Analysis: Joe Schmidt’s callow Wallabies show they may be no pushovers for Lions

With debutant Suaalii outstanding, Australia’s gifted athletes pull off a Twickenham heist that belied conventional rugby wisdom

BRAINS TRUST: Australia Head Coach Joe Schmidt during the game. Pic: INPHO/Andrew Fosker

Conventional wisdom argues that you can’t win Test matches without a few fundamentals in place. Those include a tight five that can boss the close encounters, a midfield that can punch holes, and a well-oiled set piece that can provide enough front-foot ball for the flashy fellas out wide.

Well, Joe Schmidt would like to offer a counter-argument. His Wallabies were second best in all those key areas for most of the game and yet they pulled off a stunning result, by a distance his greatest triumph since taking control of a faltering outfit in January this year. If he can somehow inject a bit of heft where it’s needed between now and the arrival of the British & Irish Lions next year, then perhaps the series won’t be the walkover most pundits have predicted.