Wallabies out to find a cutting edge
AFTER suffering a third successive hammering from the All Blacks in Sydney, Wallabies coach Michael Cheika says his side must develop a tougher mentality.
Heading to hoodoo ground Eden Park for the second Bledisloe Cup clash on Saturday, Australia’s task has been made even more difficult by New Zealand declaring it will be hungrier to win. After losing by 35 points in 2016 and 20 points last year at ANZ Stadium, Cheika’s side was beaten 38-13 there at the weekend. A woeful lineout and poor attack gave New Zealand the ball it needed to carve up the Wallabies.
“This is not what people are going to want to hear the day after the game, but I know we’re making improvements in the team,” Cheika said yesterday before the Wallabies flew to Auckland.
“I know we’ve got depth in the team. We were able to lose two front-rowers during the week and still be able to put together a competitive front row.
“I see that, I do. As the coach, I see what we’re building. But I want the short-term wins as well. I’m not going to say, ‘We’re building for something’, because we’ve done that work now, we’ve got to get that mentality that says every moment counts in every game, whether it’s a game here in Sydney against New Zealand, in Auckland, or in South Africa.”
The Wallabies nearly pulled off an extraordinary win in Dunedin last year.