Harry Wilson: ‘It’s just another game of footy for us’ ahead of crunch Bledisloe Cup clash
Wallabies number eight Harry Wilson on the charge against the Springboks.
Wallabies captain Harry Wilson is aware of the importance of his team’s Bledisloe Cup encounter against trans-Tasman rivals the All Blacks in Sydney on Saturday.
Although they are languishing at the bottom of the Rugby Championship, a victory for the home side will put the cat amongst the pigeons for the All Blacks who are the tournament’s most successful side.
A Wallabies triumph could also mean they move above the All Blacks on the Rugby Championship table as they are only trailing the men in black by three points in the standings with South Africa currently occupying pole position while Argentina are in second place.
However, beating the All Blacks is easier said than done especially after Scott Robertson’s troops suffered successive defeats to the Springboks in recent weeks.
Wallabies have a point to prove
Adding to that is the fact that the Wallabies also have a point to prove after they suffered a humiliating 67-27 loss against Los Pumas in their previous Rugby Championship clash in Sante Fe.
What made matters worse is that Australia raced into a 20-3 lead in that fixture before they went off the rails in the second half with Argentina taking control of proceedings before eventually cruising to victory.
But Wilson said the Wallabies have put that Sante Fe result to bed and are determined to bounce back against New Zealand this weekend.
“To be honest, we’ve obviously taken the loss and we’ve learnt from that and, for us, we played some pretty good footy in that Argentina trip,” said the number eight.
“We’ve won three out of four halves and we’ve just really got to fix up when when we’re going bad.
“We’ve got to find a way to get going good in the games and the big moments and we’re just super motivated to perform for each other, perform for our country.
“It’s a massive opportunity.”
A Wallabies victory in Sydney will put plenty of pressure on the All Blacks as it will mean they have to win the corresponding fixture between the teams in Sydney on September 28 to retain the Bledisloe Cup, something which they have achieved for the past 22 years on the trot.
‘It’s been quite a while for us’
“Obviously, it’s been quite a while for us. We’re process-driven here and really focused on tomorrow afternoon,” Wilson said.
“For us it’s one game at a time, trying to win each moment and that’s what we’re here to do but for us, there’s a lot to happen before that.
“It’s just another game of footy for us. Obviously, there’s a big build-up to it compared to other games but we’ve just got to win the moment in front and we’re all excited.
“It’s been a while so it makes it even more enjoyable to be out there.”
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