The Wallabies are not one of the best five teams in the world, and it’s because they are lacking something they haven’t had for 10 years.
That is according to legendary Springboks lock Victor Matfield, who doubts that Australia will even reach the semi-finals of the 2027 Rugby World Cup.
Australia is currently ranked seventh on the World Rugby rankings, having dropped below Scotland following back-to-back Bledisloe Cup defeats to the All Blacks over the last fortnight.
Those were the first two defeats of the Les Kiss era after the former Queensland Reds boss oversaw an unbeaten streak that included wins over Japan, Argentina and South Africa as well as a stalemate with Los Pumas.
All Blacks legend: ‘I just can’t get a gauge on Australia’
Despite the positive results this year, Matfield and ex-All Blacks winger Sir John Kirwan believe that the Wallabies aren’t tracking well for their home World Cup next year.
“I just can’t get a gauge on Australia as a team at the moment,” Kirwan said on the Rivals Rugby podcast reviewing the second Bledisloe Cup defeat.
“I don’t know if they’re good or bad. I just can’t get a read on it, and this is no disrespect because the first person who wants Aussie to be really, really strong is me because it’s great for the whole game, but I just can’t get a read on them.
“They beat South Africa, obviously, who changed 10 players, but they play well in patches. It’s just not the Aussies that we know. Do you really think they’ve got an international side in the top five?”
Australia are definitely not in the top four
Matfield’s reply was an emphatic no.
“They’re definitely not top four. I don’t even think top five,” he remarked.
“South Africa, All Blacks, Ireland, France – it’s probably there, and then I think Australia can compete with teams like Scotland and England.”
As Kirwan mentioned, the Wallabies have been able to produce strong performances in patches but have lacked consistency in matches to get over the line. They were superb in the first half of the meeting with South Africa in Perth but when Rassie Erasmus emptied his bench, the Wallabies’ discipline went out the window and barely held out for the win, playing a period of the final quarter with just 11 men on the park.
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In the first Bledisloe Cup Test at Eden Park, the scores were level at the break before the All Blacks cut loose; whilst in the second meeting, the Wallabies were outclassed in the first half but fared far better in the second when the result was pretty much in the bag for New Zealand.
“Even in that game against South Africa, once the real guys came onto the field, they conceded almost 30 points in the last 20 minutes; there’s just something wrong,” Matfield continued.
“In that first half, whenever the All Blacks had momentum, they just didn’t have the stopping power. They couldn’t slow down the ball, and it was really just too easy. It looked like a captain’s run on a Friday afternoon.
“They still have a lot to work on. Their set piece is really good. Their lineout is one of the best; especially when competing, they really work well together, and they plan well. Their scrum is not too bad; there’s just something missing.”
Where the Wallabies are lacking and World Cup prediction
The former lock said before the second Bledisloe Cup Test that the Australian Super Rugby Pacific teams’ inability to beat New Zealand opposition created a mental block for the Wallabies, a take that he doubled down on. He believes that an Australian side hasn’t been able to compete with their Kiwi opposition for the last decade, which needs to change in order for the Wallabies to be a force in the international game again.
“Look at Super Rugby; they struggle to beat the New Zealand teams. They need a Super Rugby team that can compete with all the top New Zealand teams, and unfortunately, for the last ten years, they haven’t had that,” he said.
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Matfield adds that Australia are ‘almost there’ in several facets of their game but lack the one strength where they are really dominant. This leads him to believe that the Wallabies won’t make to the final four of the World Cup next year.
“It feels like everything is just almost there for them, but they don’t have something where they can dominate you. Against South Africa, they were really good with the aerial battle, but in the last two games against New Zealand, they lost the aerial battle,” he said.
“I mentioned that they have a really good lineout, but they don’t have a scrum that dominates. They don’t have big strong carriers that dominate. So it’s going to be difficult for them. They can upset any team, but I can’t see them winning a World Cup or getting to a semi-final next year.”
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