Nic White: Wallabies looking to ramp up physicality for the series decider against England
Nic White (centre) of the Wallabies kicks the ball past Jonny Hill of England during the second Test match of the International Rugby Test series between Australia and England at at Suncorp Stadium in Brisbane, Saturday, July 9, 2022. (AAP Image/Darren England) NO ARCHIVING, EDITORIAL USE ONLY ** STRICTLY EDITORIAL USE ONLY, NO COMMERCIAL USE, NO BOOKS **
Wallabies scrum-half Nic White believes his side lacked physicality in the second Test against England at Suncorp Stadium.
Eddie Jones’s side claimed an impressive 25-17 win over Australia in Brisbane to level the series and turn the third Test into a decider.
Physicality is key
White says a big focus for the week is to ramp up physicality to match the English and find a way to claim the inaugural Ella-Mobbs Cup.
“We knew they were going to come out with a bit of edge and that physicality and we were just pretty disappointed with our physicality, our edge, so there’s a fair bit for us to look at,” he said on Tuesday.
“Both games they’ve come out firing; they’re big men and we’re going to have to be better up front as they got us in the contact areas.
“That will be a focus for us, fronting up physically at the start, as I feel like both games we’ve come home pretty strong so it’s about arresting those 20 minutes.”
Discipline is a focus
As expected, when the Wallabies face England, the game was fiery, and the veteran believes it is crucial how you react to confrontation during the game.
“You have to be careful around these areas in how you retaliate,” White said.
“With the Genge one I was asked to calm down but I thought I was pretty measured … and then the penalty went the other way.
“Certainly, you don’t want anyone running in but there’s a fair bit of niggle and we won’t be buying into that.
“We’ll be doing our best to just concentrate on the rugby side of things.
“At the end of the day, it’s a game of rugby and the only thing that matters is who wins.”
White believes his side’s attempted comeback in the second half will have positives for the Wallabies, and it is all about executing in those moments.
“I felt like we were coming back with tails up (in the second Test), we just didn’t execute a few of those moments in the second half and we executed those in the second half in the first Test,” he said.
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