Saint-Etienne: Wallabies great George Gregan believes Australia won’t be rattled by ongoing injury concerns and still have the firepower to beat Fiji in their second World Cup match despite the likely loss of skipper Will Skelton.
Australia have had a tough run with injury in the past week. Skelton looks set to join Tate McDermott (concussion) and Taniela Tupou (hamstring) on the sidelines for the crucial clash against Fiji, which could all but deliver the Wallabies a quarter-final berth.
Skelton, who was a surprise appointment as captain just before the Wallabies departed for Europe, went down at training on Wednesday with a calf injury that required scans.
The Wallabies won’t reveal the results of the scans but informed sources said Skelton would not take the field and could also miss Australia’s remaining two pool games against Wales (September 24) and Portugal (October 1).
“It’s obviously disappointing if you lose your skipper, but he [Jones] will definitely have a mindset of what’s the next thing to do,” Gregan told this masthead.
“You need the depth. You can’t predict when the injuries occur. France and South Africa have had big injuries. You want your squad to stay healthy throughout the campaign, but you’ve got to be ready, and you have to have the attitude of next person up, next man up. That’s an opportunity for someone.”
Will Skelton is set to miss Australia’s crucial clash with Fiji.Credit: Getty
Gregan is a veteran of four World Cup campaigns, including a home 2003 tournament under Jones, and knows the wily coach won’t be panicking.
“He’ll be pretty pragmatic in terms of what it looks like and what the prognosis is,” Gregan said. “Then it’s making adjustments around that and get on with it. He’s very good in that regard. He’ll endow those players to get in a position to play.”
Fiji have named a strong side, and the Wallabies could be forgiven for feeling a little uneasy without three of their best players.
Gregan believes that the Wallabies will still be strong enough to register a win that would be the country’s first back-to-back victories since October 2021 but is not underestimating the Fijian threat.
The World Cup-winning halfback said defence would decide the game.
Wallabies coach Eddie Jones has plenty on his plate.Credit: Getty
“It’s going to be really challenging, particularly on the edges,” he said. “First-up tackling is going to be really important and also just working hard. You’re going to miss tackles against Fiji. It’s working hard for each other and making sure you stay together. That’s going to be the big challenge for Australia because the Fijians are so good.
“I think they’re probably the best in terms of getting metres post contact. The Fijians are super athletic and in great condition and look confident. It’s always a dangerous game.
“They played very well against Wales. They’re the matches you want to play in a World Cup. I think it’s really going to be a defensive effort which will win the game for them against the Fijians.”
Gregan was in the Wallabies camp just before last month’s warm-up match against France, which Australia lost 41-17.
Asked to compare this year’s squad to 2003, Gregan can sense good vibes coming from the group.
“It’s different circumstances [to 2003] because we had a lot of experience in our squad,” Gregan said. “This is a very inexperienced squad. We had a lot of muscle memory within that group in terms of what a World Cup looked like. Similar in the sense that form has been a little bit inconsistent.
“You’re always working on what you need to do to get yourself right physically, tactically, emotionally … and I think Eddie is the master of that.
“It’s a really positive and energetic group. They’ve got great spirit and they’re going to play for themselves. That was definitely similar to our group in 2003. You can’t fake togetherness. You either have it or you don’t, and they have it in spades.”
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