‘It did hurt us’: Wallabies captain reflects ahead of final Lions Test

Mourning the series loss to the British & Irish Lions is a thing of the past for the Wallabies, who are full of energy and belief ahead of their shot at redemption at Sydney’s Accor Stadium on Saturday.

With more than 90,000 fans watching on at the MCG last weekend, the Wallabies shot out of the blocks, racing out to a 23-5 lead in the first term. But fast-forward to the final minute, and they were defending desperately well inside their own 22 with a two-point lead.

Hugo Keenan broke Australian hearts and sent Lions fans into a frenzy with a dramatic winner in the last minute, which secured the series title for the visitors. They’re now looking to become the first Lions side since 1904 to sweep a Test series on Australian soil.

Cameron Dawson on scrummaging

Cameron Dawson on scrummaging

Joe Schmidt said on Thursday that there was practically “a grieving process” for the Aussies, but the men in gold have an opportunity to bounce back, with the final Test of the series officially selling out in the days leading up to the match.

“We definitely gave ourselves a few days there to get through it all because we put a lot into it, and to not get the result there, it did hurt us,” Wallabies captain Harry Wilson told reporters at Accor Stadium.

“But we definitely tried to, as the week went on, just make sure we backed our preparation which is what we did for the first two weeks.

“The energy’s back in the group and we can’t wait for the opportunity.”

That point-scoring blitz at the ‘G has been talked about as possibly the Wallabies’ best half of rugby under Schmidt, who stepped into the position in January 2024. James Slipper, Jake Gordon and Tom Wright crossed for five-pointers as Wallabies fans dared to dream.

With a sea of gold making their voices heard amid the loud chants from the red-wearing Lions supporters, it was an inspired performance from those Australians on the field. While the full-time result wasn’t in their favour, it’s still been viewed as a step in the right direction.

The Wallabies won one of six matches during last year’s Rugby Championship, before bouncing back with a shock win over England during the Spring Tour. They went into this Lions Series as firm underdogs but the hosts have been in the fight.

“I do feel as like it has been a tight series. We want to go out there, we want to get the win,” Wilson insisted.

“Obviously sitting here at two-nil, it’s not the best situation to be in but… I feel as if a lot of Australians are believing in us and the support we’ve been given this week has been pretty unbelievable.

“We really feel like we need to go out there and put a performance in for Australia to be proud. We want them to be truly believing in us and that’s for us to go back-to-back good performances and we need to go out there and get that win.”