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'We want to end the tour on a high': Wallabies playing for pride against Wales

Rob Valetini of the Wallabies reacts during The Rugby Championship and Bledisloe Cup match between the New Zealand All Blacks (Photo by Anthony Au-Yeung/Getty Images)

The Wallabies have their fate in their own hands as they prepare for a final showdown with Wales at Principality Stadium. A victory would see the Wallabies end a long season on a positive note after a disappointing tour so far. 

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Wallabies backrower Rob Valetini has vowed to bring the fireworks against the Welsh after ill-discipline and wayward attack marred the Wallabies games on their northern hemisphere tour so far. 

“We weren’t able to fire a shot, and as a playing group, we thought we let ourselves down with our discipline. It’s hard to win a test match away when we are giving away 18 penalties. 

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In The Know with Michael Cheika

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In The Know with Michael Cheika

It’s a new week this week. We want to end the tour on a high. [We will] review hard and try to prep well for this week and hopefully go out with a bang this Saturday.”

Staring at their first winless northern hemisphere tour since 1976, the Wales test looms as an important final game for the Wallabies if they are to keep the momentum going into 2022 after building some goodwill with a five-match win streak. 

“We want to put everything out there. We’ve had a tough year, a long year. We want to go out and put in a good 80-minute performance away from home. In front of a big crowd; something we can be happy with, and head back home and be happy.”

New recruit Ollie Hoskins joined the squad in the lead-up to the clash with England and has seen firsthand the influence that Dave Rennie has had on the group, instilling in the Wallabies a profound respect for each other built on culture. 

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“From someone who has come in towards the end of the tour, you can see how close the group is and how much they care for each other, and how much they are proud to represent their country. It’s massive for us as a playing group to make sure these guys hop on their plane back home with a sense of pride and people are happy with the effort they put in.”

“We have spoken about making sure we leave our stamp on the match and we play the brand of rugby that Australia is known for, and that worked so well for them earlier in the year. I haven’t got the long flight back to Australia to think about, I have a little car journey back home, but still, I would love to be part of the group that plays a brand of rugby they are proud of.”

It will be a chance to iron out discipline issues that have plagued the Wallabies in recent games. Valetini concedes they have no one to blame but themselves, and the team will be looking to right some wrongs in their final match up. 

“We thought some of the penalties we did were pretty dumb: offsides, high tackles, lifting tackles. The onus is on ourselves. We have a big thing around that, not giving away stupid penalties in critical games like that. That is something we have been working on during the week.”

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That job will become much harder with Wallabies talisman and frontrunner for World Rugby player of the year Michael Hooper being ruled out of the game with a foot injury, leaving a pivotal position for Dave Rennie to fill at openside flanker. James Slipper will captain the side against Wales, but the Wallabies will miss the work rate and on-ball expertise that Hooper provides. 

Pete Samu and Colby Fainga’a are both in line to take up the mantle, and Valetini has backed them both to make a big impact in one of the Wallabies key positions.

“Both have big confidence and [the playing group] trust that they will come in and do the job.”

Valetini’s own form for the Wallabies at the back of the scrum has been undeniable, following on from a standout season in Super Rugby. After a shaky start to begin the year, he has quickly become the first name on the team sheet thanks to his ability to bend the opponent’s defence and carry his team over the gain line. 

“I’m happy I have been able to translate my form from Super Rugby into test rugby. At the start of the year, I wasn’t finding my rhythm getting into it, so I’m happy to be playing Wallabies rugby. With all the competition in the back row, I’m just happy to be getting to play some minutes.” 

“I was a bit nervous at the start of the year. This was my first year starting even though I have been in the system for a bit. I was nervous coming off a good Super season and replicating that [at test level]. But then I had a good chat with Hoops. He said to ‘don’t hold back. Just let everything go and just play your game.’ I got that from a few of the boys. It sort of just happened and I started playing rugby.”

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B
BeamMeUp 1 hour ago
The Springboks have something you don't have

A few comments. Firstly, I am a Bok fan and it's been a golden period for us. I hope my fellow Bok fans appreciate this time and know that it cannot last forever, so soak it all in!


The other thing to mention (and this is targeted at Welsh, English and even Aussie supporters who might be feeling somewhat dejected) is that it's easy to forget that just before Rassie Erasmus took over in 2018, the Boks were ranked 7th in the world and I had given up hope we'd ever be world beaters again.


Sport is a fickle thing and Rassie and his team have managed to get right whatever little things it takes to make a mediocre team great. I initially worried his methods might be short-lived (how many times can you raise a person's commitment by talking about his family and his love of his country as a motivator), but he seems to have found a way. After winning in 2019 on what was a very simple game plan, he has taken things up ever year - amazing work which has to be applauded! (Dankie Rassie! Ons wardeer wat jy vir die ondersteuners en die land doen!) (Google translate if you don't understand Afrikaans! 😁)


I don't think people outside South Africa fully comprehend the enormity of the impact seeing black and white, English, Afrikaans and Xhosa and all the other hues playing together does for the country's sense of unity. It's pure joy and happiness.


This autumn tour has been a bit frustrating in that the Boks have won, but never all that convincingly. On the one hand, I'd like to have seen more decisive victories, BUT what Rassie has done is expose a huge number of players to test rugby, whilst also diversifying the way the Boks play (Tony Brown's influence).


This change of both style and personnel has resulted in a lack of cohesion at times and we've lost some of the control, whereas had we been playing our more traditional style, that wouldn't happen. This is partially attributable to the fact that you cannot play Tony Brown's expansive game whilst also having 3 players available at every contact point to clear the defence off the ball. I have enjoyed seeing the Boks play a more exciting, less attritional game, which is a boring, albeit effective spectacle. So, I am happy to be patient, because the end justifies the means (and I trust Rassie!). Hopefully all these players we are blooding will give us incredible options for substitutions come next year's Rugby Championship and of course, the big prize in 2027.


Last point! The game of rugby has never been as exciting as it is now. Any of Ireland, New Zealand, South Africa, France, Argentina, Scotland, England & Australia can beat one another. South Africa may be ranked #1, but I wouldn't bet my house in them beating France or New Zealand, and we saw Argentina beating both South Africa and New Zealand this year! That's wonderful for the game and makes the victories we do get all the sweeter. Each win is 100% earned. Long may it last!


Sorry for the long post! 🏉🌍

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