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Fed up with being second best, the Wallabies are eager to carry the wave of momentum they played behind in the final stages of their Sydney disappointment and deliver it from the outset in Wellington.
The Wallabies arrived in the New Zealand capital on Sunday licking their wounds after another case of being so close yet so far against their arch-rivals.
After last year’s heartbreak in Dunedin, the Wallabies cruelled their hopes of snapping their 22-year Bledisloe Cup drought by coughing up a 21-point lead after 15 minutes.
Although the Wallabies finished with a wet sail by scoring twice inside the last 15 minutes to narrow the margin to a penalty, time and an effective choke tackle from Ardie Savea and TJ Perenara ultimately got the better of Joe Schmidt’s men.
While fans left Sydney’s Olympic Park upbeat after a dramatic contest, the playing group was hardly jumping up and down about another close defeat.
“A feeling of disappointment,” halfback Tate McDermott described the feeling from the loss. “We’ve probably been in this position before where we were almost good enough.
“There’s an element of frustration to that, but at the same time, the review was a mixture because we had to address what happened in that first half and we also had to address what really worked for us in that second half.”
The Wallabies speak to one another after going down narrowly to the All Blacks at Accor Stadium on September 21, 2024 in Sydney. (Photo by Cameron Spencer/Getty Images)
Returning Test hooker Brandon Paenga-Amosa agreed, saying close enough wasn’t good enough in their eyes.
“There were a lot of good things we did, but then there were a lot of times where we missed the mark,” said the 28-year-old, who came off the bench to play his first Test in three years.
“Just like Tatie said, we’re done with the whole ‘we almost got them in the end’ and we just want to change that to we did it, we finished the job, we got that ‘w’.”
Asked what stood out about their Monday review, McDermott said mentally they weren’t in the fight early which meant they often came off second best across the park.
“There’s probably two key things,” said the Reds co-skipper.
“[We were] a little bit off around our mindset at the start, so collisions, the physicality side.
“We let them dominate off our fundamental errors pretty much, so loose ball carries, not chasing kicks, not competing.
“In combination with that, the Kiwis are so good at finding weaknesses in your defence. As soon as someone drops off, someone starts walking into place, slow to set, guys like Damian McKenzie [and] Will Jordan, they’ll find little chinks in the armour – and they did. That’s pretty much what we addressed, and that’s what we’ll be looking to seal up.”
McDermott added they needed to ensure they didn’t lose their connection in defence to ensure they shut down the All Blacks’ attacking threats.
“I’d say everyone’s clear (on the defensive system), but the separation we’re getting at the moment is people are maybe seeing different pictures and that comes from speed of set,” he said.
“At the moment, we’re giving them a little bit too much space, but everyone’s clear on the plan and we actioned that in the back end of the game in the last 40 minutes.”
Although the Bledisloe Cup is now out of reach for a 22 straight year, the Wallabies are desperate to back up their final 20 minute surge to prove to their supporters – and themselves – that they can compete against the best in the world.
“Respect is earned,” McDermott said.
“If we come out like we did on the weekend and put in a decent performance for 40 minutes and we don’t back it up over here, which has probably been the trend for the last couple of years, it doesn’t mean anything.
“We’ve got to make sure that we compete and we put ourselves in positions to win those moments.”
As for not having the chance to play for silverware given the Bledisloe Cup is currently played over two Tests, the Wallabies believe winning away from home would be a milestone in itself.
“To be honest, I don’t think that really changes much,” Paenga-Amosa said.
“We’ve just got to win. Three games, two games, our goal isn’t to win two out of three, it’s to win both. So I don’t really think it changes much.
“Next year when the Bledisloe is up for grabs, we’ve definitely just got to be better and more accurate and more consistent in that area. We’ve just got to focus on this week first.”
Tate McDermott in the open against the All Blacks. (Photo by Steve Christo – Corbis/Corbis via Getty Images)
The Wallabies’ last win in Wellington against the All Blacks was back in 2000 when John Eales sunk Wayne Smith’s men with a last second penalty.
But they head to Sky Stadium knowing they went within a coat of Dulux paint from taking an incredible 1-0 series lead in 2020 when Reece Hodge’s penalty sailed just past the post from the halfway line to see them leave with a draw.
They also head to the venue knowing the All Blacks have struggled at the cake tin, having stumbled there earlier this year against Argentina in their Rugby Championship opener.
Nor has it been a happy hunting ground recently either since losing to the British and Irish Lions in 2017, with Ireland knocking over the All Blacks at the venue in 2022 on their way to a famous series victory too.
“I don’t think we can really look into records because you look at our record in New Zealand, we haven’t won there for a very long time,” McDermott said.
“The last time we played them there, it ended up being a draw – and that wasn’t enough either.
“We’ve got to focus on what we can control.”
The Wallabies aren’t the only ones under pressure heading into the final match of The Rugby Championship, with the All Blacks copping a battering in the wake of their unconvincing victory.
After blowing several tryscoring opportunities, the All Blacks were forced to hang on after being reduced to 13 men and conceding two late tries.
The ugly win has cast a darker cloud over the All Blacks’ new management, including the decision to persist with Damian McKenzie at fly-half, heading into their final home Test of the year.
Despite recognising they were under pressure, McDermott, who was at the heart of the Wallabies’ resurgence, said they were expecting a response from their trans-Tasman rivals given they struggled to finish their chances in the final 50 minutes.
“I think they’ll be confident in knowing that they created a lot, they just didn’t finish it,” McDermott said.
“For them, it’s a couple of passes that go to hand and the scoreboard builds a little bit more and we’re under more pressure than we probably could have been.
“I don’t think they’ll be reading too much about what’s going on, but I know that they’ll certainly want to finish their last home game of the year in a good fashion. It’s been a pretty tough couple of weeks for them, aside from their victory on the weekend.”
McDermott returns to New Zealand as the last man to captain the Wallabies in the Shaky Isles, with his side falling just short in Dunedin last year.
Now playing the role of super sub, McDermott said the Wallabies were enjoying playing under the ‘follow-me’ type leadership under long-time Reds teammate Harry Wilson.
“Wils has been awesome since he’s taken the armband,” McDermott said.
“I think he’s just stuck to what he’s good at – and that’s playing footy.
“He doesn’t do a hell of a lot of speaking. He leaves that to the senior boys around him. But the boys respect him for how he plays in that gold jersey.
“I’ve played a lot of footy with Wills and his consistency lately has been incredible. We’re going to need him and 22 other men to put in a huge shift on Saturday night.”
