Sept 29 (Askume) – Australia head coach Joe Schmidt believes his side are heading in the right direction despite a third straight defeat on Saturday that leaves the Wallabies bottom of the Rugby Championship final table.
Despite a strong start, Schmidt’s side lost 33-13 to New Zealand in Wellington and Australia’s first-half performance gave the former Ireland coach cause for optimism.
The loss means Australia remain bottom of the Four Nations Rugby Championship table and suffer their second consecutive defeat.
“You want to create a threat across the width and length of the pitch as well, so I’m glad the players tried and had their chances in the first half,” he said.
“I don’t really focus on rankings, I focus on performances and performances.
“The big thing this year is depth. We have 16 new players and a new leader, and Harry (Wilson) has done a great job.
“Being able to put something together builds confidence.”
Schmidt takes over after Australia’s disappointing World Cup showing, with the New Zealander tasked with rebuilding the team ahead of next year’s British & Irish Lions tour and Australia hosting the 2027 World Cup.
The Wallabies have won four of nine games since Schmidt took over as coach from Eddie Jones, with Schmidt’s next task being to take the Kangaroos to the Northern Hemisphere.
There his team will play Test matches against England on November 9, Wales on November 18, Scotland on November 24 and finally top-ranked Ireland on November 30.
“Those four Test matches set the stage for the Lions for next year, so we have a chance to get to know their players really well,” Schmidt said.
“It’s going to be a very tough tour (North) but if we keep going on this tour I think we’ll be able to put ourselves in a competitive position next July.”
