Here’s why the Wallabies can shock the Lions

Go hard, you mighty Wallabies!

And yes, of course they’ll be up against it. That goes with the territory, when you are taking on the best of the best, an All-Stars side drawn from all of England, Wales, Scotland and Ireland, who have now been training and playing together for the better part of a month. (All while our blokes struggled a fortnight ago against Fiji.)

Despite that, look to the Wallaby trajectory.

Look at how far they have come since the debacle of the 2023 World Cup. Joe Schmidt has returned stability to the side, and we now have a forward pack led by captain Harry Wilson that is at least holding its own in the set pieces. No, true. For the first time in three yonks, when it’s our line-out throw-in, we are a very good chance of getting it back. When it’s our put-in to the scrum, we are no longer being wheeled about like a rusty shopping trolley in a Woolies car-park!

In general play, look to the work-rate of Fraser McReight in the back-row and how often he can pilfer the ball. Watch the debut of Nick Champion de Crespigny and his in-your-face aggression. Blessed with three elbows and four knees, his bristling presence has been honed to horror after kicking around in the French rugby championnat for three years. His high reputation over there is enormous, second only to that of Will Skelton, who will ideally be back from his minor injury by the time of the second Test in Melbourne next week. Against a Lions forward pack that is based around winning collisions, let’s see how the visitors go in collisions with those two.

Ready to rip … Nick Champion de Crespigny.Credit: Getty Images

So now, we’ve got the pill from the set-pieces and are at least holding our own in the forward clashes. Let’s let it out to the backline. Jake Gordon’s got it from the base, and is empowered to do more than the box-kicks that the Tahs did too much of.

See Jake run.

Run, Jake, run!

Or at least run it. Let it out to Tom Lynagh at five-eighth making his own starting debut, a player of pure pedigree who has earned his spot through a judicious passing and kicking game that – just like his father, Michael, who was scrambling to Heathrow when I texted him on Thursday – can single-handedly turn games. When he passes, the ball is in the hands of the centres Len Ikitau and Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii. Against England, at Twickenham, those two were revelations, remember? Suaalii was like nothing we’d ever seen before from the kick-offs, leaping like an Aussie Rules player to tap the ball back, and turned the ball our way on no fewer than three occasions. And remember Flick-itau’s no look pass to Max Jorgensen on the wing, to win the game? Right-hand fend, left-hand flick, he put Jorgensen in space to secure a fabulous win for the goodies – and of course Jorgensen is there again today.

You get the drift. This team has the ingredients to win this. And of course the Lions will have their own arguments to stop us. At their best, they have been nothing less than formidable on this tour so far. But as even the Waratahs showed two weeks ago – the Waratahs! – they really are susceptible to controlled but aggressive play, and that is precisely what this Wallaby team is built around.

Are you with me, chil’n??

Brothers! Sisters!

BELIEVE, I tell you. We can do this.

(And if they can’t do it, we can at least count on them to bring some piece of them back to show their mothers.)

Strawberries, cream and me

So what it was like to attend Wimbledon last weekend, and report on it?

I thought you’d never ask! It was, simply fabulous. I have been to tennis major finals before, including Roland Garros and the Australian Open. And I’ve been to the Wimbledon arena before, during the London Olympics, when I saw Serena Williams demolish someone or other. But to actually be there for two successive Wimbledon singles’ finals is, I reckon, the peak sporting event I’ve ever been to. The atmosphere! The skill! The sense of occasion! Yes, it was a pity that the women’s final was such a 6-0, 6-0 hammering – the first since 1911 – but still no-one walked away without an overwhelming sense of privilege just for being there. As to the men’s Final on the Sunday, it was nothing less than extraordinary. Who thought that the likes of Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer and the fading Novak Djokovic could be replaced so quickly by the likes of the dominance of Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz, who have won the last seven major finals between them?

Swiatek won the most lopsided Wimbledon singles final in 114 years.Credit: Getty

I did not, and yet, here they were, pulling off unbelievable shots in point after point, as we sat just metres away, absolutely enthralled. There was only one person I felt sorry for in the whole arena, and that was the twelve-year-old Prince George, obliged to sit in the hot sun in the Royal Box, wearing a suit and tie. You Pommies! He’s TWELVE! Loosen up! Lighten up. We know his blood is blue, so much better than all of you, and there are class expectations, but ...

Tied down … Prince George at Wimbledon.Credit: Getty Images

Sorry, I digress. As you know, winners are grinners and Sinner’s win was a triumph, his first victory over Alcaraz in their past five encounters. But you sorta had to be there, to grasp – or at least gush over – just what an extraordinary thing it was to see them in action at such a venue, for such an occasion. Next thing on my bucket list, the final day of golf’s Masters, with Jason Day running down Scottie Scheffler on the final hole!

Croweater to crow about

RIP, Barrie Robran. Though the death this week of “the man in whom nature succeeded” attracted little attention, Warwick Hadfield pointed out to me he was to South Australian football what Bradman was to cricket in that State, and up there with Ken Catchpole and Reg Gasnier in this state. Despite his talents, Warwick advises, “he refused to leave South Australia because his mother would have been furious with him for not playing with North Adelaide.” One of the good ’uns!

An awkward Mitch sitch

Bloody hell, Mitchell Pearce. His social media comments on Origin referee Ashley Klein, were nothing less than outrageous. Here is a quick burst:

“I’m going to say it again … it’s corrupt … it’s so obvious at times. We went hard about it after Origin II that it was corrupt and blown out of all proportion for Queensland. Clearly they have gone in and had meetings all week. Loz (Laurie Daley) has spoken to them. And we get the rub of the green in NSW. It’s corrupt … it’s so f---ing blatantly obvious. I’m just stating it now. It’s f---ing corrupt … and it’s so blatantly obvious at times. It’s been going on for a long time … we’ve got every right to say it.”

No you don’t Mitchell. Not only do you outrageously impugn the integrity of the referee, but also the top echelon of rugby league who would all need to be in on it, for it to work. Not only is such a theory a complete and utter nonsense, you’ll be bloody lucky if you don’t find out that it’s a defamatory nonsense. Pull your head in, Mitchell.

What they said

Lions back-rower Henry Pollock, in the leadup to Saturday’s first Test against the Wallabies: “3-0 is definitely on the table.”

Jannik Sinner on winning Wimbledon: “It is so special. I’m living my dream. I had a very tough loss in Paris, but at the end of the day it doesn’t matter how you win or lose – you just have to understand what you did wrong. We accepted the loss, kept working and that’s why I’m holding this trophy.”

Carlos Alcaraz after the final: “If I’m honest, I don’t see any player having the level that we are playing when we face each other. And this rivalry, it’s becoming better and better. I think it’s great for us, and it is great for tennis.”

Disappointment: Amanda Anisimova cries after losing the women’s singles final match.Credit: AP

Amanda Anisimova after losing the Wimbledon final 6-0, 6-0: “It was tough to digest, it’s not how I would have wanted my first grand slam final to go, I think I was in shock afterwards. It’s not an easy thing to go through, losing 0 and 0.” TFF was there, and was hugely impressed by her grace.

Aussie golfer Grace Kim on winning the Evian Championship in surreal circumstances: “I don’t know how it happened, really. Yeah, just happened to have chipped it in. I don’t know if I can do it again. That was great.”

Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca after they won the Club World Cup, whatever that is: “Of course I am very excited [about the future], but I’m more excited that we have three weeks off.”

Laurie Daley still dazed and confused after Origin: “I’m still none-the-wiser because I was so happy with the way we prepared and went about it. We have to find out what happened and why we weren’t ready to go out at our best.”

Michael Holding, aka “Whispering Death”: “To be honest, I have moved on from cricket. The authorities are doing whatever they feel like irrespective of what anyone says, so I see no need to continue beating my head against a stone wall. I don’t even watch the games any more, so I’m sorry, but I can’t help you.”

World #1 golfer Scottie Scheffler on winning golf: “Why do I want to win the Open Championship so badly? I don’t know. Because, if I win, it’s going to be awesome for two minutes. Then we’re going to get to the next week and it’s: ‘Hey, you won two majors this year; how important is it for you to win the FedExCup playoffs?’ And we’re back here again.” His theme was that it was only his relationship with his wife and son that gave truly deep satisfaction, while the thrill from golfing success is ephemeral.

Iga Swiatek on winning Wimbledon: “Honestly, I didn’t even dream [of this], because for me, it was just, like, way too far, you know? I feel like I’m already an experienced player after winning the slams before, but I never really expected this one. I want to thank my team - they believed in me more than I did.”

Novak Djokovic on his elimination from Wimbledon as time catches up with him: “It’s tough for me to accept because I feel like when I’m fit, I can still play really good tennis. I’ve proven that this year. Playing best-of-five, particularly this year, has been a real struggle for me physically. The longer the tournament goes, the worse the condition gets. I have to play Sinner or Alcaraz. These guys are fit, young, sharp. I feel like I’m going into the match with the tank half-empty.”

Indian skipper Shubman Gill was less impressed with English batter Zak Crawley: “Get some balls, grow some f---ing balls.” Charmed, I am sure.

Team of the week

Grace Kim. Became the fifth Australian woman to win a golf major after her incredible eagle-birdie-eagle finish!

Lions and Wallabies. Lock horns – or “claws”, I guess? – tonight in Brisbane in the first Test.

Major moment: Grace Kim excels at the finish.Credit: Channel Nine

Gold Coast Suns. Even though they’ve been around since 2011, last Friday night’s win against Collingwood was the moment the club was born. (I’m told. Was swanning about at Wimbledon, myself, did I mention?)

NSW Swifts. Take on the West Coast Fever in Super Netball semi-finals on Sunday with a spot in the grand final on the line.

Iga Swiatek. First player to win a Wimbledon final without dropping a game since 1911.

Sam Konstas. Things are crook in Tallarook, as the young player’s fall from Boxing Day glory – where he looked like a generational talent – has been profound. Since his debut 60 from 65 balls, he has managed 103 Test runs from nine innings at an average of 11.44. His overall Test average is 16.3.

Fauja Singh. The Indian-born runner nicknamed the Turbaned Torpedo who was believed to be the world’s oldest marathon runner, has died after being hit by a car. He was – and this is not a misprint – 114 years old. Took up running seriously, at the age of 89. Vale, Mr Singh.

Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz. Between them, they have won the past seven men’s grand slam titles. Who’s going to break the streak?

Scott Boland. First Aussie to take a hat trick since Peter Siddle. Bravo, even if it was against a sadly depleted Windies side.

Twitter: @Peter_Fitz