Select Edition

Northern Northern
Southern Southern
World World
NZ NZ
Back

RugbyPass+

+

Duane Vermeulen: 'My goal has never changed, I want to represent the Springboks at the World Cup'

Man-of-the-match at the last World Cup final, and turning 37 next month, the legendary No 8 still has the hunger for one last dance in France

RugbyPass+ Home

'Certainly good enough': Wallabies assistant adamant team can win RWC

By AAP
(Photo by Timothy Rogers/Getty Images)

The Wallabies have vowed to wield the axe on serial penalty offenders in a bid to defy the doomsayers by winning next year’s Rugby World Cup in France.

ADVERTISEMENT

Former World Cup captain Stirling Mortlock unleashed on the side after Saturday’s shock 28-27 loss to Italy, labelling the performance a “train wreck”.

Mortlock claimed the Wallabies were “no chance” of winning the 2023 World Cup, and demanded the coaches fix “systemic” discipline issues once and for all.

Video Spacer

Video Spacer

But while acknowledging the discipline issues, Wallabies assistant Dan McKellar is adamant Australia remain capable of laying their hands on the Webb Ellis Cup for a third time.

“What you’ll find is the 33 (players) that go to the World Cup next year are certainly good enough to win that trophy,” McKellar said.

But with Australia being the most penalised tier-one team in international rugby, McKellar concedes ill-discipline is a problem that the coaching staff are still trying to fix.

When asked about what the consequences will be for repeat offenders, McKellar had a simple answer.

ADVERTISEMENT

“Selection,” he said.

“There’s players who we have conversations with who we feel are repeat offenders, and there’s conversations in the background with the coaches, and obviously selection has an impact around that as well.

Rugby is a complex game. You’re going to give penalties away. But it’s the silly penalties that you can easily avoid that are hurting us at critical moments.

“There were a number of offside penalties there (against Italy) and some effort areas where we’ve got to be better.”

ADVERTISEMENT

McKellar said his team were taking “100 per cent ownership” of its discipline issues rather than heaping any of the blame on to referees.

“It’s on us. And as coaches and players, we’ve got to fix it,” he said.

“The fix is within the room. We can’t be pointing the finger and blaming the officials.”

The Wallabies’ task will get a whole lot harder this weekend when they take on world No.1 Ireland in Dublin.

McKellar insists the coaching group remain united despite overseeing heartbreaking one-point losses to France and Italy over the past fortnight.

“One thing with Dave Rennie is you won’t come across a more composed individual,” McKellar said.

“The reality is we’re under a little bit of stress at the moment, and you need a leader who will keep the group tight.

“We’re as tight as we ever have been.”

Rennie made 12 changes ahead of the loss to the Azzurri as part of a rotation policy, and it’s expected there will be more mass changes this week as the Wallabies welcome back a host of first-choice players.

Comments

Join free and tell us what you really think!

Join Free
ADVERTISEMENT
RUGBYPASS+
RUGBYPASS+ Immovable object could be last piece of Chiefs dynasty puzzle Immovable object could be last piece of Chiefs dynasty puzzle
Search