‘Pretty ridiculous’: Wallaby hits back at Woodward’s ‘losing mentality’ dig

Winger Harry Potter has responded to Sir Clive Woodward’s “losing mentality” dig ahead of the second Lions Test, with the Rugby World Cup-winning England coach taking aim at Wallabies captain Harry Wilson following last weekend’s 27-19 defeat.

Wilson brought the match to an end by kicking the ball into touch, rather than chase a consolation try, as the Wallabies settled for an eight-point loss. While even a converted try wouldn’t have changed the final outcome, not everyone was pleased with the skipper’s decision.

Wallabies great David Campese told talkSPORT that “Australian teams never used to do that” and that it was a “ridiculous” way to end a Test. Woodward has expressed a similar opinion, penning a blunt column for the Daily Mail.

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“Talk about a losing mentality… that in so many ways reflects the current state of Australian rugby which is clearly not in a great position,” Woodward wrote. The 2003 Rugby World Cup winner also questioned why a Wallabies captain would want to end a match that way.

The Wallabies must beat the Lions this weekend at the MCG to keep their hopes of winning the series alive. Potter was on-ground at the famous sporting venue on Wednesday, where the winger was asked about Woodward’s comments.

“I haven’t seen anything about Clive Woodward. I have heard his name being muttered around, I believe he hasn’t said nice things but everyone’s got their opinion,” Potter said.

“I think it’s pretty ridiculous to suggest that the 23 people who played on the field on the weekend have a mentality of losing.

“We went out there to win the game and we didn’t win the game but it was our intention very much so and you could tell from every player in the team that we wanted to win that game.”

In the first Lions Series Test at Brisbane’s Suncorp Stadium, the Lions took control from the first minute and never looked back. Finn Russell converted an early penalty goal before Sione Tuipulotu crossed for the opening try inside the first 10 minutes.

Tom Curry and Dan Sheehan also scored tries for the Lions, with the tourists racing out to a 24-5 lead by the 42^nd minute. While the Wallabies fought their way back, actually outscoring the Lions during the second half, time wasn’t on their side in the end.

The Wallabies were parked well inside their own half when Wilson decided to kick the ball into touch. While Woodward and Campese are among those who wanted to see the Australians try and score late, it was still a performance that’s given the hosts some confidence.

“You don’t need to think about it too much. I think everyone’s on the same page. You know you have to win this game in order to keep the series alive,” Potter explained.

“I think emotionally it’s very simple this week. We all know the task at hand.

“I don’t think anyone’s got any questions about what’s at stake.

“As a team we just want to get better and better each week,” he added. “I think there’s that confidence there as well.

“We want to win every game we play… that confidence is what we need to go and win this game. I’m certainly confident the squad’s got that confidence to win the game.”