Wallabies captain remains a mystery days out from Fiji Test, as British and Irish Lions beckon
There is less than one week until the Wallabies’ first Test of 2025, but the players remain in the dark as to who will lead them on to the field against Fiji. The players don’t seem to mind.
Wallabies
Don't miss out on the headlines from Wallabies. Followed categories will be added to My News.
Less than a week before their first Test outing of 2025 against Fiji, the Wallabies still don’t know who their captain will be.
While it is highly unusual that the Australian public is being kept in the dark about who will lead the national team, Queensland backrower Fraser McReight said the players hadn’t been told either but also weren’t concerned.
“Not too sure at the moment,” McReight said when asked about the captaincy.
“I don’t think too many boys are kind of worried to be honest, obviously there’s a leadership group and they’re full of experience in this team.
“I think we’ve got something like six Wallaby captains in this group and so many captains at Super Rugby so there’s plenty of leadership to sort of lean on.”
It’s not just the identity of the captain that remains under wraps. There are also unknowns regarding the makeup of the Wallabies team that will face Fiji in Newcastle on Sunday then the British and Irish Lions.
The Wallabies lost their most recent match against Fiji, at the 2023 World Cup, when Eddie Jones was coach and Australian rugby was at an all-time low.
Jones has long departed but the Wallabies have continued to struggle to post wins since his replacement Joe Schmidt took over, losing seven of their last 10 Tests under the Kiwi’s guidance.
With one eye on the upcoming three-Test series against the Lions and the other on trying to beat the unpredictable Fijians this weekend, Schmidt made his players revisit their horror performances at the World Cup.
“We watched some clips, obviously…and that game came up,” McReight said. “It was kind of the first time I had re-watched parts of that game.
“But we’re not worried too much about trying to get revenge or anything like that. We’ve got a new group here, we’ve got a new destination where we want to go.”
McReight said the players were expecting another tough encounter with Fiji this weekend based on their last meeting.
“That was a tough game. They were up for it and they played a cracker and obviously beat us for the first time in 60 or 70 years,” he said.
“This isn’t a warm up game. This is a game that we need to get ready for. It’s a Test match against Fiji who are a bloody good side.”
While wins have remained few and far between, there have been encouraging signs of improvement in the squad and the players are hopeful things are now heading in the right direction.
McReight said everyone has been in hard training preparing for Sunday afternoon’s clash and he’s been particularly impressed by the new crop of youngsters coming through, led by Joseph-Aukuso Sualii.
“They’re skilful. I definitely couldn’t do what they’re doing,” McReight said.
“Watching training every day, we probably get the best seat in the house watching them go about their business.
“They do some special things so if they can put bums on seats, that’s perfect.
“There’s a lot of tired and sore bodies for sure but it has been great to mingle with the boys again and understand how we want to play moving forward.
“We work hard with each other and push each other really well. There’s depth in the squad and we’ve got a lot of competition in every position so I guess it’s gonna be quite fierce at times.
“It’s just building on what we finished with last year. Now year two under Joe, we can build a stronger base and be a bit more clinical.”
More Coverage
Originally published as Wallabies captain remains a mystery days out from Fiji Test, as British and Irish Lions beckon