Former skippers reveal what Wallabies need to achieve success at the World Cup
If the Wallabies are going to win the World Cup they will not only need to play their best but do it consistently, according to the captains who have been there before.
Rugby
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With less than four weeks to go before the start of the ninth Rugby World Cup, the eight men who have captained the Wallabies at the previous tournaments give their tips on what the 2019 squad needs to win.
STEPHEN MOORE (2015) — Runners-up
“I know it’s a cliche but those first couple of games are particularly important. So Fiji, we should win that, but it will be a tough game. The team won’t be looking too far beyond that and then, of course, the Wales game, the key pool match, and that will be huge.”
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JAMES HORWILL (2011) — Semi-finalists
“I think it’s about consistency. In World Cups, it’s the only time in Test rugby that you have to play seven matches back-to-back with no breaks. It’s about your bad games not being that far off your good games and finding ways to win.”
STIRLING MORTLOCK (2007) — Quarter-finalists
“I reckon if the Wallabies played the same style that we’ve seen for the last couple of years then I wouldn’t be very confident at all that we could go all the way whereas the transformation in both attack and also defence that has happened this year is phenomenal.”
GEORGE GREGAN (2003) — Runners-up
“I don’t think any team that’s become a world champion doesn’t have a bit of luck along the way. Obviously every team has worked really, really hard but world champions, there’s a bit of luck.”
JOHN EALES (1999) — Champions
“I think it’s about being good consistently at the boring things and if you can get that right time in, time out, that will give you the chance at being great at the flashy things. For us in 1999, it was defence.”
MICHAEL LYNAGH (1995) — Quarter-finalists
“I’m just really happy that the Wallabies had a performance in Perth a couple of weeks ago because that proved to not only all the fans out there and all the other teams, but also to themselves, that they do have a World Cup-winning performance in them. They just need to get more consistency.”
NICK FARR-JONES (1991) — Champions
“When you do best you know when to switch the button, damn the torpedoes, full speed ahead so whenever you get out to strut your stuff in the 80 minutes you’re totally prepared. But I reckon in touring you’ve got to have a good time as well, you’ve got to have fun, you’ve got to switch the on button to off.”
ANDREW SLACK (1987) — Semi-finalists
“I think this is the toughest World Cup of the lot. We say that every year and in 2099 they’ll be saying the same thing because that’s life but there’s so many teams that can do three weekends in a row. Can we? Well, we can do one in a row so let’s triple that.”