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Wallabies vs Georgia: Harry Wilson hits back, Fraser McReight stands out
By Finn Morton
The Wallabies have kept their unbeaten run under coach Joe Schmidt alive with a 40-29 win over Georgia in Sydney.
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With an afternoon kick-off drawing thousands of fans into Allianz Stadium for an intriguing Test between two Rugby World Cup foes, the Wallabies looked to repay the faith shown in them by the faithful Australian rugby public.
Coach Schmidt had made 10 changes to the starting side to take on the Europeans, and many of those men went on to impress. Harry Wilson was brilliant in the backrow along with Rob Valetini and Fraser McReight, and the midfield duo of Hunter Paisami and Len Ikitau was solid.
There was one unfortunate moment to speak of with Filipo Daugunu shown a red card.
Here are five takeaways from the Wallabies’ currently unrivalled fourth win on the bounce.
Harry Wilson hits back at Wallaby legend’s ‘last chance’ claim
Two-time Rugby World Cup winner Tim Horan issued a challenge to Wallaby Harry Wilson this week. Wilson had been named to return to the Test arena for the first time since September 24, 2022, when Australia played Georgia.
Wilson was named to start at No. 8 alongside backrowers Rob Valetini and Fraser McReight. It was a big opportunity for a player who All Blacks coach Scott Robertson once said he’d “fallen” for as a rugby talent.
The No. 8 has been one of the Queensland Reds’ best players in Super Rugby for at least the last four years, but he hasn’t quite been able to carry that standard into the Test arena. That’s why Tim Horan believed that this was Wilson’s “last chance” to impress.
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“I want to talk about Harry Wilson. I think this is a big call for Harry Wilson now and for him, I think this is his last chance,” Tim Horan said.
“I love Harry Wilson. At Super Rugby Pacific level he’s unbelievable and we’ve seen that the last four or five years.
“Now coming back, I reckon this is his last chance in a gold jersey to perform – to try and translate Super Rugby Pacific form into Test match (level).”
That’s a big, big claim to make.
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But Wilson hit back with a promising performance on the field. By the 25-minute mark, the 24-year-old had made the most tackles out of any Wallaby, and he was also among the team leaders for both carries and running metres.
That trend of high-level work rate and execution continued throughout the match. Even the commentators were singing Wilson’s praises moments before the half-time break.
One moment that stands out was a popular carry ‘off the back fence’ during the first half. Wilson showed no fear by returning a drop-out and charging towards hulking prop Aleksandre Kuntelia and other Georgian players.
There was plenty to like.
This won’t be Harry Wilson’s “last” Test in Wallaby gold.
Rob Valetini and Fraser McReight are both world-class
It’s pretty obvious who the Wallabies’ two best players are.
Joe Schmidt made 10 changes to the First XV for this Test, which means five players held onto their starting jerseys. Hunter Paisami, Filipo Daugunu and Tom Wright backed up for the backs, and the other two almost don’t need an introduction.
Rob Valetini was back at blindside flanker while Fraser McReight lined up on the other flank in the No. 7 jumper. The Wallabies still have much to prove on the international stage during TRC, but Valetini and McReight are already world-class.
In the media box towards the end of the win over Wales in Sydney, Valetini was talked about as one of the contenders for Player of the Match. One week later, it was the same story once again – and you guessed it, ‘Bobby V’ was among the standouts again against Georgia.
It’s a similar story for McReight. The former Junior Wallabies skipper turned Queensland Reds warrior has stepped into Michael Hooper’s shoes with class. Whether it’s around the breakdown or in general play, the openside is sensational and a proven leader.
Both men got on the scoresheet with two tries each against Georgia. Their impact can’t go unnoticed and it very rarely does.
Georgia goes down swinging in an impressive fight
Just before half-time, Ben Donaldson kicked Australia into a 26-10 lead. It has been a dominant opening 40 from the hosts who appeared to have stunned their opponents after landing some significant scoring blows.
But Georgia, to their credit, kept throwing haymakers and some of them landed. Instead of dropping to the canvas, the visitors landed a tidy one-two after the interval with Davit Niniashvili and Aka Tabutsadze scoring seven minutes into the second term.
The Wallabies were playing with 14 men after a red card to winger Filipo Daugunu, and they ended up hanging on for the win, but the Georgians deserve some credit. They came Down Under and put some real pressure on a team playing with a lot of confidence.
Georgia stood tall in defence opposite a talented Australia First XV, and they weren’t afraid to throw the ball around in attack either. They truly believed that they could shock the rugby world with an upset win in Sydney.
After beating Eddie Jones’ Brave Blossoms in Japan just last week – and with wins over Italy and Wales in 2022 as well – the Georgians are continuing to show what they’re capable of on the international stage.
They’ve still got a fair way to go but they did enough to impress in Australia.
The Wallabies are ready for The Rugby Championship
The Wallabies still have the longest active winning streak of any men’s tier-one team at the moment. After beating Warren Gatland’s Wales twice earlier this month, the men in gold have capped off a perfect run of results with another ‘dub’ against Georgia.
These three results show just how far the Wallabies have come. Georgia and Wales were two of Australia’s rivals at last year’s Rugby World Cup in France, but with that disastrous tournament well and truly in the past, the Wallabies are headed in the right direction.
Coach Joe Schmidt rotated the squad with 10 changes to the starting side to face the Georgians but all of those men can be proud of their performance. With thousands packing the stands for an afternoon Test footy, the players themselves brought some top-tier entertainment.
Len Ikitau played a key role in the Wallabies’ first try, and halfback Tate McDermott was generally quite impressive after missing out on selection for the second Test against Wales in Melbourne. With an opportunity to impress, many of the Wallabies did just that.
With the July series now written into the history books, Schmidt’s Wallabies will turn their focus to two blockbuster Tests against the two-time defending Rugby World Cup champions South Africa.
These are two Tests the Wallabies can definitely win.
Australia will then visit Argentina for a couple of matches before a Bledisloe Cup Test on either side of the Tasman Sea. This Wallabies team is developing and they still have a fair way to go but they’ll be ready to compete during a mouth-watering Rugby Championship.
Joe Schmidt’s big selection headache before Springboks
Jake Gordon was the Wallabies’ best player when they beat Wales in Sydney, and the halfback had another standout game the following week in Melbourne.
That selection proved to be a stroke of genius from the coaching staff, so maybe we shouldn’t dare question the thinking of Joe Schmidt, but we have to talk about Tate McDermott.
McDermott, 25, came off the bench in the Wallabies’ first Test of the year and did okay, but missed out on selection completely in Melbourne. Nic White was instead given the nod to come off the pine against Warren Gatland’s team.
But Test match footy is about seizing your opportunities.
The coaching staff rotated the team before playing the Georgians, which saw Tate McDermott start in the halves along with flyhalf Ben Donaldson. Right from the get-go, McDermott was solid as the Aussies took control.
Whether it was running, passing or taking on the role as a kicking threat, McDermott seemed to stand out. When you reflect on the Wallabies’ red-hot start, a lot of that comes back to the work their No. 9 did around the park.
Now, this is a headache for Schmidt and the coaches to work through. McDermott is a former captain of the Wallabies, and he’s already proven himself a reliable option as a starter for the national team.
With two big Tests coming up against South Africa, followed by Tests against Argentina and New Zealand, whether or not the Wallabies start McDermott is a point to consider. Some may argue it’s a similar story with Ben Donaldson and Noah Lolesio, but the latter seems to be ahead.
We'll have to improve a fair bit if we're to beat the Boks and ABs. But, we've clearly improved under Schmidt when compared to us under Jones. It's also easy to forget that this Wallabies squad has had limited preparation time, a new coach and new combinations across the team. Hoping to see the new combinations gel and become more cohesive under Joe.
Breaking news …..Wallaby team coached by seriously flawed Australian beats Georgia by more than new wonder kiwi coach who lives in NZ.
Narrative that kiwi coaches are amazing falls apart at the seams.
“Schmidt’s Wallabies will turn their focus to two blockbuster Tests against the two-time defending Rugby World Cup champions Australia.”
Wow, I must have been sleeping when Australia accomplished so much in the last ten years 😂 so much in fact that they could be playing themselves!
Good article, the typo gave me a chuckle.
Wallabies playing more fluidly then the All Blacks at the moment . If they tighten there defence and make less mistakes they can beat anybody .
McDermott was brilliant in the first half, speed to the ruck and quick ball gave the forwards momentum. If it wasn’t for stupid penalties from the likes of Pollard and Co the Wallabies would have had a huge advantage going into half time. They need to look at the players who lost discipline and put the team under pressure. McDermott, Wilson, Valentini, Frost and McReight were the difference.