Jeff Wilson: Why the All Blacks should be ‘nervous’ about ‘confident’ Wallabies team
Jeff Wilson says that the All Blacks should be 'nervous' about the Wallabies' ability under the high ball.
Legendary winger Jeff Wilson says that the All Blacks should be ‘nervous’ about the Wallabies’ ability under the high ball.
That was an area of the game where Australia thrived against the Springboks and one which South Africa dominated during Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry series, resulting in a 3-1 series victory.
Joseph-Aukuso Sua’ali’i and Max Jorgensen were particularly brilliant under the high ball, with the former producing a stunning performance in his first start on the wing after regularly starting in the midfield alongside Len Ikitau.
Wallabies beat the Springboks where they are the world’s best
The 42-38 win in Perth should make the All Blacks nervous, according to Wilson, as he warns that the Wallabies are getting confident which makes them dangerous.
“We have finished playing South Africa, and I think Rassie is helping the opposition now,” the former winger said on Sky Sport NZ’s Breakdown.
“So he doesn’t play his strongest squad at all, and they lose to Australia, and the one thing about Australians is that it doesn’t take long for them to get confidence. And their new coaching staff has obviously got them believing in the way that they’re going to play. You bank some good wins, and they’ll be a different team. This is Australia we’re talking about here.”
Whilst Wilson isn’t convinced that the Wallabies can claim back-to-back victories to win the Bledisloe Cup, he says that Kiss side’s performance in the air, in particular, should be a concern for Dave Rennie and his team.
“Same token, though, they’re playing at Eden Park against the All Blacks, and they’re trying to win the Bledisloe Cup, which they haven’t had forever,” he continued.
“Like I’ve lost track of how long it’s been. It’s 23 or 24 years, whatever the number is. So they’ve got some mental hurdles to get past, right? Eden Park to get past, but like I say, they did some things that the Springboks did to us that made us nervous.
“The high ball is clearly one of them because they used attacking high kicks to generate points against the Springboks, one of the best teams in the world in the air. So, they’ll look at the All Blacks and go, can we put them under pressure in this part of the game? The Springboks did it for years, and they continue to do it.
“So, now it’s up to the All Blacks to respond. For me, this is probably the most talented Wallaby team I’ve seen for a long time.”
Midfield concern
While he warns of the threat that the Wallabies pose, he did raise one concern for Australia, being their centres with Hunter Paisami missing the two Tests through suspension.
Meanwhile, Len Ikitau is in a race against time to be fit for the matches after sustaining an injury against the Boks. This could mean that Sua’ali’i could be forced back into the centres for the showdown at Eden Park.
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“The only issues I have in terms of the midfield with the suspension and whether Len Ikitau is going to be available; I don’t think he will be,” Wilson said.
“That hurts them. If they lose their midfield, where does Joseph-Aukuso Sua’ali’i play? I liked him on the wing.”
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