Category: Australia Rugby

• Captain rallies team to ‘go out and play with courage’
• England are odds-on to beat struggling Wallabies

Jamie George has called on his England side to have the bravery to stick to their guns and go for the jugular against Australia rather than go into their shells after making a losing start to their autumn campaign.

England will be seeking an 11th win in 12 matches against Australia, who arrive at Twickenham ranked ninth in the world, but Steve Borthwick’s side have lost four of their past five matches after slipping to a third straight defeat by the All Blacks last weekend.

Continue reading...

Steve Borthwick’s side need to find another gear and a different mindset to end their frustrating run of narrow defeats

All year England have been a team who find themselves in arm wrestles and last weekend was no different. They get themselves into tight matches that are still in the balance in the final few minutes – it has almost become the trademark of this team. They’ve played eight matches against tier-one nations and the aggregate margin has been 27 points. The biggest margin has been against Scotland, when they lost by nine, but the rest have been decided by a score or less.

That tells me that England have adopted a certain mindset this year but, based on the evidence, they are not very good at winning tight matches. The ledger reads won three, lost five so my question is, do England need to find a way to get better at winning tight matches? Or do they find another way to win matches? My opinion is that they should go for the latter.

Continue reading...

• England mood now ‘much more inclusive’ says captain
• ‘Eddie was someone who never wanted to sit still’

The England captain, Jamie George, has insisted that a toxic environment is not a necessary price to pay for success after admitting Eddie Jones’s regime could be “challenging” and that he understands where Danny Care is coming from after his explosive claims about the Australian’s setup.

George, who was appointed England captain at the start of the year, was a mainstay of Jones’s squad and is adamant that the current set-up is “much more inclusive” but did concede “it hasn’t always been that way” in a nod to Care’s comments in his autobiography that the previous environment was like “a dictatorship”. George did, however, laud Jones’s coaching credentials.

Continue reading...

• Sua’ali’i picked at outside centre after recent code switch
• Joe Schmidt hopes he ‘can hit the ground running’

Joe Schmidt has only made one change to Australia’s starting XV ahead of this weekend’s Test against England, but it’s a big one. Joseph Sua’ali’i, 21 years old and 6ft 5in, has been picked to start his first ever game of professional rugby union. Sua’ali’i hasn’t played the code since he was a schoolkid, but, with only four Tests on this tour left before Australia’s first against the British & Irish Lions next year, Schmidt’s running short of time to find out if Sua’ali’i’s up to international rugby union after his A$5m (£2.54m) switch from rugby league.

Schmidt admits it’s a risk. “Everything is,” he said. “The thing that gives me confidence is how well Joseph prepares himself. He’s a very professional young man. He’s had plenty of experience both playing rugby union, and as a professional in rugby league. So hopefully he can hit the ground running.”

Continue reading...

Former Roosters star Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii is reportedly set to debut for the Wallabies at centre against England just under two months after switching codes from rugby league.

• Back in line to feature against England on Saturday
• ‘He’s got a lot of talent and will get the opportunity’

Jason Robinson, the most successful cross-code rugby player of the modern era, is backing Australia’s newest league convert to make an instant impact if he is parachuted into Saturday’s Test against England. Joseph Sua’ali’i is in line to feature in a Wallaby jersey for the first time and could even start despite not having played a single game of professional union.

Australia are desperately hoping the 21-year-old Sua’ali’i will be the catalyst who transforms their recent fortunes, not just in their forthcoming November Tests but in next year’s three-Test series against the British & Irish Lions. If the former Sydney Roosters back does make his debut at Twickenham, Robinson is among those who believe he may surprise a few people.

Continue reading...

Former England forward turned Joe Schmidt’s right-hand man is well placed to gauge the challenge facing Australia

Time was, and not so long ago, when Steve Borthwick and Geoff Parling were squaring off against each other at lineouts, Borthwick at Saracens, Parling for Leicester. In the early 2010s the clubs were often drawn together in the playoffs – there were a couple of finals in 2010 and 2011, a semi in 2012. “Humdingers,” Parling says now.

A decade later, they will be at it again at Twickenham on Saturday, as coaches this time. Borthwick, of course, with England, and Parling with Australia, where he works as Joe Schmidt’s right-hand man.

Continue reading...

• Four home nations emblems woven into the fabric
• Fixture confusion unresolved over Melbourne dates

Seldom in the history of sports kit has more breathless hype surrounded the launch of a humble rugby jersey. “A masterpiece” and “a wearable piece of art” were among the gushing tributes paid to the shirt the players will wear on next year’s men’s British & Irish Lions tour to Australia, which does admittedly look slightly different to its predecessors.

In a “seamless tapestry” the emblems of all four home nations have been woven into the fabric and there is even a tag on the garment which, if scanned, allows supporters to tap into an app containing extra rugby-related digital content.

Continue reading...

The Wallabies’ disastrous Rugby World Cup campaign still haunts Will Skelton, with the towering lock having returned to national team duty desperate to make amends on Australia’s Grand Slam tour of the UK and Ireland.
Skelton was captain of Australia’s squad at last year’s World Cup in France but, because of injury, only played one match in the tournament.

New Zealand may only have edged out England 24-22 at Twickenham on Saturday but two-try star Mark Tele’a victory in their November international opener was “massive” for the All Blacks.

Wallabies prop Angus Bell has defended the decision to select league convert Joseph Sua’ali’i for the upcoming tour of England after critics labelled the ex-Roosters inclusion a “disgrace.”

• Back-rower becomes just third man to win back-to-back awards
• Maya Stewart crowned Wallaroos’ player of the year

Rob Valetini says he feels blessed after joining Australian rugby royalty as a dual John Eales medallist. Valetini was crowned the Wallabies’ player of the year at a glittering function at Royal Randwick race course on Wednesday night, the dynamic back-rower joining Israel Folau (2014-15) and Michael Hooper (2020-21) as only the third man to go back-to-back.

The 26-year-old is also the sixth player to win the prestigious gong on multiple occasions, with George Smith (2002, 2008), Nathan Sharpe (2007, 2012), David Pocock (2010, 2018), Folau (2014, 2015, 2017), Hooper (2013, 2016, 2020, 2021) and Marika Koroibete (2019, 2022) the others to achieve the feat.

Continue reading...

• Proud Wiradjuri Burray man Pietsch created artwork
• New shirt to be sported when British & Irish Lions tour

The Wallabies will wear a new kit featuring Indigenous artwork designed by Test player Dylan Pietsch when they run out to face the British and Irish Lions on the touring side’s trip to Australia next year.

Proud Wiradjuri Burray man Pietsch created the artwork that appears on the underarm and lower back of the shirt, while the inner sleeve cuff of the traditional gold jersey will feature the First Nations place names of the fixture locations.

Continue reading...