The 40 or so Wallabies players, squad members and staff were called by Joe Schmidt to form a circle, having just seen their hopes against the British & Irish Lions evaporate into the Melbourne night. Those who had not taken the field on this remarkable evening were dressed in suits of a sponsor: a dark jacket, dark tie and black pants. Those in gold wore an even darker mood.
The decision by the television match official to allow high contact by Jac Morgan on Carlo Tizzano in the lead-up to the Lions’ match-winning try has been widely criticised by fans, broadcasters and even coach Schmidt. It was a moment of injustice – perceived or actual – that concluded the 29-26 defeat and sank the mood of more than half of those that filled one of the world’s great sporting arenas on Saturday.
As fans began to leave, in the middle of the MCG stood the sombre Wallabies, whose gaze met Schmidt’s. “They were broken at the end of it,” the coach said. “You’ve got to keep resolve and you’ve got to keep going forward, and we can’t, and we won’t, wallow in self-pity.”
It was a scene of mourning, but in truth this was no funeral. For the Wallabies and rugby in Australia more broadly, this was a new beginning. This has been a team lacking in confidence thanks to years of underperformance. So when Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii glided through the Lions’ line midway through the first half, putting Tom Wright over for the home side’s third try in nine minutes, belief burst forth.
The underwhelming Wallabies have been easy to ignore in the country’s shop of unending athletic delights in recent years. But in front of a record crowd of 90,307, with a million or more glued to their screens, and with a fearless young group taking it to the team many consider the world’s best, the Wallabies again resembled the side once proudly Australia’s favourite. “As a leader of the team, it was just so good to see the boys just playing freely,” Allan Alaalatoa said.
The Wallabies matched their opponents in a ferocious opening half, consigning to the past that frightening first 42 minutes in Brisbane. Rob Valetini and Will Skelton delivered what they promised, and from the earliest exchanges. By the 13th minute, the referee Andrea Piardi had to tell Skelton to cool it, after a late shot saw him nose-to-nose with Lions captain, Maro Itoje. “A little bit late,” the Italian referee said on a broadcast microphone, his delicate fingers pinching the night in front of the nose of the giant Australian. “It’s a big stadium,” Skelton muttered in response.
This was a night of indelible moments. The Victorian winger Harry Potter playing in front of his friends and family, but screaming in agony with what appeared to be a serious hamstring injury when he was forced off in the first half. Full-back Wright, recognising his anguish, appeared to plant a kiss on Potter’s forehead as he limped off.
The Wallabies’ bravery was evident in the forwards’ courage and the backs’ appetite for risk. Wright was daring with his running, at one point dancing past two onrushing Lions to put Tate McDermott into space on the short side, then on the next phase finding a 50:22. The full-back still looked for advantage into the last 15 minutes with the Wallabies holding on, when he ran onto a looping Tom Lynagh pass in the backfield and sent Max Jorgensen scurrying up the touchline.
Wilson captained in the same manner, neglecting an easy three points from a penalty kick in the first half and instead choosing an attacking lineout. The reward was a try for the veteran prop James Slipper, burrowing over like a wombat with the great Australian dream.
Scrum-half Jake Gordon’s 80-minute shift was marked by neat service and reliable box kicking. A week after being outplayed by McDermott – surprisingly effective as the substitute wing – Gordon’s night was highlighted by his first half try. He sensed the Lions’ forwards wilting and urged his forwards on, flapping his arms in a fervour, and one phase later the No 9 slipped around the ruck to cross.
The Wallabies were far from perfect. Errors allowed the Lions back into the game before half-time, and injuries to Potter, Valetini and Alaalatoa forced Schmidt to turn to his bench earlier than he otherwise would have. Schmidt admitted they would “lament” missed opportunities in reviews this week, and much will be made of the dying moments, and of the interpretation of the rules by Piardi.
Though this Wallabies’ performance might have ended in painful defeat, the coach said the second Test defeat still represented progress. “It’s never linear, it always tends to ebb and flow,” Schmidt said. “We are trying to build consistency, we’re trying to play a brand of rugby that entertains people and at the same time a brand of rugby that we enjoy playing.”
And what did Schmidt say to the circle? “I just said that I was proud of them.”
