A self styled ‘Dad’s Army’ coaching staff are going back to basics in a bid to whip the Wallabies into shape for Saturday’s season opener against Wales.
Coach Joe Schmidt’s arrival offers Australian rugby a clean slate and a shot at redemption after the Annus horribilis of the Eddie Jones reign.
Schmidt and Irish analyst Eoin Toolan are handling the majority of the backline work with Laurie Fisher, Mike Cron and Geoff Parling running the forwards.
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Fisher, 66, and Cron, 69, offer vast experience in the dark arts and Wallabies lock Nick Frost is lapping it all up.
“He (Cron) joked the other day they’ve got Dad’s Army coaching with all the old fellas in there,” Frost told reporters at a community event in Hunters Hill on Sunday.
“But no, he’s good. He’s (Cron) got a humble, down to earth approach and he’s been around the traps (mostly as the All Blacks scrum guru). He’s very experienced and as a forward, it’s going to be pretty good to learn a lot off him.”
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Schmidt told reporters last week that he had never been “so unprepared” leading into a Test assignment.
Given the short runway, he is hammering the importance of doing the simple things well and repeatedly.
”It’s good to have some structure in there and he’s pretty hard on the basics of the game,” Frost said of Schmidt.
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”Fundamentals we speak a whole lot about, getting that stuff right. You can’t play without the ball is the main thing.”
Wales annihilated the Wallabies 40-6 at last year’s Rugby World Cup but are now ranked below Australia after losing their last seven games.
Frost had never been more dejected on a rugby field than he was in Lyon.
“That was quite crushing. That was disappointing individually and as a collective and what it meant for us as a team and for us as a nation,” Frost said.
“This year it’s our best foot forward, it’s a clean slate with the new coaching staff and everything. We’re really looking forward to just ripping in and respecting Wales. They touched us up, let’s be frank, last time. And so we’re really looking forward to ripping in and having a good shot against that…
“I’m trying to improve the physical side of my game. I think naturally, my background, I can run around, I can do those things, but the physical side of my game, I’m always trying to improve and then you bring in the leadership things.
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“When I say that, the lineout stuff, the tactical things I’m always trying to grow.”
Wallabies outside back Andrew Kellaway added that Schmidt’s attention to detail stood out after the first week in camp.
“You can play the most exciting, flamboyant style of rugby but if you don’t get your breakdown right, you’re not going to have the ball. So for us at the moment, it’s very much about making sure we get the fundamentals right,” Kellaway said.
A Wallabies spokesman said Force fullback Kurtley Beale would have scans on his Achilles injury on Monday.
Len Ikitau is reportedly dealing with a hamstring injury but the Wallabies say they are planning for the Brumbies centre to train with the team on Monday.
Reds forwards Harry Wilson and Ryan Smith have returned to Brisbane.
No.8 Wilson is continuing his rehab from a broken arm while lock Smith is getting a breather after a heavy workload in Super Rugby Pacific.
Meanwhile, Wallaroos coach Jo Yapp has named a 30 strong squad to prepare for Saturday’s Test against Fiji in Sydney.
There are five new faces in Reds trio Natalie Wright, Madison Schuck and Tiarna Molloy and Force pair Tamika Jones and Alapeta Ngauamo.
Emily Chancellor, Bree-Anna Cheatham, Jasmin Huriwai, Adiana Talakai and Samantha Wood were all unavailable due to injury.
“We’ve had a really good few days at the AIS in Canberra preparing for the next two Test matches,” Yapp said.
“The players have taken a noticeable step up over the last few weeks and our intrasquad match on Saturday was a great opportunity to prepare and play at Test match level.
“The camp and game has given opportunities for new faces to join the squad and it’s important for us to keep building together with the World Cup just over 12 months away.
“We are also excited to be back in Sydney this week and look forward to playing in front of our home fans at Allianz Stadium.”
WALLAROOS: Michaela Leonard (c), Lori Cramer, Biola Dawa, Piper Duck, Georgina Friedrichs, Caitlyn Halse, Brianna Hoy, Tamika Jones, Eva Karpani, Lydia Kavoa, Atasi Lafai, Kaitlan Leaney, Ashley Marsters, Arabella McKenzie, Desiree Miller, Faitala Moleka, Tiarna Molloy, Layne Morgan, Tania Naden, Leilani Nathan, Alapeta Ngauamo, Bridie O’Gorman, Siokapesi Palu, Trilleen Pomare, Madison Schuck, Allana Sikimeti, Cecilia Smith, Maya Stewart, Tabua Tuinakauvadra, Natalie Wright