Under-fire Wallabies dismiss 'ridiculous' criticism

Perth Now

23-07-2025

Wallabies winger Harry Potter has rubbished Clive Woodward's suggestion there is a "losing mentality" in Australian rugby ahead of the do-or-die second Test against the Lions in Melbourne.
England's World Cup-winning coach Woodward criticised the Wallabies after captain Harry Wilson's decision to kick the ball out to end the first Test in Brisbane rather than chase another try.
It might have come as some relief to Wallabies fans that their underdogs weren't mauled by the Lions in the series-opening 27-19 defeat.
But Potter on Wednesday said Joe Schmidt's men aren't content with simply competing with the Lions.
"It's pretty ridiculous to suggest that the 23 people who played on the weekend have a mentality of losing," Potter said at the MCG, which will host the second Test on Saturday night.
"We went out there to win the game, and we didn't win the game.
"But it was our intention very much and you could tell from every player in the team we wanted to win that game."
He said it had been tough looking back at the first Test, in which the Wallabies were out-muscled by the tourists and trailed 24-5 after 42 minutes.
Two late tries added some respectability to the scoreboard and gave the Wallabies belief they can turn the tables in Melbourne, with Potter urging his team to heed the lessons learnt.
They could also take pointers from the aggressive performance of the First Nations and Pasifika team, which ruffled the Lions' feathers in a narrow 24-19 defeat on Tuesday night.
"It felt like we didn't put our best foot forward, particularly in the first 50 or 60 minutes," Potter said of the Wallabies' first Test showing.
"There were a lot of lessons to take out of that one.
"They're an incredibly strong team and we know that we've got to come out better and start the game stronger.
"But I suppose there were some positive signs towards the end of the game.
"If we can string enough things together then we'll go a lot better than what we did."
Potter said the Wallabies had no need to address the do-or-die nature of the second Test, as they seek to emulate the 2001 Australian side that recovered from 1-0 down to claim a famous 2-1 series win against the Lions.
"Everyone's on the same page; you know you have to win this game to keep the series alive," Potter said.
"Emotionally it's very simple this week and we all know the task at hand, so I don't think anyone's got any questions about what's at stake."
Potter, who will head from Western Force to the NSW Waratahs in the next Super Rugby season, endured a frustrating night on a personal level in Brisbane.
And former Wallabies captain, Michael Hooper, this week suggested Hunter Paisami be injected into the centres for the Melbourne Test, a move that would shift Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii to the wing and bump Potter out of the side.
The London-born 27-year-old lived a period of his youth in Melbourne and said it would be a dream to play at the MCG.
"It's a mecca of sport, this place, in my eyes," Potter said.
"If I can be out here on Saturday night against the British and Irish Lions, it would be a pretty special place to play the game."
Potter was in the crowd the last time the Wallabies hosted the Lions in Melbourne, in 2013.