Joe Schmidt should let Wallabies play for their states against the Lions. Here's why
The All Blacks, to the pleasant surprise of many at the time, allowed established Test stars such as Sam Whitelock, Codie Taylor, Owen Franks and Israel Dagg to play for the Crusaders against the Lions just two weeks before the first Test of the series.
Wallabies coach Joe Schmidt has signalled this won't happen this year, and the apparent discrepancy has already been picked up in the northern hemisphere, where fears of the tour being devalued are a quadrennial storyline.
The complexity of this year's schedule is that the Wallabies are playing against Fiji in Newcastle on July 6, one day after the Waratahs host the Lions in Sydney and four days after the Reds welcome them in Brisbane.
It is the addition of that Fiji fixture two weeks before the first Test on July 19 that will weaken the Reds and the Waratahs for the Lions tour games, not Schmidt's desire to shield his players from injury risk, and the question really become one of whether the Wallabies are better served by the Fiji Test or playing in the tour games.
It is self-evident that the tour as a whole would benefit from the Wallabies' top-liners being available for the first three tour games (the Force, the Reds and the Waratahs – the Brumbies game is just 10 days away from the opening Test and a less realistic prospect).
Imagine the frisson in Brisbane if Harry Wilson was permitted to run it off the back fence against the Lions in a Queensland jersey on July 2.
But from a high-performance perspective, the tour games are also surely better preparation for the Test series than the hit-out against Fiji, whose style is completely different to that of the Lions and whose players are largely familiar to the Wallabies thanks to the presence of the Drua in Super Rugby Pacific.
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Sydney Morning Herald
3 hours ago
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Sydney Morning Herald
8 hours ago
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The Age
8 hours ago
- The Age
Beers and some homework: How the Wallabies celebrated a 62-year first
They claimed a golden piece of Australian rugby history with the first victory at Ellis Park in 62 years, but the Wallabies mixed celebratory drinks with laptop reviews on Sunday as they brace for a 'brutal' response from the wounded Springboks in Cape Town next weekend. However sober, the celebrations were well deserved for the Wallabies after they stunned the world to beat the back-to-back world champions at high altitude in Johannesburg, coming from 22-0 behind after and scoring six unanswered tries to finish with a 38-22 win. It was the second-biggest comeback Test win ever by the Wallabies, and Australia's first victory over South Africa at Ellis Park since 1963. Captain Harry Wilson scored two tries in an inspirational performance before coming off with a knee injury, but he will remain with the side as they head to Cape Town for a second Rugby Championship clash. The win came at a cost, however, with Dylan Pietsch undergoing surgery on a broken jaw and James Slipper (HIA) to head home, along with Ben Donaldson (abductor). Rhys Van Nek, Hamish Stewart and Filip Daugunu will all fly to Cape Town. Wallabies lock Will Skelton said the Australian dressing rooms had a special buzz at Ellis Park, with former skipper George Gregan even popping in to toast the team. 'We got around each other last night,' Skelton said. 'Just the way to fight back there. The first 20 - it was tough, even watching it back, there was a lot to look at. But yeah ... the end result, what a feeling, what a game, and what a place to do it.' Veteran five-eighth James O'Connor said breaking the 62-year drought was a moment of pride, but the celebrations were relatively muted. The on-field part was due to all the players being exhausted, and post-match, attention quickly turned to the second part of the mission - to beat the Boks again in Cape Town.
