‘We saw that come to life’: Alaalatoa on the Wallabies’ two-year evolution

91-Test prop Allan Alaalatoa remains upbeat and the evolution of the Wallabies over the last two years, believing the team is starting to get the best out of each other as they prepare to embark on a new journey under coach Les Kiss. 

It’s the start of a new dawn for the Wallabies, with Kiss now at the helm through to Men’s Rugby World Cup 2027 on home soil. The Wallabies have assembled in Sydney ahead of a two-Test series against Eddie Jones’ Japan, which starts on August 8 in Osaka. 

The Wallabies may have a new-look coaching group leading the charge, but recent performances in the Nations Championship gives them plenty to build on. They finished that block of fixtures with a 1-2 record, which included an emphatic 47-point win over Italy in Perth. 

Ireland and France made history with wins earlier this month, but the Wallabies were leading both Six Nations heavyweights at half-time. It’s the first time the Irish had played in Australia since 2018 and was Les Bleus’ first win in Brisbane since the 1970s. 

The Wallabies’ second half performances become a talking point throughout the international window, but Alaalatoa still seems unencouraged by what the team delivered against some of the leading rugby teams in the world. 

“Going off that July series, seeing how our game was flowing through our attack,” Alaalatoa told reporters in Sydney. 

“[If we] look back at those games and know that we started really well but more then there was just moments more in the second half that we need to be better at. Those are moments that we can fix. 

“The way that we’re performing and getting more clarity on how we wanted to play and being more clear on how we want to play with each other and get the most out of each other, that’s definitely been a growth over the course of two years, and we saw that come to life in the last few games. 

“For us, first and foremost is to get the win in front of sold-out stadiums. We know that there’s a lot of passion for rugby here in Australia as well.” 

The Wallabies fell to an agonising two-point loss to the Irish in Sydney, which came down to a Ben Donaldson penalty attempt at the death. But the Wallabies were made to rue some other missed opportunities during the second term and ill-discipline. 

An injury crisis at fly-half saw debutant Declan Meredith start the next week against reigning Six Nations champions, France. The Wallabies took a strong lead into the break, but the visitors fought their way back during a clinical second 40. 

Then, in the final match of the Joe Schmidt coaching era, Josh Canham became the first Wallabies lock ever to score a hat-trick. The Aussies ran away with a dominant 57-10 win over Italy, bringing an end to a six-Test losing run. 

But with Schmidt calling time on his time in charge of the national team, Kiss is stepping up to the plate through to the showpiece event next year. Moving from one coach to another isn’t always easy, but the Wallabies have done what they can to ensure this is a smooth process. 

“Les has been around with us for a little while now. He was like a fly on the wall in the July series, more so was around during the Spring Tour,” Alaalatoa said. 

“It’s been well planned from those above to make sure the transition was very smooth and we’ve seen that already in the past couple of days. 

“It’s an exciting time ahead for us.” 

The Wallabies will soon jet off to Osaka, before returning home to Townsville roughly a week later to host Japan at Queensland Country Bank Stadium. It makes a reunion of sorts for some Wallabies like Alaalatoa with former coach Jones. 

Jones took the team to Men’s Rugby World Cup 2023 in France, before leaving the position after the tournament. The Wallabies faced the Brave Blossoms in Japan last year, claiming a hard-earned four-point win. 

“He’s got their team humming. [They] put in a good performance against Italy and also pushed Ireland to a very close game as well,” he added, when asked about Japan. 

“Watching them, they’re very skillful, play very fast as well. 

“It’s going to be bloody hot over there as well.”