George Gregan’s take on the state of the Wallabies ahead of 2025 British & Irish Lions series
While interest is building ahead of next year’s British & Irish Lions tour to Australia, former Wallabies scrum-half and captain George Gregan believes it’s equally important for them to focus on their present form.
Last year Australia experienced an annus horribilis under the guidance of Eddie Jones as they were victorious in just two out of nine Tests in 2023 – against Tier 2 nations Georgia and Portugal – which is a 22% win ratio – the worst record of any Wallabies coach.
New Wallabies boss Joe Schmidt was left to pick up the pieces earlier this year, but after a good start to his coaching tenure – in which Australia claimed back-to-back victories over Wales and also beat Georgia – the two-time world champions suffered a humbling 33-7 defeat to the Springboks in Brisbane last week.
Concern ahead of 2025 Lions series
That result has led to plenty of speculation over how the Wallabies would fare against the Lions in 2025 with Bulls director of rugby and former Springboks coach Jake White lamenting the current state of Australian rugby and saying he fears Schmidt and his troops could face “humiliation” against the famous touring team.
But Gregan said while next year’s series against the Lions is important, he feels it is imperative that Schmidt and the Wallabies do not get ahead of themselves and rather focus on their current situation.
“I think you’ve got to be careful. There’s a great coach, who doesn’t coach rugby union, but he’s probably one of the greatest coaches internationally across all team sports. His name’s Craig Bellamy,” he told the Behind the Ruck podcast.
“He’s at Melbourne Storm. And they always talk about a plan. He always talks about like a two or three-year plan for the Melbourne Storm.
“They’ve been probably the most successful and consistent winning rugby league teams in Australia or in the history of that game. The time he’s been there, they rarely don’t make a final or a preliminary final or playing in grand finals.
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“And they’ve gone through a lot of different players, but there’s a system, there’s an intent, and there’s a way that they prepare.
“And an expectation of what you do now is really important for obviously the next match, but also for this season. Worry about next season, next season, but there’s always the now plan. And he’s very good at it.
‘The here and now is just as important’
“So I think from saying the 2025 Lions is important for rugby in Australia, that’s an understatement. But the here and now is just as important. You can’t get too far ahead.
“Otherwise you lose focus on what’s important for you now. So I think that’s very, very important.”
Gregan, who is Australia’s most-capped Test player, turned his focus to the Wallabies’ immediate challenge against the Springboks in Perth on Saturday and said it gives Schmidt and his side a chance to deliver a better performance to the one they gave in Brisbane.
“Obviously this coming week is another big step up playing the Boks,” he added.
“It’s in Perth. So it’s going to be a special Test match. It’s a great arena.
“It’s a great opportunity to improve on what they did last week and they need to improve. And I’m sure the Boks will look to improve because they’re a world champion team. They’re always looking for constant improvement.”
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