Can Australia pull off the unthinkable and secure a rare grand slam win on Spring Tour?
After years of empty promises and painful self-inflicted defeats, this was the most complete display by a Wallabies team in five years. Can they now do the unthinkable and win a Grand Slam?
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Make no mistake about it, the Wallabies’ heart-stopping 42-37 win over England at Twickenham on the weekend was the most significant performance by the Australian team in years.
Beating the Poms at the game’s spiritual home won’t solve the long list of problems Australian rugby is facing, but it was the clearest fork-in-the-road moment yet that the men in gold are finally heading in the right direction.
After years of empty promises followed by painful self-inflicted defeats, this was the most complete display by a Wallabies team since they hammered New Zealand 47-26 in the lead-up to the 2019 Rugby World Cup.
Coached then by Michael Cheika, that outstanding result proved to be a false dawn as the Wallabies side then imploded at the 2019 World Cup and have been a rabble ever since, plummeting down the world rankings after racking up years of losses during the ill-fated stints of Dave Rennie and Eddie Jones.
But now under the guidance of the pragmatic Joe Schmidt, things really are changing.
With a core of younger players that are starting to find their feet at the international level, and the arrival of an emerging superstar in Joseph-Akuso Suaalii, the Wallabies were finally able to produce the sort of game that wins big matches – built on stout defence, a good kick game, running the ball and old-fashioned guts when the going gets tough
Of course, it won’t count for anything if they don't start stringing some wins together but already, the manner of the team’s never-say-die win over England has given the Wallabies’ long-suffering supporters belief that anything is possible.
This includes the once unthinkable idea that Schmidt’s largely unheralded squad could be on the verge of emulating one of the greatest achievements in all Australian sport.
For almost a century, the Wallabies have been travelling to the northern hemisphere dreaming of the Grand Slam – beating England, Wales, Scotland and Ireland on the same tour.
Once considered the Holy Grail of Australian rugby, the Wallabies have made 10 attempts at the Grand Slam since their first in 1927 and only pulled it off once.
That was in 1984, when they boasted a young team packed with players that became household names for generations to come, including Mark Ella, David Campese, Andrew Slack, Nick Farr-Jones, Michael Lynagh and Simon Poidevin.
Playing a brand of running rugby that became the hallmark of Australian teams for generations to come, the 1984 Wallabies changed the game forever, laying the foundations for the Australian teams that won the 1991 and 1999 World Cups.
Four decades later, no Australian team has managed to replicate their historic achievement but all of a sudden, new hope has arrived.
The timing could not be better because the game needs a lift in Australia and nothing would do that more than achieving the grand slam.
Easier said than done, it’s not impossible.
ENGLAND – This was a major achievement in itself because the Wallabies hadn’t beaten England at Twickenham since the 2015 World Cup. The omens are good too because Australia’s first win in 1984 was also against the Poms.
WALES – Australia’s next match is arguable their easiest, with Wales currently ranked 11th in the world, two places below the Wallabies. The Welsh toured Australia this year, losing both matches.
SCOTLAND – The Wallabies didn’t lose a single Test to the Scots from 1982 to 2009 but have lost three of their last four clashes, dating back to 2017. However, the Australians did win their last meeting, at Murrayfield two years ago, albeit by a single point.
IRELAND – If the Wallabies are still on track for the grand slam, this game will be an international blockbuster, with Schmidt going up against the team he used to coach. The Irish are currently ranked number one in the world and have won their last three matches against the Wallabies, all by small margins.
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