New Wallabies assistant coach lifts lid on team’s defensive evolution

New Wallabies assistant coach Scott McLeod has outlined the team’s key focus areas in defence moving forward, insisting the plan is not to change things completely but to build on what the players are already used to.

It’s the dawn of a new era for the Wallabies, who now have a fresh coaching group leading the side ahead of Men’s Rugby World Cup 2027 on home soil. Les Kiss has taken over from Joe Schmidt in the top job, while a group of new assistant coaches are looking to make a difference.

The term “evolution not revolution” has been repeated multiple times by Kiss, the assistants and players over the last week. Wallabies rake Josh Nasser said the phrase at a press conference on Monday, before McLeod was asked about the team’s defensive systems.

Assistant coach Johnny Fisher revealed last week the Wallabies will look different in how they defend, and now McLeod has clarified exactly how. The defensive guru highlighted some focuses for the side, who have been back together in camp now for about one week.

“Don’t want to change too much of what the boys have been doing or what they’re used to, particularly in Test match rugby, for the intensity that we want them to play at,” McLeod told reporters this week, before the Wallabies face Japan in Osaka.

“But we’ve definitely given them some focuses around skill set that we want to just sharpen and also some of our movement, and a little bit of our structure off lineout and into the phase play.

“We just have to get the ball, so we’ve got to be in the right places at the right time to be able to get the ball,” he added. “The real DNA of this team is about scoring tries and playing the footy that we want to play and throw that ball around and enjoying ourselves and expressing ourselves.

“We just have to work hard, be accurate and just get the ball to be able to do that.”

The Wallabies had a week together in Sydney before jetting off to Osaka, where they will face Eddie Jones’ Japan on Saturday evening. It’s the first of two consecutive Tests against the Brave Blossoms, ahead of a clash in Townsville the following weekend.

But with limited time in camp so far, the Wallabies have steadily been working at these changes on the defensive side of the ball. The Aussies started things out slow before picking up the pace on Wednesday, “and then Friday we put that under pressure.”

McLeod seemed pleased with the progress made by the playing group, who will continue to sharpen these tools throughout a humid week in Japan – with temperatures getting as hot as 36 degrees Celsius during Test week.

“We have to be really accurate on both sides of the ball,” McLeod said.

“As coaches, we sit down and we talk about how we want to approach that, how we want to coach that, what are the strengths of our team that we can do well in.

“If you look at the Japan side, very good with continuity. They hold onto the ball really well. Create a lot of [lightning quick ball] and be able to build phases so we have to be sharp in that area this week.”