed eventually in that test but I felt we deserved to win both halves today. 'We fought our way through very difficult conditions and got destabilised a couple of times but fought our way through that as well.' Schmidt and Wallabies captain Harry Wilson both revealed the power of Alaalatoa's address to the team on Friday, after the side had struggled to bounce back from the disappointment of losing a thriller in Melbourne. Schmidt said Alaalatoa had badly injured his shoulder in the 14th minute of the MCG Test but played out the first half in pain and 'with one wing'. 'It was a little bit of the inspiration the players needed yesterday,' Schmidt said. 'We were flat early in the week and we got a little bit of an upswing, but I really think Alan helped.' Wilson said Alaalatoa had spoken to the team about having to be prepared to suffer to win. 'The thing with Allan, what he says he delivers - and he's spoken to us quite a bit about willing to put your body on the line for the team, whatever it takes to win,' Wilson said. 'In that game in Melbourne he tore his shoulder pretty early and he put his body on the line for the next 25 minutes. 'When he came in and spoke to us the day before a game about what we need to be willing to do for each other to win a game, it really did hit home.' The Wallabies now turn their attention to two games in South Africa for the Rugby Championship, and Schmidt said he will name a squad on Wednesday. He confirmed Jake Gordon was in doubt after injuring a hamstring at training, which could see Nic White push out his international retirement for a few more weeks. White was outstanding against the Lions and received a standing ovation when he came off, but Schmidt joked: 'Whitey will rival me maybe in terms of being kind of like Johnny Farnham, one more tour.'
Sydney Morning Herald
3 minutes ago
- Sydney Morning Herald
‘Special things ahead': Lions coach says Wallabies will be a force at 2027 World Cup
'I said to Joe (Schmidt) before the game there on the pitch that I think special things are going to happen for this team over the next 18 months, and by the time the World Cup comes around they'll be a force to be reckoned with, like everyone's seen in the past. 'They've got some special athletes and some special players and that's no surprise to us of how they've performed over the last couple of weeks.' When informed of Farrell's comments, Schmidt joked he agrees 'with everything Faz tells me'. 'Faz and I would be good friends, go back a long way, have worked together a lot and we would also be quite like minded around probably studying other teams,' Schmidt said. 'I'd like to think that he's right.' The Wallabies' victory in Sydney opened the door for the series win by the Lions to carry an asterisk - given the contentious nature of the end of the second Test at the MCG, where the Wallabies argued Jac Morgan's cleanout on Carlo Tizzano, prior to Hugo Keenan's matchwinning try, was illegal. But Schmidt didn't want to go down that road after the game on Saturday night, which had crept into early Sunday morning by the time the teams finished their media duties. 'We can't get those points back,' Schmidt said. 'We can only try to win the points that are ahead of us. I think I've said before I'm very boring and pragmatic and all we can do is try to affect what happens to us in the future and try to control as much of that as possible by trying to grow. 'The one thing I would say is I felt we grew through the series. We lost the first half of the series poorly, we won the second half, we played well in the first half of the second test, didn't succeed eventually in that test but I felt we deserved to win both halves today. 'We fought our way through very difficult conditions and got destabilised a couple of times but fought our way through that as well.' Schmidt and Wallabies captain Harry Wilson both revealed the power of Alaalatoa's address to the team on Friday, after the side had struggled to bounce back from the disappointment of losing a thriller in Melbourne. Schmidt said Alaalatoa had badly injured his shoulder in the 14th minute of the MCG Test but played out the first half in pain and 'with one wing'. 'It was a little bit of the inspiration the players needed yesterday,' Schmidt said. 'We were flat early in the week and we got a little bit of an upswing, but I really think Alan helped.' Wilson said Alaalatoa had spoken to the team about having to be prepared to suffer to win. 'The thing with Allan, what he says he delivers - and he's spoken to us quite a bit about willing to put your body on the line for the team, whatever it takes to win,' Wilson said. 'In that game in Melbourne he tore his shoulder pretty early and he put his body on the line for the next 25 minutes. 'When he came in and spoke to us the day before a game about what we need to be willing to do for each other to win a game, it really did hit home.' The Wallabies now turn their attention to two games in South Africa for the Rugby Championship, and Schmidt said he will name a squad on Wednesday. He confirmed Jake Gordon was in doubt after injuring a hamstring at training, which could see Nic White push out his international retirement for a few more weeks. White was outstanding against the Lions and received a standing ovation when he came off, but Schmidt joked: 'Whitey will rival me maybe in terms of being kind of like Johnny Farnham, one more tour.'
ABC News
3 hours ago
- ABC News
Wallabies beat Lions but are left to reflect on what could've been
Winning a dead rubber in sport can produce a range of feelings. Such a victory can boost morale, while providing relief from the humiliation of another defeat. Conversely, they can also act as a reminder of what could've been. For the Wallabies, in their three-Test series against the British and Irish Lions, it should be the latter. While the 22-12 triumph over the British and Lions in the third and final Test in Sydney meant they avoided a series whitewash, the result will also make them reflect on missed opportunities. The Wallabies offered up a meek performance in the first Test, which they lost 27-19 in Brisbane. They were dominated in the collisions on both sides of the ball and sorely missed the physicality of injured forwards Rob Valetini and Will Skelton. At one stage, the Wallabies trailed 24-5 and only added respectability to the scoreline after the Lions effectively put the cue in the rack, knowing their opponents were already beaten. The shoe was on the other foot the following week in Melbourne, with the Wallabies producing a largely clinical display in the opening 30 minutes to establish a 23-5 lead. As much as the Jac Morgan-Carlo Tizzano incident in the final minute of play was cited as the trigger for the Wallabies' downfall, the failure to protect their scoreboard advantage underpinned the 29-26 defeat to the Lions at the MCG. It wasn't a skill deficiency or poor match fitness that allowed the Lions back into the contest, rather the Wallabies' lack of confidence as a squad conspired against them. They didn't appear to have the self-belief required to put the Lions to the sword. The second Test loss isn't an isolated event in this regard, as the Wallabies have coughed up sizeable leads during their barren Bledisloe Cup run since handing over the silverware to the All Blacks in 2003. If the Wallabies are to become a World Cup contender again, they must rediscover the ability to land the knockout punch when they have teams on the ropes. Player depth is another concern, although to coach Joe Schmidt's credit he's made an effort to address the issue, having handed 19 players Test debuts in 2024. But world-class depth is elusive at this stage, as the Lions series illustrated. Yes, there are positions where it could be argued the Wallabies go at least two deep in terms of Test-standard players, such as openside flanker, where Fraser McReight and Tizzano are available. But the Wallabies' options are limited in other positions, most notably fly-half. Tom Lynagh showed potential against the Lions, but he wasn't in the same class as Finn Russell, who expertly steered the tourists' attack wearing the 10 jersey. The Wallabies next face the two-time defending world champion Springboks in back-to-back Rugby Championship Tests in South Africa, beginning in a fortnight. Where Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii is selected may be of interest, as there is debate about whether the ex-Sydney Rooster should be shifted from outside centre to wing. If Suaalii's moves out one spot, Hunter Paisami may be recalled to the midfield, allowing Len Ikitau to return to his preferred position at outside centre. Would Schmidt consider a left-field option such as using Ikitau's Brumbies teammate David Feliuai at inside centre, given their effectiveness as a combination in Super Rugby Pacific? Perhaps that would be throwing caution to the wind, but the Rugby Championship does give Schmidt the opportunity to look at fresh faces across some positions. It would be a shock if the likes of the uncapped Ryan Lonergan and Joe Brial aren't on his radar when it comes to naming his wider squad. Bob Dwyer famously used the Wallabies' 2-1 series loss to the Lions in 1989 to take stock of what his squad lacked two years out from a World Cup. Realising there were players not — or no longer — of Test quality, he ushered in eight debutants in the Wallabies' next two internationals against the All Blacks and France, including 1991 World Cup heroes Tony Daly, Phil Kearns, Rod McCall, Tim Horan and Jason Little. Schmidt, who will be replaced in his role by Les Kiss next year, isn't expected to participate in any bloodletting. But like Dwyer did 36 years ago, he needs to assess whether the current squad is comprised of players that will be a chance of lifting the Webb Ellis Cup when Australia hosts the World Cup in 2027. The Lions series won't just provide lessons for the Wallabies, as Australian rugby as a whole needs to learn how it can improve. There must be takeaways for the semi-professional and grassroot levels of the game, which will hopefully benefit from the financial windfall the cash-strapped Rugby Australia will enjoy from the tour. During his career, World Cup-winning All Blacks coach Graham Henry spoke several times of the transformative nature of the Lions' visit to New Zealand in 1971. The Lions, coached by Welshman Carwyn James, won the four-Test series against the All Blacks, with Henry describing the tour as "very influential on New Zealand rugby". "I think the '71 Lions won the first World Cup (in 1987) for us because we had to change our game," Henry said in 2005. "That shook the foundations of New Zealand rugby and from the top down things changed." Time will tell what impact the 2025 Lions will have on Australian rugby. But it would be hoped their defeat of the Wallabies can inspire young coaches and players locally in similar way to what Henry experienced.
