With 12 months of the Joe Schmidt reign behind them the Wallabies have launched straight into “re-sharpening the sword” for the British and Irish Lions.
The Wallabies gathered in Sydney on Monday for their first training session ahead of three-Test Lions series which begins next month, and fullback Tom Wright said they hit the ground running.
“This morning was less about trying to push over a fresh load of information and plays and structures onto everyone’s plate, and more about a refresher, and getting everyone back into language and lingo, and then everyone just sort of hitting the ground running,” the Brumbies gun said.
“Last year it was a lot of trying to digest and absorb stuff but today it was just re-sharpening the sword, and it was exciting to see that translate as opposed to just picking it up fresh last year.”
Tom Wright of the Wallabies runs the ball during the men’s International Test match between Australia Wallabies and Wales at Allianz Stadium on July 06, 2024 in Sydney, Australia. (Photo by Jason McCawley/Getty Images)
With 37 Tests under his belt, Wright had a breakout campaign for the Wallabies on last year’s spring tour, scoring a hat-trick against Wales as well as racking up major carry metres and clean breaks.
But with superstar league convert Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii able to play just about anywhere in the backline, including fullback, Wright knows there’s competition for the No.15 jersey – and welcomes it.
“He goes pretty well anytime he’s on the field,” Wright said of Suaalii, who was man of the match in his Test debut against England in November.
“His talent is probably second to none in the group, and you pair that with his work ethic that he’s got, it’s really impressive, and he gets the most out of all of us as his teammates.
“It was good to see competition for spots heat up today at training, so that’s the luxury that the coaching staff have. There’s going to be guys that miss out.”
While the touring Lions are the primary goal, the initial focus for the Australians is their Test against Fiji in Newcastle on July 6.
It’s the first time the teams have squared off since Fiji shocked the Wallabies at the 2023 Rugby World Cup in France, breaking a 69-year drought.
The Fiji win helped send the Australians crashing out of the tournament at the pool stage.
Wright, who was a shock omission from the World Cup by then coach Eddie Jones, said the Wallabies couldn’t afford to look past the Fijians, who have included 15 northern hemisphere-based players in a threatening squad.
“Obviously we get a taste of the Fijians with the Drua throughout the (Super Rugby) season so we know how lethal they’ll be, with and without the ball, and then you drip in some of the guys from Europe obviously, some of the most talented players in the world.
“We’ve got our eyes set on Newcastle and that being a really important fixture to leap-frog into what is obviously a strong Lions side in July too.”
The Lions have arrived in Perth ahead of their clash with the Western Force and will be licking their wounds after falling to Argentina in their warm-up Test.
But Wright said both teams played “exciting footy” and the Wallabies couldn’t read much into the result.
“The Argentinians were really good and I wouldn’t say the Lions played really poorly,” the 27-year-old said.
“That’s a bunch of guys trying to come together for the first time really. I wouldn’t read heaps into it.”
© AAP
