Wallabies: Joe Schmidt reveals Zac Lomax conversation and what he expects from him ‘over the next few weeks’
Wallabies head coach Joe Schmidt (inset) and Western Force winger Zac Lomax.
Joe Schmidt has revealed that Western Force winger Zac Lomax has three weeks to nail down a spot in the Wallabies squad for their upcoming Nations Championship campaign.
Lomax signed a two-year contract with Rugby Australia and the Force earlier this year and made his debut for the Perth-based outfit against the Fijian Drua in Lautoka last month.
The 26-year-old made 133 appearances in the NRL after spells with the St. George Illawarra and Parramatta Eels clubs, and he also represented New South Wales in the State of Origin series and Australia at international level in the 13-a-side code.
Lomax walked out on a three-year contract with Parramatta Eels last year and was initially linked with a move to the rebel league, R360.
However, R360’s plans to launch its global rugby series in 2027 had been pushed back until 2028, which meant there was uncertainty over Lomax’s future.
Impressed for the Force
He eventually joined the Force and delivered several fine performances for them during their Super Rugby Pacific campaign.
The Force are currently languishing in 10th position in the competition’s standings and will have to win all their remaining matches of the league phase of the competition to qualify for the play-offs.
The Perth-based outfit have amassed 18 points from 11 matches played, nine adrift of the play-off places and have three matches against the Reds, Fijian Drua and Waratahs lined up over the next three weeks.
All the aforementioned matches will be in Perth, which could work in the Force’s favour if they win all three of those encounters and make a late charge for the play-offs.
The Wallabies will host Ireland, France and Italy in during the Nations Championship campaign in July, and Schmidt said he has spoken to Lomax recently.
‘We’ll be watching over the next few weeks’
“We bounced a few observations back and forth,” Schmidt told AAP about his conversation with Lomax. “We’ll be watching over the next few weeks, three home games to finish the season.
“That’s perfect for the Force, and it’s perfect for Zac if he can get a rhythm through those games.”
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When asked what he expected from Lomax over the next three weeks, Schmidt replied: “Just see him get that playing rhythm. And there’s a whole lot of elements to that playing rhythm.
“It’s trying to get into the right place at the right time, because that’s a little bit different from the 13-man code.
“Certainly, his aerial attack has been strong. I think he’s problem-solving (defensively) really well.”