The Wallabies say they won’t be reading too much into the British and Irish Lions crashing to a defeat to Argentina in their farewell game in Dublin on Saturday.
But analysing – and banking – a little on how the Pumas got the job done? Well, now that’s a different story.
The Wallabies gathered in camp for the first time on Sunday in Sydney as their soon-to-be rivals, the Lions, began arriving in Perth before next Saturday’s tour opener against the Western Force.
They may be the cream of the crop from four Home Nations teams, but the Lions didn’t board their flights with chests puffed all the way out, following a 28-24 defeat to Argentina in their farewell game.
The loss might have been interpreted as valuable for the Wallabies in proving the star-studded Lions are beatable, but Wallabies hooker Dave Porecki was quick to disagree with that theory.
Argentina pulled off an upset win over the Lions in Dublin.Credit: AP
“I didn’t ever think they were unbeatable,” Porecki said.
“If you’re being realistic, it’s their first game together. They’ve got a lot of games as well before the three-Test series, and they’ll build and they’ll improve. You saw snippets of good stuff and I’m sure there’s stuff they need to work on as well.
“They’ve got the benefit of time together now, and a couple more games and they’ll be better for it.”
With a host of potential Test starters not featuring in Dublin, it was difficult to gauge what style the Lions will attempt to play in Australia, or even identify clear strengths and weaknesses.
Argentina’s Tomas Albornoz dives over the line to score a try.Credit: AP
But Porecki said an undermanned Pumas provided some insights into how to take on the Lions.
“What Argentina did well was they physically went to work, especially in the pack. And they took opportunities in turnover, and you can see that in some of the tries they scored,” Porecki said. “It’s amazing how simple rugby is sometimes. If you take advantage of opportunities and you are physical, it can put you in the right place.”
Porecki was last week named in his first Wallabies squad since the 2023 World Cup, after missing most of last year with a chronic Achilles tendon injury, and then withdrawing from consideration for the spring tour due to the arrival of twins.
The Waratahs hooker was even captain of the Wallabies for much of the World Cup, and one of the sadder sights in a grim campaign was the ashen-faced Porecki sitting next to Eddie Jones as the coach was grilled on Japanese job interviews and the crushing losses.
David Porecki watches on as Eddie Jones holds court at the World Cup.Credit: Getty Images
As ever, Porecki maintained a cool demeanour while doing media duties on Sunday, but after a frustrating break, he said he can’t wait to try to earn his Wallabies No.2 jersey back.
“Obviously last year was difficult for me, missing most of the year. But I worked pretty hard and credit to the medical teams for getting it all right,” Porecki said.
“I feel good and body feels in a good place now and ready to just rip in.
“A lot has happened since then (the World Cup). That’s a few years ago now. It’s a completely new group as well. So that’s the most exciting thing for me. It’s a different energy to the one the last time I was in.“
Porecki said the Wallabies’ improvements made under Joe Schmidt were clear to see from outside the squad.
“You always want to be part of it. So if you’re missing out on it, it’s tough to watch. But at the same time, you know performances are what get you there.”
Meanwhile, RA chief executive Phil Waugh said announcements are imminent about players for the AUNZ fixture against the Lions in Adelaide on Juy 12.
Michael Hooper and Richie Mo’unga have already ruled themselves out, leading to concerns about the absence of star power for the Adelaide Oval clash, which is not sold out.
“We’ll be accelerating those announcements post the Super Rugby final, and once Joe gets a position around his selections for Fiji, and we also get a good line of sight as to obviously All black selections and who may be available.”
The All Blacks name their squad to play against France on Monday. Waugh said he was “very, very conscious” of the need to get some buzz brewing for the AUNZ and First Nations/Pasifca games.
“They’re daily conversations in our daily stand-ups to ensure that we’ve got the right momentum with the marketing,” Waugh said.
“They’re going to be awesome celebrations of rugby and people want certainty as to who is going to play. And so we’ll make sure both teams are high quality and very competitive.”
