Wallabies captain Harry Wilson outlines ‘need to win’ following ‘tough’ ending to Rugby Championship campaign
Wallabies number eight Harry Wilson on the charge against the Springboks.
Wallabies skipper Harry Wilson has outlined his desire to see his team finally get over the line and secure a win, after a “tough” ending to the Rugby Championship against the All Blacks.
Joe Schmidt’s side won just one of their five games in this year’s Championship, but they did put up competitive showings against New Zealand and the Springboks.
“We need a win”
There are certainly signs of improvement in the Wallabies squad, but speaking to Sky Sports after the 33-13 defeat to the All Blacks, Wilson outlined how much his side need a win to solidify this.
“We haven’t got the results we wanted, but we’ve improved through it. Ultimately though, we need a win so it’s a tough way to finish the tournament.”
He also outlined the focus heading into the November Tests should be on putting in “an 80 minute performance”.
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“Just an 80 minute performance; we haven’t really done that in any game this Rugby Championship. We’ll use the next few weeks to refresh as a group and get a bit of time away with families back home and then get really excited for hopefully a big end to the season in November.”
The Wallabies now prepare for a tough block of November Tests in the Northern Hemisphere, where they face England, Wales, Scotland and Ireland.
“It’s not the result we came here for”
Whilst the focus will now be on the trip up north, they will leave New Zealand with a feeling of “what if”.
Wilson’s side raced into a 10-5 lead after 18 minutes, but only added three more points to their tally over the next 62 minutes in Wellington, as the All Blacks ran out 33-13 winners.
Reflecting back on the game, Wilson pinpointed the lack of possession in the second-half as a contributing factor.
“Obviously gutted. It’s not the result we came here for or wanted. I thought our first 40 was really good, we showed up and started fast; but we struggled for possession in the second half and had a few chances there at the end to get some points on the board but we didn’t get any.”
He also took time to praise the All Blacks defence: “New Zealand defended really well. They had 15 men on their feet and they were up for it in the contact battle.
Wilson added: “We had a few chances there, but we couldn’t capitalise and it hurt us in the end.”
