‘A hell of a lot to work on’: Former Wallaby encouraged by Scottish win but wants to see big issues fixed
Drew Mitchell knows it wasn’t the best win in Wallabies history, but he can see where they need to improve with an eye to the World Cup.
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Drew Mitchell was encouraged by what he saw from the Wallabies in their win over Scotland but says there are a couple of areas they’ll need to fix as they build towards next year’s World Cup.
The Wallabies survived a late miss by Blair Kinghorn to win 16-15 to snap a three-match losing streak while also overturning a 15-13 loss to the Scots at the same venue 12 months ago.
Things now kick up several gears when they take on France who are ranked second in the world, while a showdown looms against the No.1 nation Ireland later this month.
With a World Cup less than 12 months away, Mitchell wants to see coach Dave Rennie stick to his guns with selections to give his players enough time to feel comfortable in their roles.
“I don’t think anyone is going to sit there and say it was the prettiest win or that there wasn’t a bit of luck at the end, but it’s good for the team morale to win ugly because they’ve lost games like that in the past,” Mitchell said.
“There’s a hell of a lot to work on.
“The breakdown was an issue. Because there’s been so much need for a win and to start the tour on a good note, I think the players went out there and had great intent to play positively.
“Sometimes, that led them to try solve things on their own, whether that was popping passes to guys arriving at the breakdown or just coming out of the line to make a tackle.
“That’s not because of poor intent – it’s being filled with such good intent that you go away from the plan and try to solve things on your own. That can put the team under pressure and it’s something they need to address with their discipline.
“They’ve shown more than enough over the past few years that they’re capable of creating, now they just need to get the confidence from executing those chances.”
The five-Test tour of Europe is the perfect preparation for the Aussies who are 10 months away from the World Cup in France.
“Being in each other’s pockets 24/7 for five weeks in different destinations is something they need to get used to because it’s what they’ll experience next year,” said Mitchell, who played 71 Tests for the Wallabies.
“There are so many things away from the field that this is going to be crucial for, but also on the field it’s about getting confidence through experience in combinations.
“We’re not far from the World Cup and there aren’t many Tests to go, so hopefully we’ll see some consistency in selections so these guys can build those combos.”
The biggest change for last week’s win in Scotland was having former skipper Michael Hooper back in the side after he took time away from rugby for personal reasons.
Mitchell said Hooper’s return made a huge difference on the field, and the impact of his actions off the field would leave a lasting legacy.
“It gives you an air of confidence looking across the dressing room and seeing someone like Hoops there. It lifts everyone because you know that he lifts the standards of his teammates,” he said.
“Things have changed a lot since the early 2000s when it comes to mental health.
“One of the things we need to applaud Hoops for is that everyone tells people that they need to speak or seek help, but he actually did it.
“There’s talking about action and there’s taking action, and Michael Hooper took action.
“I think that’s more powerful than people of notoriety coming out and telling others to speak. When someone like Hoops does what he just did, I think that’s a powerful message to society.”
Originally published as ‘A hell of a lot to work on’: Former Wallaby encouraged by Scottish win but wants to see big issues fixed