The Wallabies will open their season with a Test against Ireland in Sydney on July 4, a task that looks tougher now than it did at the start of the Six Nations in February.
The Six Nations has been superb. To say that the rugby was better than the Rugby Championship does a disservice to the quality of last year’s Sanzaar tournament, but the speed at which northern hemisphere sides have evolved their attacks is a warning to the Wallabies.
Against Scotland last weekend, Ireland’s No. 12 Stuart McCloskey – who, at 117kg, is the same size as NRL powerhouse Payne Haas – threw a perfect 20-metre left-to-right pass to his right winger, setting up a try from a well executed scrum move that used the entire field.
The Six Nations was full of such moments. The tournament highlighted skill development up north, leaving the Wallabies playing catch-up. How many Tests will the Wallabies win in July against Ireland, France and Italy? Two will be considered the pass mark, but don’t count on it.
Of course, the Wallabies were recently beaten by Ireland, 46-19, in Dublin in November. But that result came with several caveats that Australian fans could use for comfort.
First, the Wallabies were fatigued; second, the weather was awful; and third, World Rugby’s crackdown on escort runners created a template that favoured northern hemisphere teams.
The first two points were true, but the Six Nations showed that northern hemisphere teams don’t just want to box-kick and chase; that tactic is one part of a broader attacking portfolio that includes skill, speed and smart running lines.
As Wallabies coach Joe Schmidt said of the Six Nations on Rugby Heaven on Thursday: “Some of it was attritional, and some of it was artistic, almost.”
We should go one step further: the quality of the backline play by France, Ireland and Scotland (and England and Italy in patches) was far superior to that displayed by the Wallabies after their famous win against the Springboks at Ellis Park last year.
Schmidt can’t be blameless. The coach has plenty of capital in the bank due to his standing in the game and his excellent communication skills, which provide confidence for Wallabies fans even in defeat. However, the rapid evolution of Six Nations teams contrasts with the attacking hole the Wallabies fell into last year.
The Wallabies need to bring more to the table in July because the Six Nations showed that attacking ambition, athleticism, and high skill levels will all still be rewarded at Test level. It can’t all be pragmatism and efficiency, as England’s Steve Borthwick has found. At some point, the shackles have to come off.
Super Rugby Pacific provides plenty of evidence that teams at that level – on both sides of the ditch – are struggling to find that balance.
The Waratahs showed some nice attacking shape and crisp left-to-right passing in the final quarter against the Reds last weekend, but one could argue they introduced Lawson Creighton’s running game at No.10 too late (Teddy Wilson and Creighton will be critical to the Waratahs defeating the Blues on Saturday – a win they are capable of achieving).
The Reds are the Australian team whose attack consistently passes the eye test – Les Kiss loves to have players offering multiple options at the line – but the high bar set in the Six Nations suggests Super Rugby Pacific is playing catch-up with the trendsetters in Europe.
The Wallabies do have the outline of a good backline.
Carter Gordon’s form at the Reds is highly encouraging, Len Ikitau is a class act, Max Jorgensen is a proven performer at Test level, and Tom Wright should return to the fullback position once he recovers from an ACL injury.
But the days when the Wallabies and All Blacks could rely on individual quality to deliver victories are long gone. Forget the Wallabies forwards and the set-piece for a moment; a year out from a Rugby World Cup, and Australia’s backline wouldn’t rank in the world’s top five.
So, Schmidt has some real shifts to make in July before passing the baton to Kiss, because the rest of the world is moving forward at pace.
Paul Cully is a rugby columnist for The Sydney Morning Herald.Connect via X or email.
