Wallabies stoked to 'shut up critics'

11/12/2024 05:44 AM

Loose forward Fraser McReight believes the Wallabies' memorable win over England at Twickenham has silenced the naysayers after a challenging period in Australian rugby.

The victory marks a significant turnaround for the Australians, who had endured five losses in six Tests during the Rugby Championship before staging a remarkable comeback from 15-3 down to beat Steve Borthwick’s men 42-37 on Saturday.

“It feels great,” McReight told reporters. “There’s been a lot of hard work put in this year and to get the result was great.

"There’s been a lot of negativity towards Australian rugby recently, so for us to be able to win and see our effort – especially in this week, it was a tough week – to get that result was great.”

The victory featured several fresh faces, including debutant Joseph Suaalii and four-cap Max Jorgensen, who scored the match-winning try. Under new coach Joe Schmidt, the Aussies have shown steady improvement, winning four of their last 10 matches.

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“We had Joseph Suaalii playing his first game,” McReight noted. “It was Harry Wilson’s first game as captain over here, and everyone did their job really well tonight.

"We went out there as a 23 and we were able to achieve something we haven’t done for nearly 10 years. It was pretty special to be involved.”

McReight also praised Schmidt’s influence, adding: “Joe’s focusing on detail and the fundamentals of the game. He’s backing us and giving us confidence and time to build.

"I’ve always believed we had the players, but we’re getting that confidence and building the fundamentals of the game.

“We’ve always had that belief and that confidence, but we’ve not been able to string a full game together.”

Photo: @wallabies/Twitter

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