Australia face selection headache for Ireland Test, says ex-Munster coach Laurie Fisher
Exeter Chiefs' run to the English Premiership final means the arrival of Len Ikitau and Tom Hooper to the Wallabies' camp will be delayed. Pic: David Fitzgerald/Sportsfile
As Laurie Fisher delivered some harsh truths for Australian rugby 15 months out from the World Cup, the Wallabies are preparing to be without some of their best offshore talent for July’s Nations Championship opener against Ireland next month.
Indeed, Exeter’s run to the English Premiership final this weekend has put a spanner in the works and threatens to derail Joe Schmidt’s final three Tests in charge.
It means Wallabies regulars Len Ikitau and Tom Hooper, who have been at the heart of the Chiefs’ run to the final at Twickenham, could miss the Test because of Schmidt’s desire to have a settled squad in place well before kick-off.
They’re not the only two Australians involved in finals either, with tight-head prop Taniela Tupou due to run out for Racing 92 in their French Top 14 semi-final against Toulouse.
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While all three are expected to feature in Schmidt’s 36-man squad for the Nations Championship when he reveals the list at Allianz Stadium on Friday, Fisher revealed that they wouldn’t necessarily be walk-up starters given they will likely only arrive back in Australia around 10 days before the Ireland Test.
“It becomes very skinny into that Ireland Test,” the former Munster coach told reporters in Sydney.
“We haven't selected the team to play Ireland, but it does become problematical when they play on Saturday. There'll be various celebrations, and they may at best be here maybe late next week, so that's something to be considered.”
From an outsider’s perspective, it would seem like madness to leave out some of your best talent, including Ikitau, who was recognised last year as Australia’s best player by taking home the prestigeous John Eales Medal.
But ever since walking through the Rugby Australia doors in January 2024, Schmidt has always eased players back before selecting them.
Fisher insisted players needed time to readjust to different environments and pointed to Ikitau’s quieter game against Ireland last year after missing the previous three Tests following his move to Exeter as evidence as to why Schmidt didn’t just throw players straight back into the pressure cooker.
“There's always a lot of talk about cohesion, it doesn't happen at the snap of your fingers,” he said. “You need a week or two to get back in the environment to feel comfortable.
“I know when Len came in for the Ireland game last year, I could just see the battle of, 'Gee, what am I doing here, am I sweeping back, am I splitting?’
“I could see him trying to think his way through the game, and just being a fraction behind the eight-ball.”
While the Wallabies are sweating on the swift returns of their overseas-based stars, Schmidt at least has the luxury of bringing the bulk of his squad together for a three-day camp in Sydney this week after Australia’s early exit from Super Rugby.
That factor has allowed the Wallabies to get through some planning and reestablish calls after last taking the field in November.
“It gives us a couple of days head start that we wouldn't have had otherwise,” Fisher said.
The positives, however, stop there.
The stark reality is that the Wallabies have won at just 40% over the past decade.
And despite Schmidt’s Wallabies claiming a Test against the Lions and Springboks in the space of two weeks last year, Australia ultimately finished with a record ten defeats from 15 matches.
The late year stumbles, where the Wallabies lost seven of their last eight matches, saw Schmidt’s win record with Australia tumble to 39%.
While most in Australia have lamented the fact that Schmidt is moving on in July, Fisher said it could ultimately be a positive.
“I don't know what Les is going to do, I don't know what he's going to change, what the new defence coach [Scott McLeod] is going to change, but I think a tweak's a good thing; we haven't set the world on fire,” he said.
“It was a disappointing end to last season, so there's obviously changes and improvements that could be made, and hopefully the guys that are coming in are scrutinising that and have ideas.”
Fisher, who will also bid farewell to the Wallabies after the July Tests but plans on taking up a consulting role with Rugby Australia, added that the side had a long way to go if they wanted to challenge for next year’s World Cup.
“That's a huge ask,” he said.
“I mean, if you say where we are now, it's certainly a massive hill to climb.
“Is there quality? Yes, there is. Are there good coaches? Yes, there are. Is there depth? Yes, I think it's growing.
“But, again, you look at New Zealand, South Africa, France, England, you look at Ireland and all those other teams, like the top 10, 12 teams, it's tough, so I wouldn't sit here and bet my house on us winning the World Cup.
“I would bet my house on everybody involved giving an absolute red hot go and have beliefs that they can.”
He added that the Wallabies needed to become more consistent in everything they did to turn the corner and move up from eighth on the World Rugby rankings.
“Looking at Super Rugby, even the Wallabies, we just have too great a capacity to blow hot and cold,” he said.
“If we can blow hot and hotter, and get used to delivering that week-in, week-out, which means that our training is of a level week-in, week-out, session by session, and I think putting two, three, four, five performances in a row together, we’ll grow the confidence, so in my mind, that's what I think we need to drive.”
He added that Australia needed to be more ambitious at Super Rugby level.
“We've got to be a little bit more risky in Super Rugby,” he said.
“We're a little bit risk-averse in how we play in Super Rugby, given where the game is at the moment, I think we could offer a little bit more risk-management rather than risk-averse and try and grow our game a little bit more.”
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