Ex-Wallabies star gives forthright verdict on Joe Schmidt’s current woes ahead of British & Irish Lions series
Australia warm-up ahead of a Rugby Championship Test and former Wallabies utility back Berrick Barnes.
Former Australia utility back Berrick Barnes has given his view on the Wallabies’ current struggles in the Rugby Championship and reveals what he feels must be done for them to be competitive in next year’s series against the British & Irish Lions.
The Wallabies are currently languishing in 10th position in the World Rugby rankings after winning just one out of six Tests during their recent Rugby Championship campaign.
At the start of the year, Rugby Australia appointed Joe Schmidt to take over the Wallabies‘ coaching reins from Eddie Jones, who stepped down from the role after a disastrous Rugby World Cup campaign.
Schmidt’s coaching tenure got off to a good start as the Wallabies claimed back-to-back victories over Wales before beating Georgia in a one-off Test.
Reality check in Rugby Championship
That put them in a confident mood ahead of the Rugby Championship but they received a brutal reality check in the southern hemisphere’s leading international tournament.
Schmidt’s charges eventually finished at the bottom of the standings with their solitary victory being a narrow 20-19 triumph over Argentina in La Plata.
They suffered a humiliating 67-27 defeat to Los Pumas in the corresponding fixture in Sante Fe and also lost back-to-back matches against the Springboks, as well as the All Blacks.
Barnes, who represented Australia at fly-half or inside centre in 51 Tests between 2007 and 2013, is obviously concerned by his country’s current poor form but said he knew they would struggle during the Rugby Championship.
Speaking on the Behind the Ruck podcast, he was asked by former Springboks scrum-half Rudy Paige what the Wallabies can do to turn their fortunes around and said: “What you guys are talking is a long-term fix. And we got a short-term problem coming up, which is the Lions.
“It’s just, you know, a combo of probably, the top two teams in the world or top three or four in the world coming together.
“And you’re just going, geez, it’s, you know, it’s ominous. There’s no two ways to look at it. And in the short term, I think we’ve just got to get as much continuity with the key players.”
Much has been said about the overall structure of Australian rugby and their woes are not just restricted to on the field but also off it. Earlier this year, the Melbourne Rebels went into administration and were subsequently axed from Super Rugby Pacific at the end of the campaign.
The Rebels’ situation is similar to rugby’s wider financial problems in Australia and Barnes believes the decision to ditch them could eventually help to get the sport on the right track in the country.
“It hurts to lose the Rebels,” he said. “Now, whether all that goes through, I’m not sure but I think in the long run, it’ll be better having four quality teams, two that’ll compete for finals, two that’ll bring up the rear because that’s pretty much how history has gone.”
Some positives for the Wallabies
The 38-year-old, who is the current backline coach for Japan’s women’s team, said that while there is plenty of work-ons for Australian rugby, there are some positives which he believes is encouraging for the Wallabies.
“Just getting that continuity of guys playing together week in, week out, you’re starting to see a few things, like seeing Harry Wilson and Fraser McReight, their combo’s starting to come,” he added.
However, he feels all the players have to pull in the same direction if the Wallabies are to improve.
“We really need guys like Taniela Tupou to play to their potential,” said Barnes. “I know that’s a bit of a harsh thing. Taniela was busted on the weekend (against the All Blacks) and got through, which was impressive. But, you know, we’ve got to find some ways to get momentum.
“Joseph Suaalii will come in, which will be great, but we’ve lost Mark Nawaqanitawase, who was our best player last year too.
“So, you know, having both of them on the wings would have been pretty lethal. Kick threat plus the momentum in the carry.”
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