Underdog Wallabies ready to bite at Twickenham again
Ian Chadband |
Harry Wilson has got used to upsetting the odds as the Wallabies’ inspirational leader — and he’s confident his gold-shirted underdogs are ready to pull off another unlikely Twickenham heist.
Few had given Australia a prayer last year of ending a woeful sequence against England at their London ‘HQ’ but the then novice skipper Wilson proved magnificent, scoring his first international try while leading his men to their first win at Twickenham in nine years.
Nobody imagined Wilson’s army might then upset the mighty British & Irish Lions, but they did just that in Sydney, and could reflect on how they’d even been just one controversial score away from winning the entire series.
Then there was Ellis Park. Surely, Australia couldn’t possibly win at the world champs’ Johnnesburg citadel where they’d never won in 62 years? Wilson’s army made a nonsense of that.
This time, the Wallabies again have it all stacked against them – travel-weary, battle-weary and much changed after a long flight from Japan, deprived of key players through regulations seen as unfair, up against full-strength, raring-to-go hosts who’ve accused them of dirty breakdown tactics.
Yet these are the sort of odds that Wilson enjoys, as he seeks to orchestrate the first back-to-back Wallabies wins over England at Twickenham for 16 years.
“There’s not been many games since I’ve been captain, where we’ve been the favourites. We’re always the the outsiders, not many people back us — and as a group, we enjoy that,” the skipper told reporters at the team’s Teddington base on Friday’s eve-of-match.
“We believe in ourselves, believe in each other, that we can go out there and do the job. Last year, this game was a big turning point for us, which really made us believe that, on our day, we can beat anybody in the world.”
That epic 42-37 win kick-started a year which, Wilson believes, has transformed the Wallabies under Joe Schmidt’s canny stewardship.
“I definitely feel we’re a team being more respected. We’ve had a few tough losses in the Rugby Championship, which we are disappointed with, but we’ve had some really big wins in which the rugby public back home has really got behind us.
“Now we’ve got an exciting four games ahead to keep building on that and get some results, and can’t wait to do so.”
Wilson couldn’t help smiling when reading a British newspaper story which reported England coach Steve Borthwick had met with Saturday’s match referee, Nika Amashukeli, to point out examples of dangerous and illegal side-entries at the breakdown by Wallabies in the Rugby Championship.
“Firstly, I’d like to question of how many of them are illegal, and I know they’re definitely not dangerous there too. There’s no way Joe Schmidt would coach a team to be illegal at the breakdown,” said Wilson.
“To think we’ve had over 2000 rucks this year, and for them to cherry-pick a couple of rucks out of it, it’s quite amusing.”
Was this England mind games? “Yeah, well, it wouldn’t surprise me if there is a bit there. But we’re very focused on ourselves, excited to go out there and do the job.”
Wilson, a great cricket nuffy, even fancied Saturday could be the start of a triple sporting success for Australia over the coming months.
Asked for his prediction for the upcoming Anglo-Aussie clashes, he smiled: “I guess firstly, you want to say a Wallabies win. The Kangaroos might wrap it up this weekend, win that that series 2-0.
“Then the Ashes in Australia, England are going to find it quite hard to get a win – we’re quite good in our own backyard.
“I can’t wait to go to a few of those Test matches. So once we finish here, I look forward to putting on the cricket kit and go out there and support the Aussies at the Brizzie and Adelaide Tests – hopefully see us wrap up the series there.”
AAP
