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Three former internationals have urged Joe Schmidt to “open up and embrace” the “hive” that has stifled Australian rugby for years after the Wallabies’ record-breaking defeat to Los Pumas in Argentina.
The Wallabies, who had their eight-game losing streak snapped in the Rugby Championship earlier this month, were once again forced to face reality at the weekend as they were beaten 67-27 by Los Pumas – their highest ever score conceded in a Test match.
The Wallabies’ second-largest ever defeat made headlines around the world. What’s worse was that they were 20-3 up after 30 minutes.
The defeat put Rugby Australia’s qualification policy in the spotlight once again, with Japanese national Marika Koroibete now the only foreign player included in Schmidt’s Wallabies squad.
While RA are understood to be open to more foreign players joining the Wallabies, Schmidt has so far been keen to test his options domestically and believes the continuity of domestic selection will ultimately pay off.
Some have pointed to the Wallabies’ crushing 61-22 defeat under Greg Smith in 1997, which proved to be a turning point for the nation’s successful World Cup triumph two years later under Rod McQueen.
But former Wallabies player Stephen Hoyles said it was uncertain whether history could repeat itself.
“A lot of players from the ’99s call that a turning point,” Hoyles said on the Between Two Posts podcast.
“The hardest part for Wallabies fans is not knowing if this game was a line in the sand.”
Harry Wilson reacts after the Wallabies were crushed by Argentina in Santa Fe on September 7, 2024. (Photo: Daniel Zayo/Getty Images)
But Hoyles’ former Test team-mate Morgan Turinui said he was not so sure that would be the case.
“I don’t think it’s a line in the sand,” he said. “I think I have another 10 years to work on, but I have to build depth, build quality, and build experience.”
The Wallabies’ reluctance to recruit players from overseas, unlike other top-ranked nations such as Argentina and South Africa, may have also contributed to their drop down the world rugby rankings.
Hoyles said this is something that needs to be reconsidered.
“They are the best 23 players in Argentina,” Hoyles said.
“Do we have the best 23 players in Australian rugby at the moment? Or are some of them still based overseas? There’s a huge debate. It’s a hornet’s nest but we have to start considering it.
“We have always been focused on protecting Super Rugby because that is our product. That product is not working for us at the moment and we are not looking to go overseas.
“I’m not saying one particular player is going to make a big difference, but if you have Will Skelton – South Africa, Argentina, go for it.
“We are doing what New Zealand does. We are not New Zealand. Just because the All Blacks keep the All Blacks in New Zealand rugby doesn’t mean we have to do what they do.”
Argentina’s squad is drawn from around the world. (Photo: Luciano Bisbal/Getty Images)
Former Wallaby Nick Phipps added: “There’s Matt Phillips as well as Will Skeltons. He could be one of your 23. You’ve got Matt Phillips, Richie Arnold, Rory Arnold. I wouldn’t say they’re better than (Carlo) Tizzano and (Harry) Wilson, but you’ve got four strong options to choose from among the contenders. If one’s out of form, you’ve got three (more) strong options.”
Hoyles did not list all international candidates, but said others should be considered, including Sean McMahon, who has been out for more than a year due to injury.
“To be honest, I think Liam Gill and Shaun McMahon are still good enough to play for the Wallabies,” the former loose forward said.
“Just because they’re in Japan, they’re invisible. (Carlo) Tizzano has been fantastic. But if we lose (Fraser) McWright – where are our next three or four?”
He added: “Sean McMahon is playing at the same level as (Springboks star) Quagga (Smith), but we don’t even get a chance to see Sean McMahon.”
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Sungoliath’s Sean McMahon has not played for the Wallabies since 2021. (Photo: Toru Hanai/Getty Images)
The notion of building continuity and cohesion has been raised before, but the success of the Springboks and Argentina in recent years (despite recruiting a number of players from overseas, they have beaten the All Blacks on New Zealand soil on both of their last two tours) has challenged that notion.
“This is a challenge that we will have to solve at some point,” Tourinui said.
“We were told that bringing in players wouldn’t work because of the cohesion. Well, Argentina are actually a very good example of someone we compare ourselves to because there’s not much in the way of national competition. They have local rugby, but all their top players are overseas. All their top players come from different clubs and can come together and score 60-plus points for the Wallabies.”
He added: “There are teams and countries that are doing it and doing it in a way that we didn’t think would work for us. The line in the sand is how we select, how we develop, how we select and identify players.”
