As debate continues around whether Joseph Suaalii will be given a debut against England this week, the Wallabies’ chronic problem when trying to win in London means giant lock Will Skelton should be rushed straight back into the starting side.
That’s the view of former Wallabies halfback Will Genia, who has an intimate understanding of how hard it is to win at Allianz Stadium – formerly known as Twickenham – after a career of highs and lows at the imposing venue.
There were, in summary, mostly lows. Though Genia played in the Wallabies’ win over England in the 2015 Rugby World Cup, he subsequently played in a string of painful defeats at Twickenham; losing to Eddie Jones’ men in 2016, 2017 and 2018.
Along with the most recent loss there in 2021, all finished as comfortable wins for England but the Tests also followed a frustrating pattern for the Wallabies. In all four defeats, the Wallabies were leading or within a point at halftime, but fell away badly in the second half, particularly in the last 10-15 minutes. In three, the Wallabies lost 24-5 or 24-6 after oranges.
There were contentious refereeing decisions in all of them, with the Wallabies denied tries and England enjoying rub-of-the-green calls. Think Owen Farrell shoulder-charging Izack Rodda on the line in 2018, or England scoring after the ball touched the sideline in 2017. Michael Cheika was repeatedly shown furious on the sideline, or in the post-match press conference.
Freddie Steward scores against the Wallabies in 2021.Credit: Getty Images
But Genia said the second-half dominance of England more signalled the importance of having seasoned campaigners, a stable gameplan and an 80-minute mindset.
“They were very much in a steady place with guys who had been playing championship minutes for their clubs, whether it be in finals or whether it be in Champions Cup, Challenge Cup finals,” Genia said. “At Test level, that’s when it matters the most in those championship minutes, which is generally the last 20 minutes, what it comes down to.”
Genia said the Wallabies’ other problem was a tendency to play too much rugby and gift England points with errors or poor discipline. The All Blacks almost lost at the weekend at Twickenham by exhibiting the same issues.
He is not one to use refereeing calls as excuses, but one disallowed try to Marika Koroibete in 2017 still irks Genia. Stephen Moore was ruled to have obstructed retreating defender Chris Robshaw, and a potential seven-point Wallaby lead in the 70th minute somehow blew out to a 24-point loss.
“You’d have to ask the referees around the 50-50s as to whether we don’t get them,” Genia said.
“What I will say is it’s probably one of the best places to play, just because of the history, the crowd, the atmosphere. The one thing I always noticed as a player was when they had momentum, the crowd would really boil up and they fed off the energy. And it makes them a more formidable opponent.
Genia said the Wallabies’ win over England in 2015 was the other side of the same coin; they were the side with the benefit of experience and winning the championship minutes.
But with the current Wallabies still in a post-World Cup rebuild under Joe Schmidt, that experience is now restricted to a far smaller cohort, and those with a taste of victory in finals and big Test matches is tinier still.
One man who has it all – and should unquestioningly be put into the starting side – is Skelton, says Genia. The France-based lock, who is rejoining the Wallabies after staying with his club La Rochelle during the winter, has won multiple European and French titles.
Will Skelton of Australia celebrates winning at Stade de France at the Rugby World Cup.Credit: Getty
“I’m definitely picking him to start, because he just has a bit of aura about him,” Genia said. “From a physicality perspective, he just brings that presence on the field. And he’s been outstanding for La Rochelle the last few years. He’s been playing big minutes in big games, and he’s been a big performer in big games.”
The drums are beating that Suaalii will be thrown in with a bench role against England. Genia said the youngster could handle the pressure.
“I’d follow the same path as Izzy [Folau] – put him on the wing first, and then I would ultimately put him at fullback,” Genia said. “I get people saying he should play at 13, but I think you limit him too much. He’s a great athlete, and I see so much of Izzy in him.
“There’s so many similarities there that you can see that will hopefully transfer across into how he plays the game. Let’s not forget, mate, Izzy, regardless of everything, is one of the best players we ever played with.”
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