As the Wallabies focus on some elusive “repeatability” in their second spring tour clash in Cardiff on Monday, Wales coach Warren Gatland appears to have a more pressing concern: survivability.
The contrast in emotional states between the Australian and Welsh rugby teams couldn’t have been starker on Wednesday, four days out from the sides’ third Test clash of the year.
Though still buoyant after their win over England, Wallabies halfback Tate McDermott said the team’s focus this week was to “learn from our past” and guard against any drop-off in standards.
The Wallabies have been an incorrigible yo-yo team in the last decade, as most recently witnessed on their tour of Argentina in September, where a gutsy win was followed by a record loss.
“The group in general has a feeling that repeatability is the biggest thing for us to move forward,” McDermott said. “It’s about making sure that everything we do this week, we don’t waste any time improving. Because repeatability and backing up the performance against the English is crucial for us.
“Last week against the English, whilst it was a great moment, it’s irrelevant because we’ve got a fierce Welsh team in our face, and we’ve got to make sure we’re ready for them.”
Tate McDermott passing the ball at Wallabies training.Credit: Getty Images
But the fact McDermott was doing media duties in a mostly empty room, bar one Australian attendee, highlighted the unusual dynamic at play this week in Wales. The sizeable Welsh rugby media contingent was pre-occupied, having just been at a tense press conference with Gatland across town.
The Kiwi coach is squarely under the pump, after Wales lost their tenth straight Test at the weekend. A defeat against Fiji saw Wales equal their worst-ever losing streak, and if they fall again to the Wallabies, it will give this side the title of, statistically, the worst in Welsh rugby history.
Following the retirement of many senior players after the Rugby World Cup, Gatland called up a batch of new players, but the proud Test nation haven’t won a game all year. A Six Nations wooden spoon was followed by two defeats to the Wallabies in July, and the Fiji loss.
High-profile ex-players who figured under Gatland have been publicly critical and in a rugby-crazed country, the national mood is despondent.
Warren Gatland is under pressure after Wales crashed to a 10th straight loss.Credit: Getty Images
Gatland is confident the young players will come good, but whether he’s still the coach when they turn a corner seems to be the question. In a half-hour grilling on Wednesday, all but a handful of questions fired at Gatland were about his future and the criticism.
Asked if his bosses at the Welsh Rugby Union still backed the project, Gatland said: “I am probably not the person to ask in terms of those questions. I have been very clear that I am really comfortable with the decisions we’ve made.
“We have tried to point out from the outset that we need to go through some pain. I didn’t think there would be this much pain, to be honest. If a decision is made in terms of what you are talking about, I am more than comfortable with that [being sacked].
“I will probably go back to the beach, have a glass of wine and enjoy myself away from some of the pressure. We have tried to be clear about building and developing this group of youngsters. We know it takes a bit of time. I am well aware you are not always given time.
Tom Wright scoring a try for Wallabies in their win over Wales in Sydney in July.Credit: Getty Images
“It is about results. I have tried to not shy away from that. I understand that. Criticism is part of the job and the role.”
Gatland, who is contracted until 2027, later admitted he is seeking to draw all the pressure onto him, so it leaves his doesn’t affect his players. It’s the guile of a coach who has coached winning Lions teams and won four Six Nations titles.
Gatland said the Wallabies had progressed from July but “they’ve kind of been mixed a little bit”.
“They will feel like they’ve made some improvement, but they’re not fully there,” Gatland said. “I suppose for them it’s about looking forward to a Lions tour, so probably not the finished article at the moment, but there are definitely signs of improvement.
“But that’s always easy to comment on [after] a win, isn’t it? We all know the result can change from week to week pretty easily.”
The last line could well have been old habits dying hard for Gatland, despite his predicament. He and Schmidt often sparred in the media during the Six Nations when the latter was coaching Ireland.
Schmidt will name his team on Saturday morning. Dylan Pietsch’s tour-ending calf injury will likely see Max Jorgensen start on the wing.
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