The Wallabies fell into a Rob Valetini-sized hole in Newcastle
It was a busy weekend of rugby as the British & Irish Lions narrowly avoided a huge upset against the Waratahs, before the Wallabies were incredibly fortunate to get away with the win over Fiji.
Read on as we wrap up the action, and edge ever close to the first Test between the Wallabies and Lions in Brisbane.
THE WALLABIES FELL INTO A VALETINI-SIZED HOLE ON SUNDAY
Australia certainly got out of jail in Newcastle on Sunday, after a 14-0 advantage was gobbled up by a free-running Fiji, who played some spectacular rugby under the Sunday sun. But there was a clinical edge missing from the Wallabies, whose flow of first-half possession and territory should have almost had the game wrapped up by halftime. With better execution and some smarter decisions, Australia would have been up by a minimum 20 points and have had the game all but squared away. But it was all Fiji in the second half, their power ball-carriers providing the platform for the visitors to play their fabled brand of running rugby, which probably should have earned them a second straight win over Australia. And it was that momentum that highlighted just how valuable the absent Rob Valetini is for the Wallabies, while Will Skelton would have also thrown his giant frame around. But it is Valetini who has so often got Australia going in recent years when their ball has slowed, his charges and ability to bump off defenders sorely missed on Sunday. As a result, the Wallabies ran for 430 run metres in Newcastle, easily eclipsed by the Fijians’ 621. Australia fell into a hole in the second-half and had it not been for Viliame Mata’s late knock-on, it likely would have been the Fijians lifting the newly-created Vuvale Bowl for the first time. Australia will be sweating on the two-time John Eales Medallist’s calf injury for the next week.
PUT SOME RESPECT ON FIJI’S NAME
As mentioned above, Fiji did superbly in taking control of Sunday’s Test in the second half, with only Harry Wilson’s late heroics denying them another win over Australia. What made their performance even more impressive was the fact they did it with just one week of preparation, in which coach Mick Byrne later revealed they had only two full training sessions. With the nucleus of the Fijian Drua, boosted by the class of their European-based players like Mata, Josua Tuisova and Sireli Maqaqa, who scored 11 tries in the 2024-25 Top 14 season, the Fijians now possess a Test squad of established quality and fully deserve their place among rugby’s top 10. They dominated Australia in the second 40 and while Wallabies coach Joe Schmidt said his side were entirely focused on Sunday’s game, he also acknowledged that it was “inevitable” that his players will have also had the looming Lions series in the back of their heads. While his Fiji counterpart Byrne, an Australian, was disappointed his side couldn’t finish the job, he was also upbeat about their trajectory. And so should he be; you certainly wouldn’t envy Scotland, who head to Suva this weekend. If the Fijians can find the rhythm they settled into during the second 40 in Newcastle, then it will be a long afternoon for the Scots on Saturday.
THE TMO WAS A PAIN, BUT WHAT WERE THE TOUCHIES LOOKING AT?
Fiji were right to bemoan Sireli Maqaqa’s overturned try on Sunday afternoon, with the Television Match Official stepping in to confirm that Harry Potter had grazed a piece of the touchline before he threw a wild pass into Nick Frost, from which the visitors won a turnover that would have Maqaqa later reaching out to score. Just when the TMO can and can’t step in in rugby seems all at sea at the moment; on this occasion the right decision was reached, but as the law is designed, it was probably incorrect given it reads that a review can only take place in the same attacking sequence. With that in mind, the TMO should not have been able to go back beyond Fiji’s turnover. The bigger question, though, is what exactly was the touch judge looking at when Potter grazed the whitewash? There was a collective outcry from the Andrew Johns grandstand at the time, indicating exactly what they thought they saw. And a similar moment transpired in Sydney the night before, when it was obvious to people sitting 80 metres away that the Lions had put a foot in touch right in front of assistant Angus Mabey, with the TMO forced to interject to confirm exactly that a few moments later. And then there was the clear forward pass from Wallabies fullback Tom Wright that resulted in a try to Max Jorgensen, which was eventually scrubbed off. The problem was it took far too long to make what was a seemingly obvious call – the whole setup just needs to be better.
LANCASTER MUST BE GIVEN A HOME IN AUSTRALIAN RUGBY
Outside of tireless Waratahs No. 7, and man-of-the-match Alex Mitchell, NSW winger Darby Lancaster was the other standout player from the Lions’ 21-10 win at Allianz Stadium on Saturday night. Incredibly, he is without a contract for 2026 right now, with NSW coach Dan McKellar only saying later that Lancaster’s future was “under review”. In and out of the Waratahs 23 throughout this year’s Super Rugby season, Lancaster’s performance on Saturday night showed why he had been training in Wallabies camp before heading back to prepare for the Tahs’ clash with the Lions. Wallabies coach Joe Schmidt is clearly a fan, but NSW are reportedly set to add Test winger Harry Potter to an outside back group that already includes Max Jorgensen, Andrew Kellaway and Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii, as well as the underrated Triston Reilly. If NSW don’t have space in their squad for the former sevens star, a place simply must be found for him elsewhere in Australian rugby. If his finish for the Waratahs’ first try on Saturday night didn’t underscore that, then it was his second-half turn, chase, tackle and turnover on Lions opposite Mack Hansen. It was the exact play he will have made time and time again on the world sevens circuit – but one rarely seen in 15s. It would be a crying shame if Lancaster is lost overseas, or even to rugby league. We will at least get to see him for the AUNZ squad this weekend in Adelaide.
GIVE THE INCESSANT MUSIC A SPELL, RUGBY AUSTRALIA
A record crowd made its way to watch a Wallabies game in Newcastle on Sunday, the 28,000+ strong soaking up the glorious sunshine at McDonald Jones Stadium. The Fijian fans added some wonderful colour and energy, particularly when their team began to dominate after halftime. What wasn’t so enjoyable was the incessant music that was boomed through the PA system at seemingly every stoppage throughout the 80 minutes. While that may fill some quiet periods at a Super Rugby games when stadiums are rarely even half full, it simply isn’t required for a Test when the natural buzz of the crowd instead fills the venue. If Rugby Australia is planning to continue the approach for the Lions series then it must abandon it immediately. The Lions fans will make themselves heard and it will be up to the Wallabies supporters to answer it – the DJ can have the night off.
Source: espn.com