Australia's Wallabies Edge Fiji in Close Encounter: Key Takeaways

Following the Wallabies’ narrow 21-18 victory over Fiji in Newcastle, here are our five takeaways from Australia’s only game before the British and Irish Lions Test Series.

The Wallabies were put to task by a fantastic Fijian outfit today, who provided Joe Schmidt’s men with a stern test in the build-up to the British and Irish Lions, with Wallaby captain Harry Wilson scoring a late try to edge the Pacific Islanders.

It was a clunky performance from the Australians, who lacked a real killer edge but can take plenty of positives and learnings from the fixture.

Dave Porecki got the ball rolling for the hosts as he scored the opening try of the game in his first outing since the Rugby World Cup before Fraser McReight rounded off a cracking try in the 39th minute.

The visitors would have the final say of the half and did it in classic Fijian fashion as Salesi Rayasi brushed off three attempted tackles to thunder the ball down over the line and cut the deficit to 14-5 at half-time.

A Caleb Muntz penalty and another gorgeous try finished off by Lekima Tagitagivalu saw the Fijians go into the lead in the final quarter, and the fly-half made it a four-point game not too long after.

But in the end, the Wallabies found a way to get the result as skipper Wilson spun out of a tackle close to the line to score the match-winner.

Wallabies shake off the rust

In 2021, the Springboks scheduled two matches against Georgia; the second was ultimately cancelled and replaced with a game against the Bulls for South Africa A, to prepare for the British and Irish Lions series.

Four years later, Australia felt that a one-off hit out against Fiji was enough and only time will tell if that is the case but without a doubt, this fixture was a must.

Schmidt’s charges needed a run out, that was plainly evident. For much of the first half, they overplayed their hand and lacked the patience required with the ball in hand and let the visitors off the hook time and time again.

The most telling indication of this was Lolesio’s chip kick on the stroke of half-time with the Wallabies holding a 14-0 advantage at the time. It was poorly executed and a ploy that the Wallabies had used several times in the first half.

On this occasion, the Fijians read it perfectly and launched a marvelous attack which led to a debut try for full-back Rayasi as he shrugged off three average tackle attempts to power over the line.

While the lineout worked rather well in the first half, it did falter at times, particularly once Porecki was off the park, while the scrum was all over the place. The Lions have been brutally effective in the scrums so far in Australia, but Schmidt won’t be overly concerned, as the set-piece was just as messy for the Fijians.

The Wallabies’ attack also shows signs of real promise, but the 19 turnovers conceded illustrate that there is room for improvement, as they coughed up try-scoring opportunities after failing to execute the basics and had tries chalked off by the TMO because of it.

Noah Lolesio setback

What will concern Schmidt will be the availability of his first-choice fly-half Lolesio, whose involvement in the Test series looks to be hanging by a thread.

The 25-year-old has endured a torrid time with injuries this season that threatened his availability, but his latest setback looks to be the final nail in the coffin as he was stretchered off the pitch after a nasty-looking whiplash.

At the time of writing, it’s unclear whether he sustained a head or neck injury, but either way, it did not look good at all as he was carted off the park.

Lolesio was the go-to fly-half for Schmidt last year, particularly in the bigger Test matches, and the head coach selected the pivot despite the fact that he signed a deal with a Japanese club next season.

To further complicate the issue for Schmidt is that Tom Lynagh, who provided impact off the bench and cover for Lolesio last year, missed today’s game as he continues to work his way back to full fitness after sustaining a hand injury.

If Lolesio is to miss the Test series due to injury, Ben Donaldson, who played the final quarter at fly-half, and Lynagh are the current options at Schmidt’s disposal in the squad.

It now raises the question whether Schmidt should now turn to veteran options in the form of James O’Connor or Bernard Foley, two players the head coach has admitted to talking to in the build-up to the series. The former enjoyed a fine season, winning Super Rugby Pacific with the Crusaders, while the latter continues to be a key cog in the Kubota Spears’ backline.

High Flying Fijians

While this was viewed as a preparation match for the Wallabies, the Fijians refused to allow this to turn into anything close to resembling a training ground run.

They were aggressive in contact, lethal on the counter attack and as per usual, fiercely competitive and passionate. This was a proper Test match, a real hit out and a game where the Fijians exposed the Wallabies’ flaws.

The Lions have been sublime on turnover ball attacks and that’s an area of the game where the Wallabies’ defence really struggled today and the Fijians shone.

They will be gutted about the final result but will look to claim a scalp next week when they tackle a Scotland team without their top players who are wearing the famous red jersey this July.

Wallabies standouts

Schmidt will certainly be pleased with the grit and fight his team showed to get over the line right at the death, with the charge being led by captain Wilson.

Doubts were raised about who would lead the Wallabies during the series, with scrum-half Jake Gordon reportedly set to take the honour, but the powerhouse number eight perhaps showed today that there isn’t a need for change. It wasn’t just the fact that he scored the match-winning try, though, as he was relentless from minute one to 80, producing a clichéd ‘leading from the front’ performance.

In the second-row, Nick Frost was brilliant yet again, topping the tackle count with 21, adding to his huge work-rate at the breakdowns, while McReight once again showed why he is so highly thought of in Australia, grabbing a try and two turnovers while impressing on both sides of the ball.

Max Jorgensen will be feeling the heat for his position following the brilliance of Dylan Pietsch against the British and Irish Lions, and while he had bright moments on attack, he missed several telling tackles, with Fiji scoring twice off them.

Schmidt will also be hoping that Porecki’s concussion is not too serious after the experienced hooker put in an accurate performance on his return to international.

According to the source: Planet Rugby.