Big freeze hits Wallabies as Kerevi ban opens door for Suaalii start

Giant lock Will Skelton says the Wallabies want to build a maul with the same fearsome reputation as the Springboks and other world-leading teams.

But a bitter cold snap in Edinburgh upon arrival has seen the team having to make late adjustments to mastering the art on a training paddock, due to all the fields being frozen.

The famously frigid Scottish weather has turned itself on – and down – for the Wallabies ahead of their clash with the Scots at Murrayfield on Monday morning (AEDT). After relatively balmy conditions of 13-14 degrees last week, the temperature has plunged to near freezing this week, and with wind chill factored in, the “feels like” temperature is well below zero.

Wallabies No.10 Noah Lolesio said the Brumbies in the squad were used to cold weather and while the snowfalls in the Scottish highlands haven’t yet been seen in Edinburgh, the team had to train on an artificial pitch on Wednesday to due the turf at their regular venue being frozen. Scotland also trained indoors on a 4G pitch at their high-performance centre.

The forecast for Monday morning’s Test at Murrayfield is a little warmer and the pitch has under-field heating, meaning the game won’t be impacted.

Both Australia and Scotland like to play attacking rugby, but the Wallabies will undoubtedly look to revisit the rolling maul, too, given its potency against Wales in Cardiff.

Noah Lolesio at Wallabies training in Edinburgh.Credit: Julius Dimitaga/Rugby Australia

The Wallabies have never been known as a strong mauling side, and under maul coach and former French halfback Pierre Henry Broncon last year, they didn’t score a single maul try.

But under new forwards coach Geoff Parling, the Wallabies deployed it as one of their biggest weapons against the Welsh, leading to hooker Matt Faessler scoring three tries from the rolling maul. Skelton’s giant presence in the middle of the pack helped considerably, as it did in the Wallabies’ much-improved defensive maul. It’s all bread-and-butter stuff for Skelton on a weekly basis in French rugby.

“I think all the best teams in the world have a good maul,” Skelton said.

“They have a good scrum and a maul. A team like Ireland, New Zealand, South Africa, they’re the best mauling team in the world. I think that’s where this pack wants to go. That’s where this team wants to go.

“Speaking about French rugby, in one club we had 34 scrums in one game. So that just puts where the French mentality is as well. I love scrumming, so that was good for me. Running, I don’t like.

“But no, I think a set-piece has to be the cornerstone of a forward pack. We’ll be striving and always trying to get to that level.”

The Wallabies lineout was excellent against Wales, too, but the scrum was mediocre, and Skelton said the team would be working hard on fixing it this week in what is his last Test before heading back to La Rochelle.

World Rugby’s mandatory release window is only for the first three Tests in November.

Wallabies coach Joe Schmidt oversees training in Edinburgh.Credit: SNS Group via Getty Images

Samu Kerevi will also return to Japan but he won’t play against Scotland after being banned for three games for a high tackle against Wales. Kerevi’s absence will likely bring Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii back into the starting side.

In a sour end to his 50th Test match, Kerevi was red carded in the second half of the Wallabies’ win over Wales for foul play on Wales flanker Jac Morgan, where the big No.12 was deemed to have made head-on-head contact.

The Wallabies on Wednesday challenged that the incident met the threshhold for a red card, which, if successful, would have meant Kerevi escaped a ban.

However, a three-person panel upheld the red card decision and handed Kerevi a mid-level suspension of six weeks, which was reduced to three weeks given mitigating factors. He can get a further week off by completing World Rugby’s tackle school.

The Samu Kerevi tackle that saw him earn a red card.Credit: Getty Images

Kerevi’s absence will likely mean Suaalii returns to the midfield to partner Len Ikitau, the partnership that was so successful in the Wallabies’ win over England at Twickenham. Suaalii came off the bench against Wales.

“It’s a big loss losing Samu but as a squad, we really push the squad mentality. It’ll be the next man in,” Lolesio said.

Scotland coach Gregor Townsend was impressed with what he saw from Suaalii at Twickenham.

“I thought some of his touches were incredible,” Townsend told Scottish media. “For your first game of union, it’s a Test match at Twickenham, and you’re able to offload lovely soft touches … He’ll take a lot of confidence from that, and I just really know they’ve got a world-class footballer already.”

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