As rugby union in Australia prepares to launch into its golden decade, spaceship Wallaby remains a work in progress. Joe Schmidt’s vast project has showed promise, but testing has been far from rigorous and the countdown has now hit zero. At the launchpad of the MCG on Saturday night in a must-win Test against the British & Irish Lions watched by 90,000 fans, it’s time for lift-off.
Schmidt appreciates what a victory would do for Australian rugby. “I would never be outcome focused,” he said this week. “But this would be special and it would be special for this group. I think it would accelerate a little bit of their growth as well in terms of gaining confidence.”
