No sooner had Australians learned about the four-nation threat coming their way next month than they were plunged into panic mode, by the sight of key men on stretchers, in neck braces.
It is now less than 10 weeks until the Wallabies have to be ready to face the Lions and the last thing the hosts need is to lose any of their top talent to injuries. Joe Schmidt has overseen a revival which should ensure a competitive Test series – banishing previous predictions of a 3-0 whitewash for the Lions – but the Kiwi former head coach of Ireland doesn’t have unlimited resources to work with.
So, two major scares in the last round of Super Rugby Pacific fixtures spread alarm Down Under.
First, Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii was carried off after suffering the fourth concussion of his short but dazzling cross-code career, during the Waratahs’ defeat against Australian rivals the Reds. Then, first-choice No 10 Noah Lolesio was rushed to the Royal Perth Hospital with a suspected neck injury. A scan revealed no fracture, but he is believed to have ligament damage in his back and for now it is unclear how long he will be out of action.
This is the danger for the Wallabies; any setbacks will be more difficult to absorb than is the case for their well-stocked rivals. The Lions can call on a galaxy of pedigree options in most positions whereas Schmidt needs some luck on his side to maintain the build-up to momentous encounters in Brisbane, Melbourne and Sydney.
However, the perception is that his side have a shot, if they avoid too many mishaps between now and the series opener in Queensland’s state capital on July 19.
Australia No 10 Noah Lolesio was rushed to the Royal Perth Hospital with a suspected neck injury and it is unclear how long he will be out of action. This is the danger for the Wallabies
Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii was carried off after suffering the fourth concussion of his short but dazzling cross-code career in a major scare for the Wallabies before they face the Lions
But Joe Schmidt has overseen a revival which should ensure a competitive Test series
Schmidt’s predecessor, Eddie Jones – now back in charge of Japan – recently spent a month back in Australia. With the Brumbies currently second in Super Rugby and the Reds in fourth, he is optimistic about the Wallabies’ ability to challenge and upset the famous touring team.
Jones told Mail Sport: ‘In Super Rugby, the Australian sides have started to beat the New Zealand teams, which they haven’t done for 20 years. Part of that has been because the Rebels’ extinction means the other teams have become stronger. There are a lot of good young players coming through and I’ve no doubt it is going to be a hugely competitive series – more than people think.
‘The Wallabies showed that in England. Look at Suaalii; he is two players in one. He can win the ball in the air as well as anyone in the world and he has the ability to off-load in the tackle because he’s a big, strong guy.
‘He’s a real point of difference for Australia. When Australia have a dominant back, that’s usually when we have a dominant team. Australia’s rugby is based on world-class backs to a large extent and they are getting that again.
‘The other thing I’ve seen is that Fraser McReight has really started to mature into a good No 7, so that is another reason why it can be a good, competitive series.’
Asked exactly what Schmidt has done to spark a transformation, following his own ill-fated second spell with Australia, Jones added: ‘Joe is a very good coach. He can get a team better organised than any coach in the world and he has got them organised.’
Lions captain Maro Itoje used the same word to summarise the impact made by Schmidt. Speaking after the squad announcement in London, he said: ‘The Wallabies are completely different to the Wallabies two years ago. They’re a talented team – talent has never been their issue – but they have a coaching group which has got them organised. He (Schmidt) has got them sharp and firing. They have got a big, powerful pack with dynamic backs. It is definitely going to be a challenge.’
Itoje is well aware of the danger posed by the Lions’ resurgent opponents, after England conceded five tries in a shock 42-37 defeat against the Wallabies at Twickenham last November. Schmidt’s team went on to thrash Wales and nearly upset Ireland in Dublin. They are still down in eighth place in the World Rugby rankings, but the graph is clearly pointing upwards again.
Eddie Jones is optimistic about the Wallabies’ ability to challenge and upset the Lions
Lions skipper Maro Itoje is well aware of the danger posed by his side’s resurgent opponents
Australia will be ready, as long as their precious stars can stay away from stretchers
Perhaps the biggest issue they face is potentially going into the Test series under-cooked, with just a single warm-up against Fiji on July 6, before taking on the might of the Lions. Schmidt must decide whether to overwhelmingly rely on home-based players, or summon overseas-based powerhouses such as lock Will Skelton and centre Samu Kerevi.
One problem for Australia is the plight of fearsome prop Taniela ‘Tongan Thor’ Tupou, who is in the midst of a form and confidence slump. He is resigned to missing out on a squad place, after telling the Sydney Morning Herald: ‘If I’m being honest, I have no chance of making that team, because of how I’ve been performing this year.
‘I think I’m just putting a lot of pressure on myself at the moment. Sometimes, I finish a game, and I’m like, “F*** me, do I know how to play rugby any more?”.’
Yet, while the Wallabies could lose a talented but troubled asset up front, they may regain another one further back, due to a late-career purple patch for 34-year-old playmaker James O’Connor in New Zealand. He has been in vintage, match-winning form for the Christchurch-based Crusaders and Schmidt said: ‘James would bring experience into the group; a little bit of versatility.’
What will help the Wallabies in the coming weeks is that the distraction of succession planning has gone. Following a long period of noisy speculation, there is clarity about the immediate future at last, with Les Kiss confirmed as the successor to Schmidt next year, leading into the 2027 World Cup.
So, now, the master organiser can focus solely on the daunting mission in front of him and his team. Don’t under-estimate them – Australia will be ready; as long as their precious stars stay away from stretchers.
Farrell desperate to avoid late injury woes
It really didn’t take long for anxiety levels to start rising, in relation to the well-being of those players chosen for the Lions tour.
Just 30 hours after Andy Farrell’s squad of 38 for the tour of Australia was revealed, Tom Curry limped out of Sale’s defeat against Leicester at Welford Road.
The flanker had been struggling with a wrist injury anyway, but now concerns have shifted to his damaged hamstring. His club are rushing to assess the results of a scan and gauge the severity of this untimely setback, which impacts on their title bid, as well as the subsequent Lions’ mission.
Meanwhile, Andy Farrell will be in contingency-planning mode and the most obvious option would be to replace – if necessary – one Curry twin with another, as Ben took over from Tom against the Tigers and played like someone aggrieved and motivated by his absence from the British and Irish squad.
Jack Willis is another stellar English option, but his club commitments at Toulouse will continue to count against him, due to an overlap with the start of the tour. Meanwhile, Farrell Snr may be tempted to spend the next few weeks hiding behind the sofa with his fingers in his ears, desperate to avoid any more worrying medical bulletins.
Andy Farrell will be in contingency-planning mode in case of late injury concerns
Just 30 hours after Farrell’s squad of 38 for the tour of Australia was revealed, Tom Curry limped out of Sale’s defeat against Leicester. His club are now rushing to assess his scan
Genge’s heartwarming Lions call-up
Amid a torrent of reaction clips and images on social media following the naming of the Lions squad, this column’s favourite came from Ellis Genge. The England prop posted a home-coming picture on the sofa with his three children all dressed in lions costumes, to mark their father’s inclusion in the tour party.
In the caption, he joked: ‘That could have been awkward when I got home. Thank you for all the messages, absolutely overwhelmed, a rollercoaster of emotions.’
Genge has emerged as an influential role model in recent years, in a quest to promote his sport in Bristol in particular, away from traditional hot-beds and across class divides, so it was touching to see his parental impact too.
Meanwhile, as footage circulated of team-mates and friends celebrating call-ups together, there was one slightly awkward moment at the O2 Arena, when Glasgow’s Lions contingent were interviewed on the giant screen.
It clearly dawned on a largely English audience just how Australian the Scotland captain Sione Tuipulotu is, as he spoke.
That is not exactly a secret, but there was a perceptible murmur of surprise as those gathered registered the Melbourne-born centre’s strong accent.
Ellis Genge posted a home-coming picture on the sofa with his three children dressed as lions
Genge has been an influential role model in recent years and his parental impact was touching
Rotation leads to blow-out results
It has reached the stage of the domestic season when, especially without relegation to focus minds, the Premiership suffers from some blow-out results, due to strategic squad rotation.
Bath sent their reserves to Bristol’s showpiece derby fixture at the Principality Stadium in Cardiff and while they put up an almighty fight, the absence of A-listers such as Finn Russell took the gloss off what was meant to be a marquee occasion.
This is where the wider, collective interests of the league are undermined by the narrower priorities of those in charge of selecting teams, to suit their own agendas. It really needs a joint effort and commitment to work together in promoting the competition and the English game, but that is impossible to achieve, as every club has to focus on their own objectives.
In Bath’s case, it is all about managing resources in a bid for an historic Treble and they can hardly be blamed for that.
Meanwhile, Gloucester’s capitulation against Harlequins at Twickenham has brought some clarity to the tussle for play-off places and set up a Sale-Bristol game on Friday which will go a long way to deciding the final make-up of the top four.
Bath sent their reserves to Bristol’s showpiece derby fixture at the Principality Stadium
But the absence of A-listers such as Finn Russell took the gloss off a marquee occasion
Goode innings
Congratulations to Alex Goode for his 400th appearance for Saracens on Saturday, after almost 20 years of service for the club.
The word ‘genius’ is probably used too freely, but the 37-year-old deserves that tag, as one of the most natural, effortlessly-talented attacking artists in the modern era of English rugby.
He has been a respected, decorated stalwart of the Premiership for 14 years and it is a jarring injustice that he earned just 21 caps for England, many moons ago.
Goode deserves to be remembered for his sublime ability at full-back and occasionally fly-half, as well as for his epic, full-kit Champions Cup victory bender back in 2019, which lasted three days and went straight into rugby folklore.
That was when he was named European Player of the Year, so he had plenty to celebrate – as he did, emphatically. When Goode stops playing, a career in coaching or punditry is surely there for the taking.
Alex Goode made his 400th appearance for Saracens after almost 20 years of service
Last Word
The Lions No 10 debate is not over, after all, as the door has been left ajar for Owen Farrell to earn a late call-up. Why, exactly? There is no compelling case, despite the argument that he has experience and leadership credentials.
So do others, who also have some form. Farrell Jnr missed Racing 92’s draw with Bayonne on Saturday, having suffered a head knock in their Challenge Cup defeat in Lyon the previous weekend.
He now has just three Top 14 games left to suddenly conjure a spell of consistent, convincing performances, but so far this season he has lacked any personal momentum at all and should not be granted a VIP pass to Australia, without supporting evidence.
If he doesn’t hit his stride soon, presumably there is a space for another veteran fly-half, in which case George Ford shouldn’t give up hope yet, following another imperious display for Sale.
He made a mockery of being omitted from the Lions squad, while Marcus Smith has evidently been boosted by his selection and reacted by rediscovering his creative spark to orchestrate Quins’ demolition of Gloucester.
