Wallabies v Ireland: Adam Coleman says Aussies driven by pain of whitewash loss to England
THE pain of losing a Test series on home soil is a feeling Adam Coleman can never forget. So he and his Wallabies teammates will be busting a gut to ensure it doesn’t happen again on Saturday.
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IT was a feeling Adam Coleman can never forget and, along with his Wallabies teammates, he will bust a gut to ensure it doesn’t roll around again on Saturday.
Losing a Test series on home soil.
Rewind two years ago and Coleman was called up for his Wallabies debut in the Third Test against England at Allianz Stadium.
Eddie Jones’s men had already secured the silverware a week earlier in Melbourne but the Wallabies were out to restore pride in front of a sold-out crowd.
They didn’t get it. Instead, England won a third straight game and whitewashed Australia. Coleman was presented with Wallabies cap 895 post-game but the dressing room mood was funereal.
“It is something I will never forget,” Coleman said.
“There was absolute pride, but just absolute disappointment as well, that we let the series go and it was a whitewash in Australia. In our own backyard. It was really disappointing.
“We are very motivated to get the win on Saturday night. It is massive for us. I am sure we have the group to do it,
“It’s going to be a packed-out stadium, and we have talked about how losing on home soil is just not an option.”
Coleman has become one of the Wallabies’ first-picked in the two years since; he has not played off the bench again in his 22 Tests.
And his influence on the Wallabies’ performance is clear — the team has only lost seven of those 22 Tests.
Last week in Melbourne was one of them but, amid the disappointment of defeat, there were sighs of relief from the Wallabies camp with news that Coleman didn’t suffer a facial fracture in a nasty head knock that saw the big lock leave the field.
He has to still pass concussion return-to-play protocols but Coleman is confident he’ll line up against Ireland on Saturday.
“I was a bit worried about a fracture at the start, she swelled up pretty well. But I got scanned and it all ended up well. I will probably still have to run on with a nice shiner but I have played with worse,” Coleman said.
The lock is the physical leader of the Wallabies forward pack and, with his massive tackling, Coleman set the tone for a muscular Aussie defensive effort in the first Test win over the Irish.
The visitors responded by lifting their strength in contact in Melbourne, and Coleman said the Wallabies didn’t respond. They let Ireland drive forward after contact, instead of looking to drive the green jersey backwards.
“We just have to make sure we work hard early, and get nice and set so we come off the line. And not make too many soak tackles,” Coleman said.
“I think last weekend we probably rode the tackle that we did in the first game. If we can get a bit more dominant there in the tackles, it goes a long way for our line speed and our defence.”
Asked if he felt a need to lead the way with some big shots, Coleman said he didn’t need to pump himself up.
“It is something that comes pretty naturally to me. I love defending and I love the physicality side of the game. That’s why I love playing rugby,” Coleman said.
“It is something I like to think I do best — just being a very physical player, and putting my best foot forward for the team and putting my body on the line. That’s something I love doing week-in, week-out.”
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