Ex-All Blacks coach highlights areas of focus as he aims to improve Wallabies’ defence
New Wallabies defence coach Scott McLeod (inset) has revealed how he's aiming to improve their defence.
Scott McLeod has opened up on how he hopes to add value in his position as the Wallabies’ new defence coach ahead of their upcoming two-Test series against Japan.
Australia are set to take on Japan in back-to-back Tests in Osaka on August 8 and Townsville on August 15.
McLeod is an experienced coach who previously worked as an assistant at Japan Rugby League One side Kubota Spears and spent more than six years as the All Blacks’ defence coach, serving at the 2019 and 2023 Rugby World Cups.
The New Zealander is part of incoming Wallabies head coach Les Kiss‘ backroom staff and he takes over as the side’s defence coach from Laurie Fisher.
Keen to get the best out of Australia on defence
McLeod is excited by the challenge of getting the best out of the Wallabies on defence and revealed how he intends to achieve that goal.
“We’ve got to be in the right places at the right time to be able to get the ball,” he said regarding his philosophy.
“The real DNA of this team is about scoring tries and playing the footy that we want to play and throwing that ball around and enjoying ourselves and expressing ourselves.
“We just have to work hard, be accurate and just get the ball to be able to do that.”
The Wallabies finished their recent Nations Championship matches as the most prolific side in terms of ruck turnovers won. According to Opta, they won 12 turnovers in three matches which is double of what Japan claimed in their three games.
With world class pilferers like Fraser McReight and Carlo Tizzano in the Wallabies ranks, McLeod is determined to empower their skills.
“The most critical point in Test rugby is around that collision point and the breakdown and how you do that,” he explained.
“The referee’s pretty hot on it at the moment in terms of wanting the game to flow and be a spectacle for the fans, which is good so we have to be really accurate both sides of the ball.
“As coaches we sit down and we talk about how we want to approach that, how we want to coach that, what are the strengths of our team that we can do well in.
‘They hold onto the ball really well’
“If you look at the Japan side, they are very good with continuity. They hold onto the ball really well, create a lot of LQB [lightning quick ball] and are able to build phases, so we have to be sharp in that area this week.”
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The former All Blacks is no stranger to Japanese rugby as apart from his recent coaching stint with Kubota Spears, he also spent the latter part of his playing career with Toshiba Brave Lupus.
“They’re playing a little bit flatter, being a little bit more direct and then if they don’t get what they want there then they’re looking to kick more,” he said.
“So far this year they have kicked the second most out of any team in the world which is a real change for them, so their game management has shifted a little bit.
“We want to be able to try and get the ball before they kick, but also when it goes in the air, you’ve also got to be able to take that as well.”
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