Wallabies full-back Tom Wright said that his side “faced the music” after their 50-19 loss to the All Blacks at the weekend, but insists they are “chomping at the bit” to get their revenge on Saturday.
Reflecting on their disappointing loss, Wright claimed the All Blacks were “there for the taking” up until half-time, but the hosts “applied a lot more pressure” in the second half than his side.
Focusing on the area the All Blacks excelled, Wright said: “The execution around the kicking game for both teams [was] obviously a massive talking point, and has been internally in our review, how we can apply pressure to them. Similarly, the way that they were doing to us and getting the ball back.
“Jordie’s [Barrett] the best part of six foot five/six. He was quite prominent in the air, won a couple of back, tapped a couple back, and then on the inverse we weren’t able to get our game going and even up the statistics that way.”
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Winning the aerial battle
To avoid a repeat of last weekend’s result, the Wallabies need to shore up their aerial game. Wright remains confident that his side can turn the tide at Accor Stadium on Saturday, however.
“We’ve seen a real positive in our game, a real threat when we’re putting the ball up, and I think Jorgo’s [Max Jorgensen] been arguably one of the best at chasing. We saw Sui [Joseph Sua’ali’i] the week prior show his aerial skills, chasing the high ball to be able to win it back.
“So, yeah, execution, being able to get ourselves into the game the way that we have previously, we just probably weren’t up to where we want to be internally. And we saw that the ABs were able to apply pressure the same way we’ve done previously in a handful of games this year as well.”
Wright talked about the importance of the individual battles and the key areas, saying: “It’s a moment-by-moment game. You can look at the big flashy stuff, but it really is just the nuts and bolts of the little moments in front of your nose.”
Medical update
Assistant coach Tom Donnelly gave an injury update on the squad, telling the press: “Len Ikitau’s [got a] concussion, so he’s shot home. Jordan Petaia as well. The rest, there are a few bumps and bruises, but nothing major.”
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This will be an important test for the visitors, who currently sit in sixth place in the world rankings after a resurgence in form over the past couple of seasons. A win against New Zealand will likely move them above England in the rankings, and really help build some momentum ahead of their 2027 World Cup in Australia.