A “glass-half-full” Dave Rennie says he is comfortable with his selection choices despite back-to-back losses for the Wallabies on their spring tour.
Australia opened its account with a close-fought win against Scotland and then lost to France and Italy.
All three contests were decided by one point.
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The defeat to France was arguably the hardest to swallow, having led until a last-gasp try by the home side.
The following loss to Italy was also difficult to accept as it was their first against the Azzurri in 39 years.
The pivotal moment in that match came when Noah Lolesio missed a kick at goal in the 82nd minute, giving the men in blue victory.
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Speaking ahead of Sunday’s (7am AEDT kickoff) clash against world No.1 Ireland, Rennie took a philosophical view of the team’s fortunes so far.
“The big thing is that there is certainly pressure on me but if I put that pressure back on our staff and our players then it isn’t going to help us at the weekend, is it?” he said.
“So, the key thing is that we keep looking forward and get better, and the decisions we have made have been in what’s best for the long-term future of the team.
Sean Maloney and Morgan Turinui are back for the Autumn Nations Series as they try to digest the Wallabies defeat to Italy, review all the other international clashes over the weekend and look back on an epic RWC final from Eden Park
“But you’ve got to wear the results. I’m a glass-half-full type of person. I trust the players will respond and put in a good performance on Saturday (local time).”
“It was our decision to pick that side last week and I still don’t have any regrets around the men we chose, it was right for the group, it was right for the future.
“We need to provide opportunity for them and we need to share the load, and it was a side that was good enough to win, and we didn’t. So, I’ve got to take responsibility for that.”
James Slipper has returned to captain the side against Ireland at Dublin’s Aviva Stadium.
Michael Hooper will also start along with Nic White, Bernard Foley, and Mark Nawaqanitawase in what is touted as Rennie’s strongest side of the tour.
Like all international coaches, Rennie has one eye on next year’s Rugby World Cup in France where Australia will face Wales, Fiji, Georgia and a yet-to-be-confirmed qualifier in Pool C.
In an exclusive interview with Stan Sport’s Rugby Heaven, Wallabies great George Gregan said there were still reasons for optimism in the Australian game.
“You’ve got to play some really big performing, tight, tough Test matches, under pressure,” Gregan said.
“You want to have those experiences going into it (World Cup). I think that’s what’s good about this.
“Obviously, the result on the weekend was disappointing, but they’re really important experiences to have, and how do you get better when you’re facing them in the future.
“I see they’re working really, really hard,” he added.
“They’re trying different combinations, which you kind of need to do. I know there’s been a lot of conjecture around pick and stick, but I can understand why they’re trying to express opportunities for players who are going to be part of a larger squad.
“You need your 30-plus players in a Rugby World Cup to be able to perform, so you want to be able to give them those experiences – but at the same time, you’ve got to be picked on form.
“I think as they get closer to next year, Rugby World Cup, that’ll be the case. It’s a good opportunity in this tour to do that.
“I like what I saw. They beat Scotland, who have been a bit of a nemesis over the last number of years, so they got over the line there.
“No one expected them to do well against France and they’d like those five minutes again to close that out, and that’s a really, really important part of test match rugby, particularly big moments.
“That’s what they need to learn, because they’re all big Test matches. They’re all good teams that are going to challenge you and put you in those experiences again.”
Australia will face Ireland on Sunday with coverage live, ad-free and exclusively on Stan Sport from 6.40am.
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