Perspective is needed on Wallabies thrashings, but RA must learn its lessons

The momentum behind the Wallabies has taken a couple of big hits with the back-to-back wallopings by the All Blacks.

A previously six-game unbeaten streak had the Wallaby faithful and even some pundits wrongly proclaiming that ‘this was the best opportunity to win back the Bledisloe in years’.

The losses and the margins of those defeats were not only possible, but probable, because of factors known well in advance and late injury/suspension issues.

Let’s not tiptoe around the lessons; they are black on white, and we have now seen them out in the open.

First, the sixth-ranked Wallabies cannot contend with the full-rostered top three sides in the world outside of the World Rugby Regulation-9 window.

Second, the Wallabies must select one of their experienced no.10s for November.

Third, the Wallabies’ depth domestically remains precariously shallow in midfield.

Fourth, the gap between the top four sides in the world and the rest of the top 10 sides is big, and this should give Wallaby fans a lot of confidence ahead of November.

This first lesson must see Rugby Australia foster better relationships with the overseas clubs where some of their stars play, because the Wallabies cannot afford to be without their best talent.

This fostering of relationships must start right now, for if the Wallabies want to be a genuine shot at winning back the Bledisloe in 2027, coach Les Kiss must be able to call on all his international troops starting in April.

The ANZAC weekend Bledisloe sits outside of the Regulation-9 window, and it will be the first Test of its kind in the middle of the Super Rugby Pacific competition.

Rugby Australia must do their all to secure the release of France-based players Will Skelton, Taniela Tupou, and Langi Gleeson, as well as England-based Tom Hooper, and Japan-based Mark Nawaqanitawase, Jordan Petaia, Hunter Paisami, and Samu Kerevi. Provided they are all fit and have pledged themselves to the Wallabies.

They are eight crucial forwards and impactful backs; all are capped and experienced players who add genuine game-changing skill sets and quality.

None of these players took the field in this year’s Bledisloe Cup, and RA as well as Kiss have known for the entire year that all except for Paisami would’ve been unavailable.

Allowing games against top teams like the All Blacks to be scheduled outside Regulation-9 windows is not a luxury the sixth-ranked Wallabies can afford. Full stop.

Although the Greatest Rivalry Tour severely shafted the Wallabies and Argentina both financially and via the calendar, RA must get some wins back on the board in 2027 and beyond.

If RA and the Super Rugby franchises won’t cough up more money to keep or bring back these players to Australian shores, then they must foster better relationships with the overseas clubs.

We now see what a Wallabies side of domestic-only players looks like, which in another way can be seen as an example of RA’s selection policy of ‘domestic first’ based players.

You can’t have your cake and eat it; you can’t build depth overnight; you can’t select domestic-first whilst having the bulk of your best matchday 23 overseas.

You certainly can’t schedule games knowing that you will have your hands tied by long-established World Rugby regulations, then act surprised as to why the side gets spanked in consecutive weeks against the second-best team in the world.

The Wallabies are so much better than the last two games suggest, but if we are to be frank, the Wallabies cannot afford to forgo selecting overseas talent, nor the talent and experience they have domestically.

This brings us to the second lesson, which is that an experienced flyhalf must be plucked from the domestic or international pool for the November Nations series.

This is not because Declan Meredith or Harry McLaughlin-Phillips played badly at the weekend in Sydney; it’s because they are still learning how to play Test standard.

It is clear that despite both showing good turns of pace, bravery and skill to put a couple of their teammates into space, they lacked the one Test-level skill that truly counts as a flyhalf: winning the territorial battle.

In Sydney, the territory was 56%-44% in favour of the Wallabies, and the possession was 54%-46% to the home side as well, but having watched the game a couple of times, it’s clear that once again, the Wallabies overplayed either side of halfway, only kicking 14 times in total.

This is where an experienced flyhalf kicks the ball to turn the opposition around, to change the defensive picture, and to ensure the game is being played in the opposition’s half.

There are unverified reports of an extremely high ball-in-play time on Saturday, but it is now very evident that the Wallabies don’t do well in those sorts of conditions.

The Wallabies are unlike any side in the world; they, of course, want fast ball when they are in possession, but ultimately they do best in short spurts, utilising their power game.

It’s the type of roster they have and the selections their coaches have made.

The Wallabies conceded most of their tries to the All Blacks after 10 phases, but meanwhile they scored most of their points with fewer phases.

Knowing this, the Wallabies must put a premium on territory, and that does not need to be only through contestables, although that is the deadliest way to attack via a kick.

Veteran flyhalves James O’Connor, Kurtley Beale, and Bernard Foley are all based in Australia, and it can’t be claimed that they have not been able to get ready ahead of the November tour.

They have been signed for months and could’ve been training the entire time; there is no excuse or reason that would rightly warrant not selecting one of these players who definitely know the value of the kicking game and how to execute it.

While first-choice flyhalf Carter Gordon should be fit for the Nations Championship in November, and so too second choice Ben Donaldson, that third flyhalf spot should go to one of the veterans.

It builds continuity should you need to rely on one of them in 2027, and it allows player-to-player coaching to help Donno and Carts improve quicker.

If the ‘too old’ tag is an issue for RA, they have Noah Lolesio in Japan who they can recall.

Lolesio has 30 Wallaby caps to his name and has been coached by Stephen Larkham at the Brumbies; he definitely understands the importance of field position.

It has peripherally been suggested that the Wallabies know what these four players offer, but the cohesion, continuity, and understanding of the gameplan are all factors that point to these players needing to be immersed in the Wallabies’ environment under Kiss well ahead of the RWC.

The third lesson is actually more about contracting rather than just depth.

Hunter Paisami is so clearly one of coach Kiss’s favourite players, and yet he has been allowed to go overseas.

With Paisami heading to Japan, and Kerevi already based there, the Wallabies have now been left with Len Ikitau and Isaac Henry as their domestic centre options.

Even though Angus Crichton will be at the Waratahs in 2027, and Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii has played most of his games at no.13, it is now evident that Suaalii is better suited to the wing and there’s no guarantee Crichton will succeed in the 15-man code.

There are no ready-made replacements domestically for either Ikitau or Henry in a World Cup year, and you just have to scratch your head at that.

In future, with the selection policy as it is, more must be done to keep players like Paisami onshore if there are no other obvious options.

The final lesson, and this will give Wallabies fans something to be happy about: their games are only going to get easier from here.

With the gap so big between the top four teams and the remaining top-10 sides, the Wallabies should be confident that they can pull off four wins from their final four matches of the year.

In the Nations Championship, the Wallabies will first play fifth-ranked England, then seventh-ranked Scotland, and then eleventh-ranked Wales.

After all is said and done, the Wallabies are likely to play either Scotland or England once again on the final weekend of the Nations Championship at Twickenham Stadium.

The Wallabies lost to third-ranked Ireland by three points, got thrashed by fourth-ranked France, beat first-ranked South Africa, and got walloped by the second-ranked All Blacks.

More positive and resounding victories came against eighth-ranked Argentina, ninth-ranked Japan, and twelfth-ranked Italy.

Since the Nations Championship is in a Regulation-9 window, the Wallabies will be reinforced and cohesive, seeing as this will be the end of their season.

The Wallabies have the forward pack to gain ascendancy both in the loose and at set-piece time against the three home nations and a cobbled-together backline that broke the All Blacks’ defence 17 times, beating 31 defenders.

The Wallabies have the best lineout in the world at the moment, both offensively and defensively, and their maul is rock solid.

The Wallabies will know some of their wins in 2026 will have an asterisk next to them due to teams missing a lot of first-picked players, but they can only beat the opposition in front of them.

Despite the latest results against the All Blacks, the Wallabies are, and have been, improving under Kiss and his new band of coaches.

There is nothing that England, Scotland, or Wales do better than any of the opposition the Wallabies have already faced.

The Wallabies are in prime position, should logical selections be made, to storm the home nations and climb the World Rugby rankings as well as the Nations Championship ladder.