Rugby Championship preview: ‘Room for optimism’ for Wallabies who will avoid unwanted three-peat
Will Skelton will be a key player for the Wallabies.
First up in our set of previews ahead of the 2025 Rugby Championship, we examine the prospects of last year’s bottom-placed finishers in the standings, Australia.
Back-to-back wooden spoons in the competition are unheard of for the Wallabies, but that was the case under Joe Schmidt when they could not better their 2023 campaign.
That latter-mentioned season was one to forget, but under Schmidt, there have been signs of optimism, which have only increased after their recent series with the Lions.
Last year
A record of one win out of six games was one to forget for the Wallabies as they ended up as the basement dwellers by some distance – nine points if we’re to be precise.
Schmidt’s tenure in charge of the Wallabies had earlier kicked off in positive fashion when they beat Wales in back-to-back matches in July, lifting some of the darkness.
However, the Rugby Championship was hugely disappointing results-wise as they kicked off with successive defeats to South Africa, 33-7 in Brisbane and 30-12 in Perth.
A week’s break did them the world of good, though, and they returned with a morale-boosting 20-19 win over Argentina in La Plata, thanks to a late Ben Donaldson penalty.
The backlash from Los Pumas was severe one week later as they inflicted a record Test loss on the Wallabies, cruising to a 67-27 win in Santa Fe in a body blow to Schmidt.
Further negatives, a narrow 31-28 result at home to New Zealand, before going down to the All Blacks 33-13 in Wellington, brought down the curtain on a dour 2024 effort.
This year
As mentioned, there’s room for optimism for a rejuvenated Wallabies team in 2025 as they performed admirably in the final two Tests of the British and Irish Lions series.
They will be desperate to carry that momentum into their opener, but it does not get much tougher than the Boks at Ellis Park as Round One sees them head to South Africa.
Such is the structure of the tournament, they will tackle the same opposition a week later as the two teams travel to Cape Town in a week that could define both sides’ title hopes.
After a week’s break, the Wallabies return with two home matches against Argentina, in Townsville and Sydney, as they look to exact revenge for that Santa Fe hammering.
Another rest period then comes before the last two games of their campaign see them take on the old enemy New Zealand, first at Eden Park before they host them in Perth.
Players to watch
The Lions series shone a light on this Australia outfit and it’s fair to say that more positives than negatives came from the matches, not least from a personnel perspective.
The return to action in the second match of giant second-row Will Skelton and powerful flanker Rob Valetini was seismic, such was the impact they had on proceedings, and that was only amplified when they came off around the interval mark. Australia’s performance notably dipped as they fell to an agonising loss in Melbourne.
Elsewhere, while he might not be a locked-on starter, expect plenty of impact from Tate McDermott at the base, while the centre pairing of Len Ikitau and Joseph Suaalii will look to build on the solid foundations they laid during July. Suaalii will be a vital cog in all areas, not least aerially, for Schmidt’s improving Wallabies side.
There is also a great deal of excitement over young wing Max Jorgensen, who has taken to Test rugby like a duck to water and is likely to have a strong Championship.
Prospects
A tough first couple of rounds, and while it’s hard to see them coming out on top against the world champions, they’ll relish the underdog tag and can hurt the Springboks.
Then comes the crucial period for the Wallabies as they face Argentina in rounds three and four, both on home soil, where they are more than capable of picking up points.
If Australia can take positive results from those games, that will set them up for a Bledisloe Cup run-in with the All Blacks, who have failed to set the world alight in 2025.
Assessing the fixtures and with the positive steps taken from the Lions series, we predict an improved campaign from the Wallabies after two dismal years. Third place.
Fixtures
Saturday, August 16: v South Africa (Ellis Park, Johannesburg)
Saturday, August 23: v South Africa (Cape Town Stadium, Cape Town)
Saturday, September 6: v Argentina (North Queensland Stadium, Townsville)
Saturday, September 13: v Argentina (Sydney Football Stadium, Sydney)
Saturday, September 27: v New Zealand (Eden Park, Auckland)
Saturday, October 4: v New Zealand (Perth Stadium, Perth)
