Another day, another withering blast of hot air from the northern hemisphere aimed at Joe Schmidt’s wobbly Wallabies.
The record 67-27 loss to Argentina has unleashed the critics – and fair enough too.
Meanwhile, Rugby Australia CEO Phil Waugh has clutched the soggiest paper straw imaginable, suggesting the team is being “set up for success” and offering as an example the fact that they almost held a halftime lead against the Springboks in Perth. For those suffering selective amnesia (lucky you), the Wallabies were later rolled 30-12.
After England’s most capped player Ben Youngs described the Wallabies as being in a “proper dark” state earlier this week, one of his ex-teammates Andy Goode and former Scotland international Jim Hamilton joined in the kicking on The Rugby Pod, alongside Wales great Dan Biggar.
(Photo by Daniel Jayo/Getty Images)
Goode echoed Youngs’ statement that the British and Irish Lions should look to switch next year’s tour from Australia to South Africa on competitive grounds following the Wallabies’ slump to ninth in the world rankings.
While Goode accepted it won’t happen he urged a “campaign” anyway.
“Australia were 20 points to three up at the weekend and then got hosed 67-27,” said Goode.
“Can we campaign for the Lions to flip the tour and go to South Africa, please? It can’t happen but if you’re the Lions now at the end of the season and you’re picking anyone to play it’s South Africa.”
Biggar felt the Australians’ loss also reflected poorly on Wales – beaten in both Tests down under in July.
“Australia getting 67 points chucked on them which clearly doesn’t help Wales’ perspective looking at that after losing the series,” Biggar said.
“Everyone was quite positive about Wales, everyone was quite positive about New Zealand – I think England is slightly different – but the All Blacks were really poor against Argentina in that first Test.
“So you think a bit of the positivity has been taken off of that, Wales probably doesn’t look as good with the Wallabies getting absolutely humped on Saturday night.
“Ireland have probably come out of this with even more credit by just losing the first Test to the Springboks and just winning the second Test against a team that we have just waxed lyrical about for 15 minutes.”
Hamilton responded: “Ireland are class, England are better than we think still, Scotland is phenomenal at the minute, Wales average and Australia are shite.
“I know there are loads going on but all I’m saying is it’s a Lions year next year, how are Australia even doing anything against the Lions, I don’t know. Maybe they will use this line and me calling them out but there ain’t a chance.”
The British media has struck a note somewhere between astonishment and glee in reaction to the gobsmacking defeat in Argentina.
In response, Waugh told the Sydney Morning Herald that the Wallabies are making progress under Joe Schmidt.
(Photo by Matt King/Getty Images for Rugby Australia)
“I am confident we are putting in place the systems, structure and discipline that sets the Test team up for success,” Waugh told the Herald.
“We saw in the second Test against the Springboks … we missed a penalty on half-time, so we should have been ahead at half-time against the world champions.
“You can see the progress is there. It is not nearly where we need it to be, but if we keep progressing at the speed with which we have moved things in the last six months, then there is plenty of time [before the Lions series].
“It is just a matter of then getting that winning experience. We now have two Tests against the All Blacks, and then a Grand Slam tour … so we have opportunity to play big Test matches.”
Of course “getting that winning experience” will help, but it’s hard for anyone other than the bravest Joe Schmidtsciples to see when that next W might come.
Like Schmidt, Waugh has issues on several fronts.
Australia has had The Rugby Championship pulled out from under them with New Zealand and South Africa prioritising long form tours between themselves.
His well-regarded consultant David Nucifora decided to de-camp for Scotland after just a few month and there have been other changes.
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Rugby Australia’s head of communications, Mark McCartney, was made redundant last month, and no direct replacement has been announced at a time when RA needs proactive comms more than ever.
“Another restructure at Rugby Australia, and another redundancy – this time it’s me. Certainly not the first, and unlikely to be the last,” McCartney wrote on LinkedIn.
As the editor of a sports website site that devotes considerable time and space to rugby, it might have been nice, professional even, to be officially informed by RA of McCartney’s departure and the new lines of communications to the organisation.
A press release of the change in operations to those most affected – the media – is the very least you would expected.
Certainly not the first time, and unlikely to be the last, RA failed to meet those expectations.