Latest news with #JoeSchmidt
The Star
an hour ago
- Sport
- The Star
Rugby-Schmidt, Farrell mull options with Lions series on the line
FILE PHOTO: Rugby Union - Autumn Internationals - England v Australia - Allianz Stadium Twickenham, London, Britain - November 9, 2024 Australia head coach Joe Schmidt before the match Action Images via Reuters/Andrew Boyers/File Photo MELBOURNE (Reuters) -Joe Schmidt will unveil his team for the second test against the British & Irish Lions in Melbourne on Thursday, a lineup that could go a long way to defining his time as coach of Australia. Australia must find a response to the physical dominance the tourists exerted in the opening hour of the first test defeat in Brisbane or risk becoming the first Wallabies team to fail to take a Lions series to a decider. Rob Valetini, Australia's best test player of the last two years, has recovered from a calf injury and will take his place in the back row at the expense of rookie Nick Champion de Crespigny. Lock Will Skelton has also recovered from a similar injury and while his inclusion would certainly beef up the pack, his limitations at the lineout might require a tweak of the back row to add another jumper. Schmidt has had no shortage of helpful suggestions from media pundits this week with most concurring that the hard-running Angus Bell should be promoted to start at loosehead prop instead of 36-year-old James Slipper. Dave Porecki should be available after sustaining a concussion against Fiji two weeks ago and his lineout throwing would help shore up an area of the game where the Wallabies struggled in the first test. Behind the scrum, Tom Lynagh showed enough in his first test start to get another shot, although many would like him to do so in tandem with his Queensland Reds teammate Tate McDermott, who had a fine game off the bench in Brisbane. There have also been calls to shift Joseph Suaalii from centre into the back three after he struggled to make an impact in Brisbane until it was too late. That would also allow Len Ikitau to move to his more favoured outside centre spot with Hunter Paisami, another Queenland Red, slotting into the midfield outside Lynagh. Lions coach Andy Farrell's job is a little easier after the early dominance the tourists showed in Brisbane, although he looks likely to be forced to make a change to his second row. Irish lock Joe McCarthy limped off with a foot injury early in the second half at Lang Park and has not trained this week, leaving the door open for Ollie Chessum to move up from the bench. The head knock suffered by Marcus Smith against the First Nations & Pasikifa XV on Tuesday could open up a spot on the bench for Farrell's playmaker son Owen, who was called up as an injury replacement for his fourth Lions tour. (Reporting by Nick Mulvenney in Sydney, editing by Peter Rutherford)
Straits Times
an hour ago
- Sport
- Straits Times
Schmidt, Farrell mull options with Lions series on the line
MELBOURNE - Joe Schmidt will unveil his team for the second test against the British & Irish Lions in Melbourne on Thursday, a lineup that could go a long way to defining his time as coach of Australia. Australia must find a response to the physical dominance the tourists exerted in the opening hour of the first test defeat in Brisbane or risk becoming the first Wallabies team to fail to take a Lions series to a decider. Rob Valetini, Australia's best test player of the last two years, has recovered from a calf injury and will take his place in the back row at the expense of rookie Nick Champion de Crespigny. Lock Will Skelton has also recovered from a similar injury and while his inclusion would certainly beef up the pack, his limitations at the lineout might require a tweak of the back row to add another jumper. Schmidt has had no shortage of helpful suggestions from media pundits this week with most concurring that the hard-running Angus Bell should be promoted to start at loosehead prop instead of 36-year-old James Slipper. Dave Porecki should be available after sustaining a concussion against Fiji two weeks ago and his lineout throwing would help shore up an area of the game where the Wallabies struggled in the first test. Behind the scrum, Tom Lynagh showed enough in his first test start to get another shot, although many would like him to do so in tandem with his Queensland Reds teammate Tate McDermott, who had a fine game off the bench in Brisbane. There have also been calls to shift Joseph Suaalii from centre into the back three after he struggled to make an impact in Brisbane until it was too late. That would also allow Len Ikitau to move to his more favoured outside centre spot with Hunter Paisami, another Queenland Red, slotting into the midfield outside Lynagh. Lions coach Andy Farrell's job is a little easier after the early dominance the tourists showed in Brisbane, although he looks likely to be forced to make a change to his second row. Irish lock Joe McCarthy limped off with a foot injury early in the second half at Lang Park and has not trained this week, leaving the door open for Ollie Chessum to move up from the bench. The head knock suffered by Marcus Smith against the First Nations & Pasikifa XV on Tuesday could open up a spot on the bench for Farrell's playmaker son Owen, who was called up as an injury replacement for his fourth Lions tour. REUTERS
CNA
an hour ago
- Sport
- CNA
Schmidt, Farrell mull options with Lions series on the line
MELBOURNE :Joe Schmidt will unveil his team for the second test against the British & Irish Lions in Melbourne on Thursday, a lineup that could go a long way to defining his time as coach of Australia. Australia must find a response to the physical dominance the tourists exerted in the opening hour of the first test defeat in Brisbane or risk becoming the first Wallabies team to fail to take a Lions series to a decider. Rob Valetini, Australia's best test player of the last two years, has recovered from a calf injury and will take his place in the back row at the expense of rookie Nick Champion de Crespigny. Lock Will Skelton has also recovered from a similar injury and while his inclusion would certainly beef up the pack, his limitations at the lineout might require a tweak of the back row to add another jumper. Schmidt has had no shortage of helpful suggestions from media pundits this week with most concurring that the hard-running Angus Bell should be promoted to start at loosehead prop instead of 36-year-old James Slipper. Dave Porecki should be available after sustaining a concussion against Fiji two weeks ago and his lineout throwing would help shore up an area of the game where the Wallabies struggled in the first test. Behind the scrum, Tom Lynagh showed enough in his first test start to get another shot, although many would like him to do so in tandem with his Queensland Reds teammate Tate McDermott, who had a fine game off the bench in Brisbane. There have also been calls to shift Joseph Suaalii from centre into the back three after he struggled to make an impact in Brisbane until it was too late. That would also allow Len Ikitau to move to his more favoured outside centre spot with Hunter Paisami, another Queenland Red, slotting into the midfield outside Lynagh. Lions coach Andy Farrell's job is a little easier after the early dominance the tourists showed in Brisbane, although he looks likely to be forced to make a change to his second row. Irish lock Joe McCarthy limped off with a foot injury early in the second half at Lang Park and has not trained this week, leaving the door open for Ollie Chessum to move up from the bench. The head knock suffered by Marcus Smith against the First Nations & Pasikifa XV on Tuesday could open up a spot on the bench for Farrell's playmaker son Owen, who was called up as an injury replacement for his fourth Lions tour.
France 24
4 hours ago
- Sport
- France 24
Wallabies wing Potter rubbishes 'ridiculous' losing mentality jibe
England's World Cup-winning coach Clive Woodward slammed the home side after captain Harry Wilson kicked the ball dead after the hooter to end the first Test in Brisbane, rather than try to score when 27-19 down. "Talk about a losing mentality," said Woodward. "For me, it is the last play of the game so why not have a mentality to try and score as this could be the situation in seven days' time, only closer?" he wrote in a British newspaper column. "Why would any player, especially the captain, want to end the game?" Potter blasted Woodward's claim as unwarranted. "It's pretty ridiculous to suggest that the 23 people who played on the weekend have a mentality of losing," he said at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, which will host the second Test on Saturday. "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." Potter said coach Joe Schmidt and the side learned plenty of lessons which they will take into Saturday's showdown in front of an expected crowd of 90,000. "It's been tough looking back at that game, certainly learnt a fair bit," he said. "It felt like we didn't put our best foot forward, particularly the first 50-60 minutes. "Lot of lessons to take out of that one. They're an incredibly strong team, but we know that we've just got to come out better and start the game stronger. "And I suppose there were some positive signs towards the end of the game where we felt like if we string enough things together, then we can go a lot better than we did," he added. The Wallabies need to win on Saturday to keep the three-Test series alive and Potter said there was no lack of determination within the squad. "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," he said. The third and final Test is in Sydney on August 2.
BBC News
17 hours ago
- Sport
- BBC News
First Nations and Pasifika offer lessons for hosts' must-win Test
A First Nations and Pasifika side – riled by the absence of ineligible flanker Peter Samu and inspired by the coming together of cultures – will have provided plenty for Wallabies coach Joe Schmidt to ponder before the second Test against the British and Irish Lions on Schmidt will have been impressed by their physical edge and competitive spiciness. The Wallabies started too slow in Brisbane and the game was out of their reach before they mustered a fightback. The First Nations and Pasifika, led by 2013 Lions series veteran Kurtley Beale and offering the heft of Lukhan Salakaia-Loto and Seru Uru, gave the Lions arguably their most competitive match so far down Gamble's continual menacing of the breakdown suggested that the Lions, even if this was essentially a second-string touring side, could still be got at on the floor. Tadhg Beirne and Tom Curry will know their superb performances from the first Test may need to be of the First Nations and Pasifika tries came from front-door close-quarters shunts from the forwards. Could a beefed-up Wallabies pack get over the whitewash in similar fashion?
