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Schmidt Confident Wallabies Can Challenge Lions

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Wallabies coach Joe Schmidt expresses confidence in his team's competitiveness against the British & Irish Lions, while prioritizing players committed to Australian rugby and remaining undecided on the series captain.



Wallabies coach Joe Schmidt is confident his team will be competitive against the British & Irish Lions in the upcoming series, despite uncertainty over the captaincy.


“How confident are we of success against the Lions? I'm confident that we can be competitive and... if we can be within a score of the Lions and there's five to go, then we're a chance,” Schmidt said, emphasizing the importance of staying close in the matches.


Joe Schmidt believes Australia can be competitive against the British & Irish Lions if they perform well.


“We've got to give ourselves that chance by being really good in our performance behaviours,” Schmidt said, highlighting the importance of strong execution in the matches. Recent results, including a last-gasp win over England and a narrow loss to Ireland, have reinforced his confidence.


“You're talking about the number two team in the world and a team that will rank well above us ... our challenge is to keep working our way up those rankings this year by being competitive.


“I don't think we want to get distracted by outcomes. We want to be really process-driven. And I know that's boring, but Les is of the same ilk, so you're going to get the same thing for the next few years as well.”


Joe Schmidt will prioritize players committed to Australian rugby in his selections this season. This approach may affect the inclusion of players like Noah Lolesio, Tom Hooper, Langi Gleeson, and Rob Leota, who are set to move abroad.


“Clarity is that we'll prioritise them, but clarity is also that nobody is out of the mix,” Schmidt said, leaving the door open for players with overseas plans to still be considered for the Lions series.


“And so if there is someone (who) is clearly outplaying his opponents, as far as selection is concerned for the squad ... then we know how tough the Lions are going to be.


“We know how deep they're going to go in really experienced, athletic and combative players. So we know that we're going to have to have, as close as we can, the best group to compete against those guys.”


Joe Schmidt has appointed several captains for the Wallabies this year, including Liam Wright, Allan Alaalatoa, James Slipper, and Harry Wilson, who led the team in seven of the last eight matches of 2024.


“It's a really good question, and it's unfortunately one that I don't have an answer for,” Schmidt said when asked about who would captain the team against the British & Irish Lions.


“I felt Harry finished strongly, and I felt the others did a good job when they when they were in the breach. I guess we'll try to get our selection right first, and then narrow to that pinpoint positions of leadership and captaincy.”


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