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LONG READ 18 debutants but Australia's core looking ‘more settled than ever’

18 debutants but Australia's core looking ‘more settled than ever’
1 week ago

It’s always the hope that kills you, as Australian rugby fans have grown far too accustomed.

A week of increased expectations and probably more Grand Slam talk they would have liked pushed most of this Wallabies playing group into uncharted territory, and so it wasn’t a great surprise that the end result is disappointment for the players, coaches and staff, and certainly supporters everywhere.

Scotland’s 27-13 win at Murrayfield was an accurate reflection of the contest in the end, but so would have been whatever the score was if the Wallabies had converted the 70m turnover opportunity in the 63rd minute. It would prove a massive turning point, with Scotland scoring twice in the next eight minutes to properly ice the game.

Darcy Graham
Australia lost control of the game as Scotland cut loose in the second half at Murrayfield (Photo Stu Forster/Getty Images)

There are plenty of avenues for excuse, if that’s the direction Australian fans need to head. Disrupted preparations on account of the Arctic circle drifting south for a few days; energy spent on downplaying Grand Slam talk and managing expectations, even day-before and game-day withdrawals of in-form players. But ultimately, there’s a set of numbers that tell the true story.

The Wallabies missed 34 tackles from 159 attempts, conceded 14 penalties and made nearly 200m fewer than Scotland from a similar number of carries. They beat half as many defenders and made only two line-breaks to Scotland’s nine.

Australia won more rucks and had quicker ball more often than Scotland did from an equal share of possession and not-too-dissimilar share of territory, but they just couldn’t crack the brilliant Scottish defence.

This Wallabies team had lifted themselves to a point where the expectation was becoming justified, and the idea that they could beat Scotland in Edinburgh was not nearly as far-fetched or unreasonable as a month ago

Where the Wallabies found space out wide against England and Wales with welcome regularity, it just wasn’t there at Murrayfield. The third pass to unlock the outside channels was rarely reached, and Tom Wright’s secondary playmaking – which had been so beneficial in the wins in previous weeks – was largely unsighted.

Simply put, they were done over by a better team on the day, and a team that needed to win that match as much as their opposition did.

And it’s all a great shame, because this Wallabies team had lifted themselves to a point where the expectation was becoming justified, and the idea that they could beat Scotland in Edinburgh was not nearly as far-fetched or unreasonable as it might have felt even a month ago.

Australia have already achieved some great success on this Spring Tour, and it’s largely come down to the work they’ve done as a playing group on the field, and in preparations off it. Like the great Ernest Hemingway quote, the Wallabies’ improvements this year have come gradually and then suddenly.

The squad has come together in much the same way. Through plenty of tinkering, and plenty of backing from the coaches at the selection table, Joe Schmidt’s preferred team going forward has emerged, and they’re playing comfortably both as individuals in specific roles, and together for themselves.

Joe Schmidt
Joe Schmidt has been on the ball with most of his selections in his first year in charge (Photo Adrian Dennis/AFP via Getty Images)

A simple observation of the side named for the Scotland Test really cut through, with a social media follower, responding to my point that the guys being rested and the players coming back in all made sense, simply saying:

“Somehow, Schmidt has selected more debutants than ever but the team seems more settled than ever.”

It’s such a strong point that it bears some deeper digging.

Schmidt’s 18 debutants are the most in a single year since post-war days. “The most for the Wallabies since 1920 and 1928, when Australian rugby was still finding its feet again,” Sydney Morning Herald senior sportswriter Iain Payten wrote from Edinburgh in the build-up last week.

All 18 debutants have been about looking at new players with a view to the future, but also with a view to building depth in positions.

“All Australian rugby competitions stopped during World War I, so players could serve in the armed forces,” he elaborated.

All 18 debutants have been about looking at new players with a view to the future, but also with a view to building depth in positions.

In order, this year’s debutant have been Josh Flook, Jeremy Williams, Angus Blyth, Isaac Kailea, Charlie Cale, Tom Lynagh, Dylan Peitsch, Josh Nasser, Darby Lancaster, Alex Hodgman, Carlo Tizzano, Luke Reimer, Max Jorgensen, Seru Uru, Hamish Stewart, Josh Canham, Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii, and Harry Potter.

Jeremy Williams
One of this year’s debutants, lock Jeremy Williams, has emerged as a key player for the Wallabies (Photo Adrian Dennis/AFP via Getty Images)

A hooker, two props, three locks, four back-rowers, a fly-half, three centres, and four back-three players. It feels like a deliberate spread, in terms of experimentation.

Interestingly, six of them have played at least five Tests, and Williams is the standout, having played nine of Australia’s 12 Tests so far in 2024, despite being a late scratching from the Scotland game. Only five of the debutants have played just their first Test thus far, and Harry Potter scoring Australia’s sole try at Murrayfield should be a good case for him holding his spot for Ireland next week.

But among the 47 players used to date sits a key group of players that won’t just be crucial against the British & Irish Lions in 2025, but beyond next year and towards the 2027 Rugby World Cup as well.

Angus Bell, Matt Faessler, Nick Frost, Williams, Rob Valetini, Fraser McReight, Harry Wilson, Jake Gordon, Noah Lolesio, Len Ikitau, Andrew Kellaway, Tom Wright.

Those 12 have played at least seven of the 12 Tests this year, and only injury has prevented Bell, McReight and Gordon from taking their place in more. Seven of them have played at least 10 of the 12 Tests, and only Williams and Kellaway have spent time on the bench. Kellaway and Valetini are the only ones to have played in all 12, and Valetini is the only one to have started every match in 2024. He has played 80 minutes in all bar a couple of them, too.

With the exception of Faessler and Williams, all of them have now played at least 20 Test matches in their career. Most of them have played near to or more than 30. Schmidt sees this as a significant benchmark.

For all intents and purposes, however, these 12 players represent the core of Schmidt’s first XV.

Lukhan Salakaia-Loto has also played 10 Tests this season, with a good chunk of them from the bench. Tate McDermott  (11) and Allan Ala’alatoa (12) similarly.

There’s another important set of numbers among this group of players, too, beyond the large chunk of Tests they’ve played together.

With the exception of Faessler and Williams, all of them have now played at least 20 Test matches in their career. Most of them have played near to or more than 30. Schmidt sees this as a significant benchmark.

Matt Faessler
Matt Faessler has established himself as the Wallabies’ first-choice hooker (Photo Mark Metcalfe/Getty Images)

“A lot of their players are hitting that sweet spot of being between 25 and 30 (years of age) and having 30 to 60 caps, where they’ve got enough maturity and experience to have the right amount of confidence to be able to adapt the game as it needs to be done,” he said of Gregor Townsend’s Scotland team in the lead-up to the match.

Before the start of the season, most of these Australian players had less than 25 caps to their name, and plenty were in the teens and lower.

Schmidt’s approach to taking on the Wallabies job has certainly seen him spread the net far and wide. 18 debutants is one thing, but apart from tighthead prop and fly-half, every jersey in the match-day squad has had at least three occupants this season – and that’s both in the starting side and on the bench.

The Wallabies have used a lot of players and made a number of changes from game to game, yet fans have a strong feeling of stability around Schmidt’s selections

He’s started nine different back-three players, five different locks and seven different back-rowers.

Schmidt has looked at 47 players in 12 Tests, yet there is a full team’s worth of players who have played nearly every game together. They’ve scraped through the early Tests in July, copped the lessons through The Rugby Championship and used them to run deep in two Bledisloe Cup games. Now, they’ve experienced success together through the Autumn Nations Series.

The Wallabies have used a lot of players, they have made a number of changes from game to game, yet fans have a strong feeling of stability around Schmidt’s selections.

Andrew Kellaway
Andrew Kellaway and Tom Wright have been consistent performers in the Wallabies’ back three (Photo Jason McCawley/Getty Images)

The players he’s looked at have been worth looking at and deserving of their Test debuts. The changes he’s made have made logical sense, with proper method to them rather than the ‘hit and hope’ vibes that seemed to dictate teams through most of 2023.

But more importantly, the combinations Schmidt is building are starting to pay off, and that’s where the longer-term gains are going to come.

Now the Wallabies have one last assignment for the year: Ireland, the very best of the northern hemisphere, at the Aviva in Dublin, to close out the 2024 rugby calendar.

The Wallabies can play with a degree of freedom again against Ireland, with the expectation that grew before the Scotland game now lessened.

After the Murrayfield hurt has at least dissipated, with the Grand Slam possibility now removed from the equation completely, Schmidt’s squad has a chance to finish the season on a high.

It will be a difficult, but not impossible, task. Ireland have shown themselves to be fallible, and they’ve certainly had trouble adapting to the new Law interpretations that have created much cleaner kick contests. Without the ability to block chasers and allow their catchers an easier kick receipt, the Irish haven’t been able to launch as many back-field broken play attacking raids that they’ve built their game around in recent years.

The Wallabies can also play with a degree of freedom again, with the expectation that grew before the Scotland game now lessened.

Schmidt has spoken all year about incremental improvements, and his consistency of selection has really seen the combinations and confidence build within the squad over this northern series.

It would be a true mark of how much they have improved if they can finish 2024 with one more win.

Comments

16 Comments
S
SC 7 days ago

Schmidt’s biggest challenge, and I do not believe he has a solution to it in time for Lions tour, is that Australia have only 2 test quality props and 1 test quality hooker. Slipper, AAA, Sio, and the rest are simply poor scrummagers and, when a team needs to, can simply scrum penalties off them, field position, and points.

J
JI 9 days ago

So good to see Brett's "Pearls of Wisdom" again, missed big time at the place where we all Roar (ps, its ThugbyFan here).


The thing that I have liked with the coaching by J.Schmidt et al is they have brought cohesion and a decent game plan back into the team. Players have a greater understanding of their own role and how it fits in and more confidence to "go for it" if they see the opportunity. Its not spoken of much, but I have seen a gradual improvement in skills of nearly all the players over 2024. I'm not shockingly concerned with the two major 2024 blips (the Pumas disaster and the Scotland game last week) as I note that both times there was an illness through the camp and some blokes could barely run after 60 minutes.


My major concern is Lord Laurie's sliding defence system has its limitations and allows a team with 2 long accurate passes and fast backs to gain big metres and even get around it too easily. Then again as the Brumbies found out in SRP2024, a rush defence (outside in) takes a long time to get it down right.


Finally, how can we quickly clone a Quade Cooper and unleash him against the Lions? Get that and its BBQ Lion ribs with Pommy tears sauce for July. 🤣

J
JD Kiwi 9 days ago

I remember Australia really stopping Ireland from playing back in 2022. I think Fisher was involved that day too!

A
AF 11 days ago

Hopefully Aus will improve now and we'll see them challenge and show the Aus way.


As an England fan, back in the 2000-2003 days it was NZ, Aus, Ire and Fra that were our major challenge and seeing all those contrasting styles was awesome, but especially Aus really had a distinctive running game that was unique. Helps that the Brumbies back then were such a joy to watch. For Aus to be back up the top, as well as the aforementioned teams, and added to that now obviously SA since 2005, AND now with Sco and hopefully a resurgent Wal in the next 3 seasons, there is a real hope that the next world cup could be ultra ultra, ultra competitive. It really needs Aus to be contenders though and this autumn was really promising on that front.

S
SK 11 days ago

Before Schmidt came along I think its fair to say that nobody and I mean nobody had faith in the Australian domestic system and its ability to churn out players of test quality. Faced with Zero player depth, no distinct style of play, very few working combinations, an inexperienced team and a player and brain drain from Aussie rugby I think everyone believed Joe Schmidt was on a hiding to nothing. 12 tests later the Wallabies have a distinct style of play, working combinations across the park, are slowly building that player depth and have significantly enhanced their stock of good test quality players. Its taken alot of learnings but the project has rapidly surged forward in the last 2 months. What an upward trajectory its been. Before the Northern tour began many said 1 win would be enough to consider it a success. Well they have 2 and were in the contest against a determined Scottish team away from home. They never once shrunk and fought till the end. I also think about those 18 debutants you have mentioned. Imagine the benefit for them and for their Super Rugby franchises with them having now been exposed to a strong systems, with them having now been exposed to the learnings that only international rugby can bring. Imagine the confidence they can take back now into Super Rugby and also the knowledge now of what they have to do to reach that next level knowing its not beyond them. For too long during the Jones Era a sense of hopelessness pervaded the entire Australian set up both domestic and International. So many players saw their dreams fade into dust and others saw their futures evaporate while some became so disillusioned they turned to League. Now Schmidt has brought back hope and has given these lads a sense of purpose. Its almost as though rain has come after a long drought. Lets hope these shoots of green grow tall.

A
AM 11 days ago

Not so many when you compare it to the squad of 50 plus players used by SA. Four main problems with the team and Schmidt shows he is a good technician but poor international coach by not selecting the best players and rotating and developing key positions.


First, the scrum is woeful if Bell and Thor don’t play. AAA and Nongoor in particular are poor. Talea may be good but is not good enough. Schmidt should select Sio, Ainsley and Latu as the bench front row. All playing well in Europe. He should also be doing better with Pone and perhaps getting him over to France to work on his scrummaging. Pone is our best running prop but poor coaching has killed him. Needs better coaching OS provided eg Skelton and Meafou. Secondly, 9 and 10 combo. McDermott is a confidence player and is terrible on a bad day. He takes several steps before passing which kills the speed of ball and results in turnovers. Better off with Kerr Barlow who is playing well with La Rochelle and making McDermott work on his skills. Edmed probably does need a run too. Thirdly, centre and fullback. Perese is our best defender at centre and should be in the squad. The outside back defence is poor without Joe and needs to be shored up. Wright is also a confidence player and has poor defence. When he is off like he was last week better to replace him with someone like Reece Hodge who has a great boot and good D. Fourthly, lack of ball runners who break tackles outside of Bobby V and Skelton. Wilson is not up to international standard and dosent break tackles nor does McReight. Replace him with Gleeson and Leota on the bench if fit. Would also be better playing Pone than Nongoor as Pone at least has a good running game. Latu also makes ground. Amatesero is also a better player than Williams. Frost has been the standout fine. Finally, player rotation. Schmidt is grinding key players like Bell and Bobby V into dust. He needs to give them breaks by utilising OS players more and developing youngsters. The loss of Meafou to France and the guy who captained Scotland exemplifies the poor coaching and development in Aus.

J
JI 9 days ago

AM. I stopped reading your reply when you wrote "Perese is our best defender at centre and should be in the squad..." Are you serious? the bloke is an absolute sieve, he charges forward messing the defence line with his "highlight reel" hit or miss shots. There is a reason why the Waratahs didn't fight too hard to keep him. A very good carrier of the ball but its wing or LRO for I.Perese.

As for L.Gleeson the ruck-watcher; the bloke is too lazy although I suspect J.Schmidt has pointed this out to him as he is reloading into position more often now. Another "highlights reel" hit-or-miss tackler.

T
Toaster 12 days ago

I very much like what Joe has done with the Wallabies so far


Yes he has had a few BAD results but there is a heck of a lot of skilful players he’s introduced


Not a good result against Scotland but perhaps not a bad thing

They have played the worst Welsh side ever and won fortuitously in an amazing game against England

So this was a reality check


Guys like Wright, Suaalii, Valetini and McDermott are thriving under Joe but equally Wright and Kellaways defence is a liability

Williams and Frost are going well and Skelton isn’t the answer IMO


Main issues for me like England are first up tackles and still that old tight five bug bear


Still, things are improving and a good effort or even a win against Ireland would be an amazing end to their tour


I feel they are starting to show fatigue and Ireland are slowly improving

Never know though! They will relish the underdog status


As an ABs fan an improving wallabies is a good thing

M
Mitch 12 days ago

18 debutants could become 19 with Tane Edmed set to play his 1st test this weekend against Ireland.

B
Brett McKay 12 days ago

Looks that way Mitch. But also, still kind of makes sense..

O
OJohn 12 days ago

What a complete load of .......


And black is now white.


“Somehow, Schmidt has selected more debutants than ever but the team seems more settled than ever.”


"The Wallabies have used a lot of players, they have made a number of changes from game to game, yet fans have a strong feeling of stability around Schmidt’s selections.


"Schmidt has spoken all year about incremental improvements, and his consistency of selection has really seen the combinations and confidence build within the squad over this northern series."


Where do you make this stuff up ? Willy Wonka's Chocolate Factory ?

M
MA 11 days ago

Who would have thought a broken record could keep making the same whining grating sound?

Is it a blunt needle?🙃🤔🤫

B
Brett McKay 12 days ago

🥱Snore, whatever John.


The Wallabies' improvements under Schmidt have become so abundantly clear now that all you can do is quote my text back to me. You have nothing to offer, and that includes whatever you inevitably try and come back with.


Have a good Christmas, hope Santa brings you something nice..

S
Sage 12 days ago

Enjoyed that. Pretty accurate assessment Brett. Good to read you again

B
Brett McKay 12 days ago

Cheers Sage..

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