Wallabies unearthing star props ahead of British and Irish Lions tour

In the early rounds of the Super Rugby season, not only have the Australian teams been winning but they’re developing talents who could be key to beating the British and Irish Lions this year, writes JULIAN LINDEN.

Angus Bell of the Waratahs. Photo: Matt King/Getty Images.

High on entertainment, the early rounds of the new Super Rugby season have also been something of a revelation for the future of the Australian game.

Not only have Australia’s four remaining state teams all been winning games they would almost certainly have blown before, but they’ve also been quietly cross checking some of the important boxes the Wallabies need to tick if they want to have any real hope of challenging the British and Irish Lions later this year.

First among those is the unglamorous requirement to develop a squad of world-class props who not only hold their own against the Lions, but can actually dominate the set pieces.

The great eternal failing of Australian rugby has been the comparative lack of effort put into mastering the dark arts of scrummaging, but the times are a changin’.

Allan Alaalatoa on the charge.

As much as it pains rugby’s romantics, the running game is a flawed strategy at the highest level, as South Africa keeps showing everyone time and time again.

Just as with professional golf, the ability to keep holing putts always counts for more than drilling booming long drives, it is the simple things in rugby that deliver the biggest rewards.

The record four World Cups the Springboks have accumulated is the undeniable proof of that principle, but that’s not because of any recent fad or innovation.

The most famous utterance from the legendary South African rugby administrator Danie Craven was that the first player that should be picked in a rugby team is the tighthead prop. And the second most important is the reserve tighthead.

Nothing has changed the mindset of the Springboks.

There was a time when Australians would scoff at the notion because they boasted an exciting expansive game, blessed by free-wheeling talents like Mark Ella, David Campese and Tim Horan.

Scrums are critical in professional rugby

But that was during a brief period in the 1980s and early 1990s, when the Springboks were l banned from competing on the global stage because of apartheid.

Despite attempts by World Rugby to depower the scrum, South Africa’s obsession with the set pieces still holds true.

That’s why the current Springboks coach Rassie Erasmus picks sevens forwards and just one back in his eight replacements for each Test.

Significantly, France stacked their bench with the same 7-1 split when they destroyed Ireland on the weekend in the Six Nations.

No-one in Australian rugby will say it publicly, knowing how criticism motivates opposing teams, but that was another pointer that the 2025 Lions team may not be as strong as some of their predecessors so could be vulnerable.

With Irish players expected to dominate selection for the Lions, France provided the Wallabies’ coach Joe Schmidt with a free lesson in how to beat them that the former schoolteacher would have noted.

Not that Schmidt needs reminding about the importance of scrummaging. When he was appointed Wallabies’ coach, one of the first assistants he hired was his fellow New Zealander Mike Cron, aka known as the ‘scrum doctor.’

Taniela Tupou, David Porecki and Angus Bell make up a formidable front row

But to beat the Lions, the Wallabies won’t just need four outstanding props. They’ll probably need as many as eight to counter the likelihood of injuries and fluctuations in form, but there are green shoots emerging there too.

Overlooked amongst all the hype over NRL convert Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii and the unbeaten start to the season by the NSW Waratahs was one moment on the weekend that stood out from all the others.

Chasing their first win in 12 years at the New Zealand fortress Eden Park, the ACT Brumbies did something no Australian team has ever done before.

In the final minute of the match, they completely destroyed the Auckland Blues’ scrum, winning a penalty in front of the posts, which they subsequently kicked to claim a 21-20 victory.

But that wasn’t the most significant part. What would have delighted Schmidt the most – and alarmed the Lions coach Andy Farrell – was that the damage to the Blues’s scrum was inflicted by the Brumbies’ replacement front row, not their starters.

That’s more evidence that Australian rugby has developed the sort of depth in front rowers that can match the best packs in the world.

Winners are grinners

If everyone stays fit, the Wallabies would have four outstanding props to choose from, with Angus Bell a certainty to start at loosehead, and James Slipper his likely back up.

On current form, Allan Alaalatoa would start at tighthead with Taniela Tupou coming off the bench, though they could easily be switched around.

But injuries are an occupational hazard for frontrowers, so it’s the next crop of players who could end up having the biggest say in the series, and that’s why Australians can be confident they have the personnel to manage.

Young looseheads Blake Schoupp (Brumbies) and Isaac Kailea (Waratahs) have already played for the Wallabies while Massimo de Lutiis (Reds), Zane Nonggor (Reds) and Tom Robertson (Force) have also tasted higher honours at tighthead.

A critical area of the game that was once considered a major Australian weakness, is suddenly becoming one of its strengths.