Wallabies head coach Dave Rennie is looking for his side to show a more ruthless and clinical edge when they face Scotland in their first autumn Test on Saturday.
Rennie’s team has been hugely inconsistent throughout his tenure and will need to grab their opportunities better if they are to find their consistency and mount a charge at next year’s Rugby World Cup, which is set to be hotly-contested.
Looking back on last year’s game between the two sides, the same concern arose for Rennie, who felt his side did not take their chances. The coach revealed that quick ball would be one of the focuses to combat Scotland’s breakdown threat.
More clinical
“We had a lot of opportunities to score which we didn’t take,” Rennie told reporters.
“We’ve got to be far more clinical – we only scored one try.”
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“We’re well aware of the threat they (Scotland) pose
“They’re excellent post tackle, they have an ability to get a couple in the tackle and choke you and slow your ball down so they can get a wall in front of you. So getting quick ball has been a big focus for us.”
Wallabies veteran and legend Michael Hooper has made his return to the gold jersey after taking time away from the game for the entirety of the Rugby Championship due to ‘mental health issues’. The flanker’s decision was widely praised and supported by the rugby world, who will be pleased to see a modern-day great return to the pitch.
James Slipper retains the captain’s armband, but the return of Hooper is a massive boost for the side, given his playing ability and influence on the players around him.
“We’re rapt for Hoops,” said Rennie.
“He’s been outstanding both on and off the field since re-entering the environment and he can’t wait to pull on the gold jersey again.”
Australia pose big threat
Meanwhile, in the Scotland camp, coach Gregor Townsend is not taking the Wallabies lightly despite winning the last three games against Australia.
Townsend believes that the Wallabies’ win record does not reflect how well they have been playing and is wary of the threat they bring.
“We’re aware of the strengths Australia bring,” he said.
“I was in Melbourne last month watching them against New Zealand. They lost (39-37) in the last seconds of that game after a brilliant comeback.
“Although they’ve not won as many games as they’d have liked, they’ve shown their quality enough times over the summer to be positive about their northern hemisphere tour.”
Dempsey switch
A storyline for the Test match is the switch of allegiance made by former Wallaby Jack Dempsey to Scotland through World Rugby’s new eligibility laws. If the back-row comes off the bench, he will be the first player to use the laws changes to play for and against Australia.
Townsend has been impressed with Dempsey and believes the Glasgow star can make a difference in a Scottish shirt.
“He’s already proved he’s got the game to thrive at international level and we believe he’s got the game that can really thrive for us,” said Townsend.
“He’s played very well for Glasgow and we want to see his strengths when he comes on.”
Rennie said Dempsey was encouraged to work on his physicality, something which he has made strides in since moving to Scotland.
“We always felt he lacked a little bit of physicality and we gave him that feedback and I know he’s worked hard on that and we’ve seen it prosper and blossom at Glasgow,” he said.
“I know he’ll be keen as to get among our boys, he knows a lot of them really well.”