3 months ago
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Will Skelton has experienced the shortest Wallabies camp of his decorated career, after travelling from France to Ireland to be ruled out for his country’s next two Tests. Skelton injured his ankle playing for La Rochelle last Saturday and flew back to his club from Ireland.
The Wallabies are facing a stiff challenge this week in Dublin, after the team consistently struggled to break through the opposition’s defence and keep their discipline in the defeat against Italy.
In Ireland, Wallabies coach Joe Schmidt who is renowned for his exacting Monday review sessions, painstakingly highlighted unacceptable errors from his squad, regardless of the reputation of the player.
In the Wallabies’ hotel in suburban south Dublin, Schmidt had a long video to play from Italy for his team, which included 12 penalties conceded, one yellow card, 21 missed tackles and 15 turnovers lost.
Prop Angus Bell is ready to face Ireland after hurting his shoulder last Saturday in Italy and said that the squad had been sharing some harsh truths after an unacceptable performance.
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“We have those (tough) conversations even when we win, I briefly remember after the third Test, when we beat the Lions, there were still hard conversations happening,” Bell said.
“Being in a professional environment and being with a team that holds high standards, even after a really great game, like Ellis Park, for example, there were still opportunities out there for us to be better and put more pressure on...
“Every game, win, loss or draw, no game is perfect... but look, today, this morning, was really tough.”
Bell disagreed that the Wallabies are fatigued after a long season that has included the Rugby Championship, the Lions series and Tests against Japan, England and Italy.
“We definitely have enough petrol in the tank...when you play for the Wallabies, when you play for your country, it’s a massive honour, whether you’ve done it once or 100 times,” Bell said.
“Every week is exciting, every week is an opportunity. I sit here as a 25-year-old, and you never know how many more Tests you’re going to play.
“You never know what’s around the corner and every time you pull on that jersey, it’s an absolute privilege for me. There’s no bigger motivator than playing for your country.”
Angus Bell scores against Italy.Credit: Getty Images
Carter Gordon also confirmed that he is fit for selection after leaving the field after 52 minutes with quad tightness, which limited his kicking out of hand and off the tee. Gordon confirmed that it was precautionary.
“I think we’re just being on the safe side, early in the week, we just made a decision that we were going to obviously offload some of that kicking, but ideally, I get back into pretty much doing all of it,” Gordon said.
The absence of Skelton from the Wallabies has highlighted the importance of recently arrived James O’Connor who was not selected for the Italy Test and enjoyed a holiday in Morocco.
The Wallabies confirmed that O’Connor is in Dublin to help prepare the squad ahead of facing Ireland, with Gordon already enjoying what he sees from the veteran playmaker.
“Obviously, Rabsey’s (O’Connor) has had a lot of experience across his time, and he’s still got a bit of flair, as we saw a little bit this morning with our walk-throughs, but any time you get a chance to learn off those guys, you take that,” Gordon said.
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