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Sam Bruce, Deputy Editor, espn.com.au
Wallabies coach Joe Schmidt wants to put the fear back into Advance Australia Fair.
No, that is not a misprint. But the surprise or even laughter with which many will greet such a plan is understandable given the national anthem is hardly the most inspiring piece of music ever written.
What you need to do, it seems, is to adopt your best New Zealand accent instead and let roll it off the tongue once more. You might find you get something closer to: Advance Australia Fear.
“I’m a kid who’s watched it often enough and even the fear when some of those big players played, was probably more F-E-A-R than F-A-I-R because they certainly had a game,” he said.
“And we’d love to bring the game back to something like that where our opponents are worried about us and they have to do some homework. There’s a real sleeves-rolled-up mentality in the group and I’m really enjoying that.”
As Schmidt says, he wants to make the Wallabies a team to be feared.
Such a reality is still a long way off given Australia remain the 9th ranked men’s Test team despite Saturday night’s 25-16 win over Wales in what was the Kiwi’s first game in charge.
But you must start somewhere. And Australia have lost plenty of similar games in the past — go back to the clash with Argentina across town in Sydney last year for an example, so too the Bledisloe Cup clash in Dunedin a few weeks after that — whereas on Saturday they demonstrated a late defensive resolve to ensure the visitors did not mount a final rally after Tom Wright’s brilliant individual effort.
While this is nowhere near the most talented nor threatening Welsh team ever to land on these shores, Warren Gatland’s side closed the match with an overwhelming share of territory and possession, but never really looked like doing anything with it.
In fact, apart from a half-break from Adam Wainwright, who was the visitors’ standout performer, midway through the second half, the Welsh were rarely seen to be in behind the Australian defence.
“Laurie [Fisher] is doing a great job with the defence and he’s getting the players to own their space and connect really well, and then own their efforts as well,” Schmidt said of the fact that Wales’ only try came via penalty try from a rolling maul.
“And there were some really good efforts: I felt guys like Jeremy Williams and Fraser McReight, there were some real effort in the middle of the field to keep connecting with the edges. And then in the end [of the game], I think Kels [Andrew Kellaway] put them into touch one time, another time we counter-rucked and got through them, and [we] forced a couple of other lost balls or turnovers.
“I thought Noah’s turnover post the line break was very special as well, after Wainwright got through. So there was some nice defensive highlights and there were some work-ons as well I think.”
If Schmidt wants this Wallabies team to be feared it is not going to be Noah Lolesio who has opposition teams shuddering in their steel sprigs, the player to lead that is Rob Valetini.
The Wallabies No. 8 and reigning John Eales Medallist was damaging on both sides of the ball and closed the match with a series of thumping tackles, a role in which he was ably supported by debutant prop Isaac Kailea.
Australia’s seven Test newbies all came through the victory competently, though Angus Blyth will regret one no-look pass that was intercepted by Wales after coming off the bench.
Fellow second-rower Jeremy Williams however enjoyed a debut to remember, the Force lock picking off two early Welsh throws at the front of the lineout while also getting through a mountain of defensive work right until the final whistle. Along with Lukhan Salakaia-Loto, who was a focal carrying point early on, Schmidt has a locking partnership to build on.
And the coach has a performance to build on, too.
There are multiple questions still to be answered – whether the Wallabies have enough size in their backline options to compete with the world’s elite Test nations at the top of the list – but Saturday night’s win was full of encouragement for Schmidt, the rest of his coaching team, and the Australian rugby public in general.
Whether it was the first-half contribution of Taniela Tupou, Wright’s blistering break and try, a near-perfect night at the set-piece, Jake Gordon’s finest game in a Wallabies jersey yet, or even the near 36,000-strong crowd that made its way to Allianz Stadium, Schmidt deserved the half-smile that he bore post-game.
A team to be feared, though? That dream remains a long way off. But after the terrors of 2023, the mere fact Australia were winners on Saturday cannot be understated.
And that 25-16 victory over Wales should ensure a little more gusto when Advance Australia Fair is sung in Melbourne next weekend.