Stirling Mortlock has outlined his biggest fear about Joe Schmidt\u2019s Wallabies and also explained what is holding Joseph Suaalii back from becoming a better Test player than he is.<\/p>\n
The 80-cap talisman, who scored the 80-metre intercept try that helped Australia to knock the All Blacks out of the 2003 Rugby World Cup, earned his strips at international level on the wing before making the No.13 jersey his own for a considerable period of time.<\/p>\n
Having retired in 2012 at the age of 35, he has retained an interest in rugby as a fan and he is optimistic about the future of the Wallabies following the strides taken in recent years.<\/p>\n
However, he believes Les Kiss, who will take over from Schmidt as Wallaby head coach after the opening matches in the new Nations Championship in July, must build strong combinations in the team, especially at half-back, if they are to fulfil their potential going into the 2027 home World Cup.<\/p>\n
Rugby Australia debt-free after British and Irish Lions tour \u2018exceeded projections\u2019<\/a><\/p>\n Radical plans to curb Super Rugby Pacific\u2019s \u2018plummeting appeal\u2019 tabled but All Blacks and Wallabies power battle stalls change<\/a><\/p>\n Appearing on the KOKO show with fellow ex-Wallabies Matt Giteau, Drew Mitchell and Adam Ashley-Cooper<\/a>, Mortlock said: \u201cI still really feel optimistic about rugby in this country, the Wallabies and even at Super Rugby level.<\/p>\n \u201cI feel like categorically our bottom was maybe five odd years ago or longer and that was on all fronts as far as quality of coaches, quality of referees and quality of talent. You look now, there is a lot of guys that can potentially wear a starting 15 jersey, which is awesome.<\/p>\n \u201cMy biggest concern, which is really obvious, we still don\u2019t have an out and out definitive nine and 10. I love combinations as well and from my perspective, I was a recipient of combinations.<\/p>\n \u201cPlaying outside of George Gregan and Stephen Larkham for most of my career was outstanding because they\u2019re world-class and playing every week with them (at the Brumbies), so when I went up to Wallaby level it wasn\u2019t foreign at all.<\/p>\n \u201cIt was almost like standard and I felt like for me I didn\u2019t realise how important that was until they retired. They moved on after \u201907 and then combination-wise it\u2019s really difficult.<\/p>\n \u201cUnfortunately we don\u2019t have many combinations that play together a lot of time, so you have to build it up in Wallaby games and we haven\u2019t been doing that much.\u201d<\/p>\n Ex-All Black claims New Zealand have been \u2018left in the stone ages\u2019 as he calls for Super Rugby to be disbanded<\/a><\/p>\n Wallabies star reveals how he \u2018struggled getting in and out of the car\u2019 after gruelling 2025 campaign<\/a><\/p>\n This chopping and changing, he believes, has affected the progress of Suaalii, the signing from rugby league who has played for the Wallabies with several different No.10s running the back line.<\/p>\n Having generated positive headlines following his initial arrival in union, criticism has since dogged the 22-year-old\u2019s level of play. However, Mortlock suggested it wasn\u2019t that Suaalii\u2019s form has been poor, but it instead was not getting the opportunity to get more involved in matches that was holding him back.<\/p>\n \u201cI have always liked the look of Joseph Suaalii,\u201d he said. \u201cI reckon if he had the chance could be absolute crazy at 13, but I feel like his body isn\u2019t allowing him to be consistently playing and he is not playing with combinations enough.<\/p>\n \u201cFrom a 13s perspective, I played two full seasons at the Wallaby level on the wing before I got a chance to own the 13 jersey. It is not an easy position, but he is one (who can do it).<\/p>\n \u201cI remember watching him at schoolboy level as my kids were at the same school and he was an animal in the centres. I\u2019d love to see him a lot more at 13. No doubt he has got class and could play on the wing or even full-back\u2026<\/p>\n \u201cBut it\u2019s combinations and when you have consistently them, it\u2019s really easy to play 13 both in attack and defence. You have got a lot on your shoulders at 13, you have got to be a link person in attack, and you are usually the unstructured defence captain of the team.<\/p>\n Christy Doran: The Wallabies can\u2019t win the Bledisloe Cup. Should they pick more reliable Brumbies?<\/a><\/p>\n Top Test ref backs Super Rugby innovations but convincing \u2018purists\u2019 and World Rugby the \u2018challenge\u2019 as factions emerge<\/a><\/p>\n \u201cBut what I am seeing is a lot of in the 13 channel is doing outside clear-outs; that is such a burn of one of your best attacking players. I look at the way some of the attacking is now and I would have hated it.<\/p>\n \u201cI would have to demand play me off first phase otherwise I didn\u2019t really know how to get in this game or be part of those inside out shapes. I have watched a few games where he didn\u2019t get many opportunities and I\u2019m like \u2018argh\u2019.\u201d<\/p>\n Asked to select his preferred Wallabies backline leading into next year\u2019s World Cup, Mortlock continued: \u201cI am just going to go with Queensland nine and 10, Tate McDermott and Carter Gordon. I still think (Len) Ikitau or maybe (Hunter) Paisami. They have done really well and\/or if Joseph gets in there, it might be interesting, but they caveat is all those guys don\u2019t play together.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s a really interesting one as Ikitau was typically a 13 but got thrown in at 12 and has played some seriously amazing footy at 12 at Wallaby level.<\/p>\n \u201cIt goes back to the modern phase shape attack, it suits him really, really well coming inside out and sniffing picks and goes, really opportunistic stuff that he does. He does that better than any of our backs as it suits his style of play.<\/p>\n \u201cAnd we have got a plethora of outside backs, that\u2019s the great thing. Guys like (Andrew) Kellaway that are really enterprising, who might not get a start\u2026 I love him [Tom Wright]. It\u2019s been great to see him finally get that confidence at Wallaby level and back himself.<\/p>\n Wallabies playmaker reveals first coach to impart \u2018wisdom\u2019 as he shares his post-retirement plans<\/a><\/p>\n The question Joe Schmidt and the Wallabies should be asking after Will Skelton\u2019s \u2018see you next year\u2019 message<\/a><\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019d love to see Max Jorgensen going up, it would be great to see him in a home World Cup next year really light it up. What we need is these young guys that are coming in, they are showing a lot of promise and doing well but that\u2019s the beginning. How do you keep going up year after year? If we have a lot of guys who do that, this Wallaby team will be outstanding.\u201d<\/p>\n Looking at the coaching situation, where a handover from Schmidt to Kiss is on the horizon, Mortlock said: \u201cIt\u2019s an interesting paradigm. Much of what he [Schmidt] has done is excellent.<\/p>\n \u201cYou can definitely tell there is a lot of confidence in the team in what they are trying to do and having Les coming in with a new mindset is going to be really interesting. With strategy, he certainly seems to be a lot more free-spirited in the way he likes to attack, so that might be interesting but it\u2019s hard to know.\u201d<\/p>\n In the quick-fire question session in his interview, Mortlock touched on Engand\u2019s rennet poor run and pined for the era when South African clubs still played in Super Rugby.<\/p>\n \u201cEngland, going back to combinations, that\u2019s one of the biggest challenges because the Premiership is actually a pretty decent standard but it\u2019s difficult to get the combinations together prior to playing for their country but who knows? It\u2019s nice to see them get a fair few losses. I don\u2019t mind that,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n \u201cSouth Africa was always a highlight of the season for us because it\u2019s a religion over there and it\u2019s just crazy how you are recognised and all those things and the game, the intensity, playing at altitude is a real big challenge.\u201d<\/p>\n Want more from Planet Rugby? Add us as\u00a0a preferred source on Google to your favourites list<\/a>\u00a0for world-class coverage you can trust.<\/p>\n