Joe Schmidt’s three-word response over the Wallabies’ readiness for the Lions
Wallabies players form a huddle and head coach Joe Schmidt.
Despite being competitive in all their matches on their recent Grand Slam tour, Wallabies head coach Joe Schmidt believes his side can still improve ahead of next year’s highly anticipated series against the British & Irish Lions.
Australia have been struggling in recent years and after a woeful 2023 Rugby World Cup campaign, Schmidt took over the coaching reins from Eddie Jones who resigned from his position following the global showpiece in France.
Schmidt made a superb start as he guided the Wallabies to back-to-back wins over Wales in Australia and they also beat Georgia in a one-off Test on home soil.
Poor Rugby Championship campaign
However, they were in for a rude awakening in the Rugby Championship as they won just one out of six matches in that tournament and finished at the bottom of the standings.
The Wallabies hit rock bottom midway through the Rugby Championship when they suffered a humiliating 67-27 defeat to Argentina in Sante Fe and that result led to former England scrum-half Ben Youngs suggesting that the Lions would be better off having their tour in South Africa after the 2021 series against the Springboks was played behind closed doors due to Covid-19.
However, Australia started their Grand Slam tour to the United Kingdom with impressive victories over England and Wales before suffering brave defeats to Scotland and Ireland.
That means the Wallabies finished the year with six wins and seven losses from 13 Tests played and although they came agonisingly close to beating Ireland in Dublin on Saturday, before suffering a narrow 22-19 loss, Schmidt feels his side are not the finished article ahead of the series against the Lions who will be coached by the men from the Emerald Isle’s boss Andy Farrell.
“Maybe not yet,” said Schmidt after the clash with Ireland when asked whether the Wallabies could beat the Lions.
“But I think and I hope our supporters and supporters of the Lions can see enough in what we’ve delivered in these last four weeks to think they’re going to be entertained and it’s going to be a contest.
“We’ve still got some work to do for sure and I felt that there were times tonight where we’ve still got some guys who’ve only played a couple of tests and they’re still learning.”
Schmidt is happy with the progress the Wallabies have made this year and feels it’s only a matter of time before they will be able to hold their own against the world’s best teams.
“When you’re losing by three to the All Blacks and Ireland, you do feel like you’re not that far away from the top table that you can keep building and be competitive,” he said.
‘I’m heartened by where we’ve got to’
“From a year last year when Portugal and Georgia were the only scalps, the disappointment of missing out on the play-off stages of the World Cup, I’m heartened by where we’ve got to, and determined by what is in front of us.”
The 59-year-old said it would be difficult for his team without any international matches before they take on the Lions in the first Test in Brisbane on July 19.
“We’ll get together a week or two before the Lions arrive,” said Schmidt.
“That in itself is a real challenge but I do think we’ve built enough confidence and cohesion this year that we can pick it up again, late June, early July next year.
“That in itself is a challenge, but it’s a great challenge.
“That’s the way I’d see it and certainly the way the players would see it as well.”
