‘I want to protect my team’: Why the Wallabies’ wrecking ball is a force of nurture

3 months ago 9

Will Skelton throwing his considerable weight around at the MCG was a sight for the sore and weary eyes of Wallabies fans. Be it hefty tackles, trucking carries, shifting bodies at the breakdown or, occasionally, just shifting the entire breakdown. At one stage, Skelton simultaneously held off five angry Lions in a scuffle that he’d started, and with a smile on his face. Here was man producing his own gravity.

But if you ask Skelton what value he brings to a team, he skips right past the bruising force of his 145kg, 203cm frame and points instead to gentle work in the corners of a team room.

“I just try and be myself – especially in camp,” Skelton says.

“I’m real big on connection with the team. I try and get to know everyone, who their families are and stuff like that, because I understand how big connection is as a part of a squad. Little things, asking how such and such is? How’s this doing? How’s that doing? How’s everyone back home? You can pick up how the team feels. For me, I feel like I’m pretty clued in there.

“Like I said, I just try and be myself.”

That nurturing side of Skelton has been important this week as the Wallabies struggled to deal with all the intense emotions of losing a grand final, but without a mad monday to dull the pain.

But as valuable as his team room leadership has been, players will undoubtedly want the nature side of Skelton – the wrecking ball side – to take prominence as they chase victory at Accor Stadium, and a 2-1 series finish.

Will Skelton of the Wallabies scuffles with James Lowe of the British & Irish Lions.

Along with Rob Valetini, Skelton’s work at the MCG saw the Wallabies bounce back from being physically dominated in the first Test and build a 23-5 lead in the first half. But the second half saw the pair depart, and the Wallabies get over-run.

The same first-half recipe must be the same (and last longer) on Saturday for the Wallabies to win, only this time Valetini won’t be there due to injury. Skelton has a job on his massive hands.

“We saw that when we’re physical from the off, we can score points, we can play our game,” Skelton says. “We saw that in the first Test, that first 30, they dictated everything. And then we sort of switched it again, on the weekend [in Melbourne]. It’ll be our job out there on Saturday to do the same.

Will Skelton tackles Tommy Freeman at the MCG.

“I just wanted to do my job [at the MCG], that was it. Try and get my hands on the ball, and I focus really hard on my set-piece. I’m very aware that if I do play, I’m not the best jumping option, so things around me change. So I try and make sure that I give as much as I can in other areas of the game.

“I thought I played OK. But I’ve got really high standards, too. I know I am going to be able to push out longer for the team this weekend as well.”

After drawing criticism for not firing up in response to Tom Lynagh getting tackled midair in Brisbane, the Wallabies were far more combative in the second Test. And Skelton was right in the middle of most flare-ups, particularly when taking on Lions captain Maro Itoje.

But it wasn’t a deliberate focus, he said.

Will Skelton of the Wallabies evades a tackle.

“That’s just in the moment, mate,” Skelton says. “I don’t go out there thinking I’m trying to rough someone up. I want to protect my team, but if I’m not doing my job after that, then I shouldn’t be doing that at all.

“That’s probably what I used to do when I was a bit younger. Try and look for scraps which aren’t there, and then I am not thinking about what I’ve got to do on the field. There is definitely a balance.”

But in what many say what his best Test performance, the sight of Skelton at his best at the MCG was a double-edged sword for Wallabies fans. It served to remind how rarely the big man has been seen, in his prime, in a gold jersey across an 11-year Test career.

Having departed Australia in 2017 to play in England, and now France, Skelton has just 34 Test caps - and only 16 as a starter. Since he debuted in 2014, Skelton has only played in 25 per cent of the 135 Wallabies Tests that have been staged.

Will Skelton after scoring a try on Wallabies debut against France in 2014.

Skelton performs a delicate balance between club and country, trying to keep both mostly happy with partial presence. As such, he is likely to return to France and his club side La Rochelle, after the weekend and not carry on and play in The Rugby Championship.

“That’s the plan, yeah. So I’ll go back, have a few weeks off and then do a small pre-season were before I start again in Top 14,” he says.

Skelton clarifies he still has some final discussions to come with Joe Schmidt, but with his small family currently camped up at his parents place in western Sydney, is a return to their home in France is likely, before a possible reunion with the Wallabies for the spring tour.

“Hopefully, if I’m playing well enough,” Skelton says. “Because they’re coming to sort of my neck of the woods, too [the Wallabies play games in France and Italy]. I’m already there and like I said, if the body’s right and I’m playing well, if I am in form, and I get picked, I’d love to play.

“I love playing for the Wallabies. It’s always refreshing coming back into camp. I learn so much as well from the coaches and from the boys. You always want to be a part of it.”

At 33, Skelton feels in great shape. Unlike in the grind of a Top 14 season, where the focus is to be fresh for games, the demands of Wallabies training always shocks Skelton.

Here, it’s like, no, we need to train well to be able to perform,” Skelton says. “Get off the ground, f---ing work. That’s what he [Schmidt] always asks me to do. And I feel really good. I feel awesome.”

Awesome enough to aim for the 2027 Rugby World Cup, at home?

“It’s too early to tell,” Skelton says. “I just keep game by game. It’s a cliche, but I’m only focused on the Lions. After that, who knows? We’ll see.”

All nine matches of The British & Irish Lions Tour to Australia are live & on demand on Stan Sport, with Wallabies Tests in 4K. All Test matches live and free on Channel 9 & 9Now.

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