Close but no cigar: Wallabies shouldn’t celebrate mediocrity after close defeat to Lions in first Test
Joe Schmidt has had a year to prepare for the biggest series in Australia for more than a decade. Yet the Wallabies looked and played like a team without a game plan or belief.
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The Wallabies have been flogged so many times in recent years that even their most loyal supporters now just breathe a collective sigh of relief whenever the Australian team avoids humiliation.
Written off as complete no-hopers, the Wallabies did manage to surprise themselves and their cocky opponents by giving the British & Irish Lions a real run for their money before eventually going down 27–19 in Saturday’s first Test at Suncorp Stadium.
The contest was a lot closer than many people predicted but that in itself should never be a cause for celebration, no matter how low expectations were before kick off, because the end result was still a loss.
The day Australians start accepting honourable defeats as being good enough is the day when sport in this country is dead because winning is what matters and winning is what inspires the next generation.
Instead of getting a consoling pat on the back, the Wallabies really need a sharp kick up the backside after Saturday’s display because they need to know they blew a golden opportunity to strike a massive blow to the ego of the tourists.
For all their pre-match boasting about winning the series 3-0, the 2025 Lions actually aren’t anywhere near as great as they think they are and there were enough signs to suggest they can be beaten but only if the Wallabies are prepared to be honest about what went wrong.
Joe Schmidt has had a year to prepare his team for the biggest series on Australian soil for more than a decade yet the Wallabies looked and played like a team without a game plan or the belief they could pull it off.
Of course they were unlucky to lose a number of key players to injuries but that is no excuse because injuries are part and parcel of rugby and international teams need to have contingencies.
The Wallabies really had no one to blame for the defeat other than themselves. The Lions were by far the better team and deserved their victory but the Australians made it easier for them.
They committed far too many basic errors, both in attack and defence, and ran out of ideas far too quickly but the good news for the Australians is that there’s still two matches to go so the series is not over yet.
On each of the last two Lions tours to Australia the Wallabies lost the first Test but won the second match in Melbourne to send the series to a decider in Sydney, which they won in 2001 then lost in 2013.
With Rob Valetini and Will Skelton both expected to be fit for selection next week, the Wallabies should be in better shape in Melbourne and can take plenty of confidence out of their loss in Brisbane.
But the time for conservatism is over and Schmidt also needs to be more adventurous by backing his younger players.
Tom Lynagh, 22, had a great game at five eighth but spent hardly any time on the field with his Queensland teammate Tate McDermott, who came on far too late and should be considered as the starting halfback because of the threat his running game presents.
Max Jorgsensen, 20, scored a great solo try off a high kick but the Wallabies did not challenge the Lions often enough in the aerial battle. And loosehead prop Angus Bell should have started instead of coming on in the second half.
The Wallabies can still shock the Lions and win this series because they have more scope for improvement but it begins with recognising that finishing second isn’t ever good enough.
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Originally published as Close but no cigar: Wallabies shouldn’t celebrate mediocrity after close defeat to Lions in first Test
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