Wallabies: Harry Wilson reveals ‘the boys are hurting’ and left with ‘a lot of disappointment’ despite series victory
Wallabies: Harry Wilson reveals 'the boys are hurting' and left with 'a lot of disappointment' despite series victory
Wallabies captain Harry Wilson has revealed that his teammates are “hurting” following their draw against Argentina at the Estadio Malvinas Argentinas on Saturday.
Australia gave up a 14-nil lead after conceding two tries in five minutes to go in level at half-time. The second half started in Australia’s favour, touching down just minutes into the half, but two tries from the Pumas later, and the visitors found themselves a try down.
A stroke of fortune with just 11 minutes left on the clock, the Wallabies found themselves two men up and level on the scoreboard. But even that wasn’t enough to force the win, with Argentina holding on to draw the game.
“In those last 10 minutes, they probably played the conditions really well, knowing that a few man’s down was a bit slippery on the deck, and they just tried to hold on to the ball for as long as they could,” Wilson told the press after the match.
“I was really proud of our pack. The boys were trying to whack them, trying to get the ball back, and I guess we put ourselves in the position there at the end where we could have got the win, which was disappointing. And speaking of the boys, after the boys were hurting with the result, we really wanted to win that, and there’s a lot of disappointment.”
Although they failed to win the match, the series victory is now theirs, and Wilson hopes that it will create some momentum heading into the Test against the Springboks in a few weeks.
“To bring back the trophy is great because we haven’t done that over here before, and I guess as a group we want to be winning trophies, and we’ve obviously had a few wins in a row.
“To get a draw tonight isn’t ideal but bring another trophy home. It will hopefully bring a bit of momentum and some confidence in the group going to the Springboks.”
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The Springboks without Kolbe
Their upcoming opponents will have less of a rest before facing them, as they still have one more Test match to complete – and it’s not a small one.
The Springboks head to Baltimore, USA, to face the All Blacks in the fourth and final Test match of the Greatest Rivalry tour. The series currently stands at 2-1 to the Springboks after they beat the All Blacks on Saturday.
There are now doubts surrounding the availability of seasoned back-three player Cheslin Kolbe, who was brought off with injury at the weekend, and has now been confirmed by head coach Rassie Erasmus to have a broken jaw.
The squad does have options heading into next week’s clash; however, with Erasmus confirming: “Damian Willemse will be ready for next, so will Aphelele Fassi.”
Adding to the list of injuries as both the All Blacks and Wallabies Tests loom, the 53-year-old added: “Carlu Sadie, Boan Venter, and Ntuthuko Mchunu will all be staying behind with Cheslin as well as Ben-Jason Dixon, who still has concussion symptoms.”