Australia captain Harry Wilson has said that the Wallabies are learning the lessons of the 2013 series against the British and Irish Lions as they bid to avoid a repeat of their opening Test slip-up.
Kurtley Beale’s untimely loss of footing while striking a potentially match-winning penalty with the final kick of the game in Brisbane, a second late miss from the tee proving costly as the Lions took a 1-0 lead with a 23-21 victory.
The Wallabies again host the tourists in the opening clash at Suncorp Stadium this weekend, with the Brisbane venue heavily used for other sports and rugby union. The Dolphins, one of two Brisbane-based National Rugby League (NRL) sides to call the ground home, beat the North Queensland Cowboys on Thursday night.
While the forecast is set fair for Saturday, rain fell in the capital on Queensland on Friday, softening a surface looking slightly worse for wear as Australia trained on match eve.
Wilson insisted his side will be fully prepared for slippery conditions as they look to steer clear of any Beale-esque mishaps.
“It is a little bit slippery, to be honest,” Wilson, who captains the side from No 8, said “We will be packing some decent studs.
“This field gets quite a lot of traffic, which is something we’re wary of. We’ve had some beautiful weather this week until today. It’s obviously a bit slippery, so it’s something we’ve definitely paid attention to and hope to not make the same mistake.”
The Australian skipper may have to shoulder a larger burden as a carrier with flanker Rob Valetini ruled out due to injury.
While Wilson was only 13 when the Lions last toured, two of the Wallabies squad were involved in that series, with prop James Slipper starting on Saturday in a remarkable display of front row longevity. Veteran fly half James O’Connor has also earned a recall to the Australia squad ahead of the series and could feature against the Lions for a second time in Tests two and three.
Wilson revealed that he and the squad had been drawing on the experiences of Slipper and O’Connor, as well as the great John Eales, who led the Wallabies to 2001 series success, ahead of taking on the Lions.
“We’ve used Slippy and James quite a bit,” the No 8 explained. “Just asking them about the week because for most of us, it’s unknown having this.
“The biggest thing for them is when you’re out there, it’s just another game of footy. You’ve just got to prepare the best you can to put yourself in a position to feel confident out there.”
On what he had taken from Eales, Wilson said. “I think the biggest thing was that he captained a World Cup win, he missed out on the previous Lions series and he really wanted to finish his international career with something like that. And for all that he had achieved in the game, how high this was on his list of achievements, it was pretty special to hear from someone like him.”
