{"id":186484,"date":"2025-10-03T02:33:09","date_gmt":"2025-10-03T02:33:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/186484\/"},"modified":"2025-10-03T02:33:09","modified_gmt":"2025-10-03T02:33:09","slug":"the-wallabies-know-their-game-that-makes-them-threat-in-a-home-world-cup","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/186484\/","title":{"rendered":"The Wallabies \u2018know their game\u2019. That makes them threat in a home World Cup"},"content":{"rendered":"

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That\u2019s arguably the second piece of good news. The first came from the Wallabies\u2019 performance against the All Blacks<\/a> at Eden Park \u2013 despite the result.<\/p>\n

Yes, there were elements that were subpar, but there were also major positives that again highlighted the exceptional foundational work Joe Schmidt is doing with this team.<\/p>\n

It was missed in the noise around the officiating<\/a>, but Wallabies captain Harry Wilson said something immediately after the Test that should help fans sleep easier: \u201cWe know our game.\u201d<\/p>\n

That game, when it\u2019s flowing, is exactly the sort the Wallabies can take to a Rugby World Cup and have a genuine crack at it.<\/p>\n

Win or lose in Perth, I\u2019ve seen enough to know this team is getting so much right around the set-piece and attacking breakdown. They are a team that earns the right to go wide.<\/p>\n

Gone are the days when they\u2019d be constantly turned over in the wide channels by the Kiwis. Under Schmidt, the Wallabies are punching through holes closer to the ruck before they pull the trigger to go wider. In Wilson\u2019s words, they know their game.<\/p>\n

This style is part of a brick-by-brick plan that is becoming easier to see the longer it unfolds.<\/p>\n

\"Wallabies<\/p>\n

Wallabies skipper Harry Wilson.Credit: Getty Images<\/p>\n

For example, cast your mind back to last year \u2013 specifically the Test against the Springboks in Perth. At the time, there was growing grumbling about how narrow the Wallabies were in attack, with little happening outside the No.9.<\/p>\n

That criticism was fair, but it\u2019s now clear they were a team learning to walk before they tried to run \u2013 literally and figuratively.<\/p>\n

So much quality work has been done at the attacking breakdown that, heading into the second Bledisloe Test, it\u2019s already clear the Wallabies will gain metres through the middle against the All Blacks. That\u2019s where the work has gone in.<\/p>\n

Wilson is now a serious carrier in those tough areas, and Len Ikitau continues to show Ga\u00ebl Fickou-like qualities in how he maintains momentum with direct carries off quick ball.<\/p>\n

The Wallabies are well on their way to becoming a team you want to avoid \u2013 and with Schmidt\u2019s work far from done, there\u2019s every chance Les Kiss will inherit a side with a strong, defined identity.<\/p>\n

The weaker parts of the Wallabies\u2019 performance last week are fixable. Even though the penalty and error count at Eden Park was frustrating, it\u2019s not something that can\u2019t be improved.<\/p>\n

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But the foundations are there. By 2027, I see a strong set-piece, real sledgehammers in the back row, and a potentially brilliant back three of Tom Wright, Max Jorgensen, and Mark Nawaqanitawase.<\/p>\n

Momentum is a wonderful thing to have in sport \u2013 especially two years out from a home Rugby World Cup.<\/p>\n

And the Wallabies now have some.<\/p>\n

Watch all the action from the 2025 Rugby Championship on Stan Sport<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Loading That\u2019s arguably the second piece of good news. The first came from the Wallabies\u2019 performance against the…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":186485,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[567],"tags":[64,63,760,85],"class_list":["post-186484","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-rugby","tag-au","tag-australia","tag-rugby","tag-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/186484","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=186484"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/186484\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/186485"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=186484"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=186484"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=186484"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}