Last month Joe Schmidt said that unless the Wallabies’ young contingent of playmakers were backed, “it’ll be difficult for them.”
“If you put them in and out, they don’t get continuity. They don’t build confidence,” said Schmidt in the minutes after Ben Donaldson’s struggles and Noah Lolesio’s gritted teeth cameo off the bench against Georgia.
Now, it’s time for Schmidt’s actions to back up his words.
After Donaldson was cast aside for Saturday’s opening TRC clash to finetune his detail, Lolesio struggled behind a badly beaten-up pack during the Wallabies’ 33-7 loss to the Springboks in front of 52,019 fans at Suncorp Stadium.
Unsurprisingly, Lolesio’s stocks went down during his 63-minute performance, Tom Lynagh’s went fractionally up, while Donaldson benefitted from not playing.
Are we surprised? Absolutely not, I wrote as much earlier this month in a column titled ‘Australia First policy risks monumental mismatch against Boks team flush with world stars’.
Noah Lolesio of the Wallabies looks on during the men’s International Test match between Australia Wallabies and Wales at Allianz Stadium on July 06, 2024 in Sydney, Australia. (Photo by Jason McCawley/Getty Images)
Lolesio was likely always in for a tough afternoon, having played less than ten minutes of action in four weeks to prepare for the back-to-back world champions, who had 12 world champions in their starting XV. Meanwhile, of the Wallabies’ 13 forwards in the matchday squad, seven had made their international debut over the previous 13 months.
Since debuting, Lolesio, 24, has played 21 of the 45 Tests the Wallabies have played.
It’s therefore no surprise the Brumbies playmaker struggled to turn the Wallabies’ ship around against a fired-up Springboks side that made mincemeat out of their opposition’s scrum. Even Dan Carter would have struggled against the Boks.
Having opted not to go hard to keep the services of Carter Gordon, who had an up-and-down season playing in a Super Rugby side that played the entire year in limbo and was ultimately speared, the Wallabies risk breaking another playmaker if they drop Lolesio again.
Given question marks already exist over Donaldson’s worth as an international fly-half, the Wallabies can’t afford to shatter Lolesio’s confidence.
If they do, who will they turn to next?
The playmaker must be given the entire Rugby Championship, where Schmidt’s men face three out of the four nations who made up the final four at the 2023 World Cup, to prove he can lead the Wallabies into battle against the British and Irish Lions in 11 months.
While Lynagh’s calmness and skill set are valued by Schmidt, turning to the 21-year-old so early in his career risks falling into the same trap as Lolesio and Donaldson.
Tom Lynagh played his second Test off the bench for the Wallabies against the Springboks in Brisbane. (Photo by Cameron Spencer/Getty Images)
Lynagh wasn’t able to turn the course of the Reds’ quarter-final loss to the Chiefs in Waikato.
On that Friday evening, the Reds’ pack was physically dominated like Lolesio’s Wallabies last Saturday.
It’s worth remembering that Richie Mo’unga was 24 when he first got an opportunity for the All Blacks. It took him years to truly find his feet on the international stage, too – and by that point, he had several Super Rugby titles under his belt.
Wallabies’ loss worse than Eddie’s first-up loss to Boks
Making Saturday’s 33-7 loss to the Springboks even worse was that it came after a dream runway in July.
Where Eddie Jones’ first-up Test back in charge of the Wallabies was at Loftus Versfeld – one of the toughest venues to win in the world – Schmidt’s side warmed up with three significantly easier hit-outs against Wales and Georgia. It was in every sense of the word a honeymoon for Schmidt.
Jones’ Wallabies were demolished 43-12, but they started well on that fateful July day last year with Marika Koroibete crossing early.
The issue is few teams can keep up the momentum on the highveld, where the air is thin and the crowd hostile.
Schmidt’s Wallabies on the other hand didn’t fire a shot as they paid the price for a woeful kicking game, where their tactics bit them in the backside.
TRC opener puts more pressure on eligibility laws
Saturday’s opening day of the TRC was interesting because both nations with tougher international eligibility laws came out second-best.
The All Blacks don’t allow foreign-based players to play Test rugby while Schmidt’s Wallabies don’t want to turn to overseas.
In short, it’s in the interests of their broadcast deals and its Super Rugby product to keep the restrictions tight.
Joel Sclavi of Argentina celebrates their win over New Zealand in Wellington. (Photo by Hagen Hopkins/Getty Images)
Others have added that it’s harder to build cohesion and connection by picking from abroad.
Yet, the Springboks, who pick from all over the globe, and Argentina, who mainly play in France and England, were first-up winners.
They didn’t just win but won well, too.
Social posts rub salt into the wound
Just as the Wallabies were being towelled up, former winger Mark Nawaqanitawase was being unveiled in Roosters colours. It didn’t have to be like that.
Despite Phil Waugh saying the Wallabies need to get back to targeting the next Test, Schmidt put a line through anyone who wasn’t going to be a part of his plans for next year’s Lions series.
There is logic to Schmidt’s stance but that’s only if depth exists.
The Wallabies adopted a kick-heavy strategy during the opening 20 minutes against the Springboks but didn’t have anyone in the air capable of winning the ball back.
Kurt-Lee Arendse scored two tries for the Springboks in their 33-7 win over the Wallabies. (Photo by Matt Roberts/Getty Images)
While pocket rocket Cheslin Kolbe is one of the best in the air in the game, the Wallabies’ starting back three – Tom Wright, Andrew Kellaway and Filipo Daugunu – aren’t anywhere near as strong in the air.
It meant that Jake Gordon’s attacking box kicks were unlikely to prove successful.
If the Wallabies wanted to challenge South Africa in the air, they needed Nawaqanitawase.
Dylan Pietsch can challenge in the air while injured star Jordan Petaia, who remains uncontracted for 2025, is the best left in Australia alongside Suliasi Vunivalu.
ABs woes highlight Wallabies’ missed opportunity
It’s long been said that the Wallabies’ best chance to win back the Bledisloe Cup was when the remaining giants of New Zealand’s 2015 World Cup side moved on.
In 2016, Steve Hansen still had a factory of stars ready to be unearthed and given a chance to fill the void left by Richie McCaw, Dan Carter, Ma’a Nonu and Jerome Kaino.
McCaw left but Sam Cane stepped up. Ditto, Beauden Barrett off the bench to replace Carter.
But eight years later, it’s proved more difficult for Scott Robertson to instantly replace the rest of the 2015 class like Dane Coles, Sam Whitelock, Brodie Retallick and Aaron Smith.
The All Blacks following their upset loss to Argentina at Sky Stadium on August 10, 2024 in Wellington. (Photo by Hagen Hopkins/Getty Images)
Saturday’s 38-30 loss to Argentina in New Zealand showed that.
The eight-point defeat came after shaky victories against England on home soil in July.
What it shows is that the All Blacks are, at long last, vulnerable.
That would usually give the Wallabies a sniff.
The issue is by not drawing on the resources abroad, the Wallabies aren’t capitalising on the golden opportunity to wrestle back some silverware.
