Wallabies staring at worst year since 1958
WITH the prospect of breaking an unwanted 75-year-old record at stake when the Wallabies take on Wales, it’s little surprise the players aren’t lacking motivation.
But having six injured players sent home this week on the back of three tight losses and with pressure continuing to build on coach Dave Rennie, the internal fire might need to become nuclear to stave off another defeat.
The Wallabies are facing the prospect of a 10th loss from 14 matches in 2022, a record that would consign them to their worst calendar year since 1958.
Then there’s the added complication that the Wallabies haven’t won their final fixture of an international season since 2013.
Wales too are under the pump, significantly, after a horror one-point loss to Georgia, slightly worse in stature at least than the Wallabies’ loss to Italy for the first time in nearly 40 years.
But while they are undermanned, and being doubted, the Wallabies will jump on the fact last week’s three-point loss to world No.1 Ireland was the biggest margin of defeat in their matches on tour.
It meant Rennie’s men were not far off turning the tables, and where there’s hope, there’s life.
“We need wins, and we’re so close and that’s what’s driving the boys to finish this tour off the way we want to,” backrower Jed Holloway said ahead of the last clash of a long tour.
“It’s been well documented, the disappointment over the French week, Italy was a big one … but we know as a group we’re right there and we’re taking the right steps to put in a good performance.
“So really striving for that is what’s driving us and motivating us for this week.”
The continual loss of players to injury has been “gutwrenching” according to Holloway, who said the team’s medical staff were doing a monster job to get players right for a fifth Test in five weeks and one with so much at stake.
The Wallabies are in the same group as Wales at next year’s World Cup, and so the opportunity to make a tourending statement.
“It’s hard to describe what it would mean (to win) – it would be massive to get a result on the weekend,” Holloway said.