CSB - Christy Doran - Wallabies

Rugby editor at the Roar out of Australia. Christy gives us his thoughts on the first three tests of the Joe Schmidt Wallabies era.

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
International rugby coverage on the Country Sport Breakfast is proudly
brought to you by Access Solutions, elevating you and your
business to a higher level. It's time to talk international
footy now on the Country Sport Breakfast, where we're done
and dusted for the July Internationals and one side it's
found themselves with a three win zero loss record just

(00:21):
like the All Blacks is the Jo Schmidt led Wallabies.
In fact, by beating Georgia by eleven points on Saturday,
the Wallabies recorded a nine year first by winning their
first three matches of the year, something they haven't done
for a long long time. Joining us out of Australia
to talk all things the Wallabies. Rugby editor at the
Raw Christy Doram.

Speaker 2 (00:40):
Want and Christy Yeah, got to join you again.

Speaker 1 (00:43):
That's quite a record, really, isn't it nine years?

Speaker 2 (00:46):
Well, it's a welcome change when you consider last year
and the Wallaby's only won two of nine Test matches.
To win three straight on the surface it looks great.
You dig a little bit deeper in your real line.
Us at Wales are not longer inside the top team.
They only just scraped home against Queensland Reds who were
missing every one of their Wallabies who were about to

(01:09):
play Georgia, and then they ended up beating Georgia, who
also outside the top ten, and you start to realize, okay,
well it's a good step. It's still better than the
Tier two and Tier three sides of the world. But
we all know that the Rugby Championship is around the corner.

Speaker 1 (01:25):
So what's been made then of the Wallaby side so far?

Speaker 2 (01:31):
Look, I think the worlds are made progress. That's a
great thing. And they had to, hadn't they Because under
Eddie Jones last year everything that could go wrong did
go wrong in it ended up being probably the worst
year in Waldby's history. Bound out and missing the knockout
stages of the World Cup was just a complete embarrassment,

(01:52):
given given that at the start of the Australia had
decided to act and Carl Dave Rennie to parachute Eddie
Jones in But if you look at the test matches
that we saw, there was a pragmatic approach to the
two tests victories against Wales. They probably got out of
jail a couple of times that they're rolling moor and
a couple of blunders by the Welsh towards the back

(02:14):
end of the matches, but there was several players that
have come through that you go, their stocks have gone
up and that's a really welcome thing. There's ten debutantes
during the three matches in July. I would say half
of those will be in that twenty three side to
take on the spring Box on August tenth. The big

(02:36):
concern remains the flight half position. I know that it's
a conversation across the ditch with Dame McKenzie, Boden Barrett,
of course, and whether or not Rich Nollinger comes home
in Australia. The three tens, they're still very unproven. Ben
Donaldson got an opportunity on the weekend, definitely didn't take
it with both hands. And you imagine Nola Ceo. Where's

(02:59):
that ten against South Africa. But there's all sorts of
questions over him, the twenty four year old now with
twenty tests under his belt. So that's the big conundrum
going forward.

Speaker 1 (03:11):
You wrote a very good article about Phraser mcwright as well.
He's well and truly arrived on the international stage, isn't he.

Speaker 2 (03:17):
Oh look, it's so welcome to see the balance of
the back row and I know that you've watched the
game yourself, you probably would have impressed with Harry Wilson,
Rob Belatini. The phrase Mcwright he made his debut in
twenty twenty, was kind of in the review mirror of
Michael Hooper for a long time, but we know that

(03:38):
with him retired. Mcwright's just he's really arrived now on
the international stage, and it often takes a few years
for the open side flankert to do that, but he's
now actually owning games of international rugby like he has
to Super Rugby for the last couple of seasons, and
that's timing. Its experience is probably a little bit bigger now.

(04:00):
But he's just got such a balanced all round game
and hopefully he manages to do that against South Africa,
because if you can do it against South Africa, it
means that physically you're totally ready for international ranking.

Speaker 1 (04:13):
I got the impression watching Saturday's game. The jochment was
really I guess, experience experimenting, trying different positions, looking at
players to see how they're going to shape up for
a tough one against South Africa.

Speaker 2 (04:26):
Yeah, and he made ten changes and he said it
was risk himself acknowledged that and we all wrote it
being a bit of a gamble. It was in previous
years the wagers have stumbled in those sorts of situations.
They did against Italy and Florence in twenty twenty two,
and even a decade ago they did against Scotland in
twenty twelve and Samara in twenty eleven. They haven't always

(04:46):
made it easy for themselves. And early in that second
half when Georgia perhaps was another fourtuitous try, but it
was twenty six to twenty four and they managed to
show the enough composure and that was through the forwards
that took the ball under their wings and the right
particularly with an outstanding run through the middle of the
field to set up a try for Rob Dallachini. That

(05:09):
was an important moment that just relieves the hearts and
minds of twenty six thousand that was there at Allie
out Stade in towards that victory. But yeah, he would
have learned.

Speaker 3 (05:19):
A bit, probably not enoughs and as he said, some
help themselves their causes to get selection in the Rugby
Championship and others perhaps did. And I think the tight
five is just where the games are going to be
won and lost at the moment. For the Wallaby they
need to really start to cementtion cohesion, particularly in the

(05:40):
second row. But Lisa is a bit more experienced now
with guys like Alex Odgman, who's just a fourth player
to play for both the Wolvis and the All Blacks.
A doing for Australia off the bench, that sort of
the starts that you're dead up front is ohso important.

Speaker 1 (05:58):
Yeah, absolutely, And I was just gonna to touch on
Alex Judgman really, I mean, he didn't disgrace himself. That
was pretty impressive. Really joined that exclusive club as well
playing for the All Blacks and how are the Wallabies?

Speaker 2 (06:09):
Yeah, and he's got a lovely story, Like I asked
him postgame about his journey and so forth, and I've
spoken to him several times. But now that he's actually
achieved that malestone, he probably did loosen up a little bit.
He didn't have to necessarily prove to anyone that he's
just going to learn the Australian way. He's now an
Australian player and he's always had that Australian passport as

(06:31):
he equipped when he said that his dad told him
that it would come in handy one day, and sure
enough it certainly has. He's such a softly spoken guy,
and he said that there was plenty of tears over
the last twelve months as he considered his future off
the back of several injuries when he's playing for the Blues,

(06:52):
and spoke glowingly about his wife that mayaged to get
him through inspire him to continue to go. And I
love those sorts of stories. And he's a really, really
well spoken thirty one year old now and it's pleasing
to have some characters emerge and to have someone likes
him who wears his heart on his sleeve. I think
it's great for us.

Speaker 1 (07:12):
And Christie watching from a farther Scott Robinson era as well,
and truly underway also three from three. What have you
made of the All Blacks so far?

Speaker 2 (07:23):
Yeah, well, look, they put away a Fiji inside that
always takes a little while to get going, don't they.
Fig and VG they can beat any side away from home.
They do struggle and during World Cups they probably find
that cohesion that they lack at stages when they're able
to be together for six weeks. But I think the

(07:43):
All Blacks are still a fair way away from where
they want to get to, aren't they? And the pleasing
thing is not too many injuries. Yeah, there's a couple concerns.
At nine. I thought Aldie severe probably took his game
up and not to a two off the back of
a quiet start against England. I don't think Mackenzie's necessarily
the long term answer at ten for the Avs, but

(08:04):
with Boden Barrett there, he definitely looked more composed. But
that also probably comes with all the space that was
there because the feature and defense just wasn't anywhere near
that English defense. So yeah, look, I think the pleasing
thing is for both the Shan and New Zealand three
from three, but wow, they've got a long way to go.
At least they've got a front row which is formidable

(08:26):
at the scum time. Much like Australia, the line out
needs to function and replace him retallic and white like
you just don't do that overn Ide, No, you don't.

Speaker 1 (08:36):
Bring on August, bring on the rugby Championship. Hey, Christy,
thank you for joining us this morning. Yeah pleasure, cheers,
Christy Darn joining us rugby editor at The Roar in Australia,
Rugby Championship this year. I think it's going to be
very interesting. I think the team to beat will be
the spring Book, but we'll have to wait