The five-minute block where Italy can break Wallabies and Joe Schmidt
SPOTLIGHT: A five-minute block at the start of the second half in Saturday’s clash with Italy shapes as the make-or-break moment in Joe Schmidt’s bid to avoid an inglorious Wallabies record.
As it stands, Schmidt has the worst winning record in Wallabies history, his 11 triumphs from 30 Tests giving him a victory clip of just 36.7 percent, putting him below Dave Rennie (38.2 percent).
Schmidt’s winning record would rise to 38.7 per cent if he snares victory in his farewell match against Italy in Perth on Saturday night, but it would drop to 35.5 percent with a loss.
The world No.8 Wallabies will start as hot favourites against world No.10 Italy, despite being on a six-match losing streak and having tasted defeat in nine of their past 10 Tests.
Wallaby players are desperate to produce a win in the farewell game of Schmidt and assistant Laurie Fisher before Les Kiss takes over, and the coaching staff have identified a key patch in the game that needs fixing.
The Wallabies boasted healthy leads against powerhouses Ireland and France in their opening two games of the Nations Championship.
Australia led France 21-12 at half-time of last week’s match in Brisbane before conceding the next 30 points on the way to a 26-42 defeat.
A week earlier, the Wallabies coughed up a 12-point lead – and a 24-19 advantage at half-time – in a 33-31 loss to world No.3 Ireland in Sydney.
Sluggish starts to the second half have been identified as the key factor behind both of those losses, with the Wallabies vowing to be switched on both mentally and physically when they come out from the break against Italy at HBF Park on Saturday.
“We touched on the first five minutes of that second half, making sure we’re up for it and we’re able to nail the detail and our role in those five minutes,” Wallabies centre Len Ikitau said.
“And just being really active and up on our toes.”
Wallabies lock Jeremy Williams said more physicality was needed in the second half.
“We know we’ve got to work on that second half, and we do that through our physicality,” Williams said.
“That’s in defence, making sure we get the double shoulder tackles and slowing the ruck down. That goes a long way.”
Schmidt, who took over from Eddie Jones after the Wallabies’ disastrous pool-stage exit at the 2023 World Cup, was hailed as somewhat of a saviour after Australia came from 22 points down to defeat South Africa in Johannesburg 38-22 in 2025.
It proved to be the high point of his coaching tenure, with just one win from the past 10 Tests – against Japan in October – plunging Schmidt’s win-loss return to worrying lows.
Despite the horror end to Schmidt’s reign, Fisher is adamant the Wallabies have made massive strides under the 60-year-old Kiwi.
“I think we’re on the cusp of being a really good team,” Fisher said.
“When we sit back and re-watch games, we see the opportunities that are created in attack, and we can see we’ve defended exceptionally well for extended periods of play.
“But at the top end, the final one percent doesn’t come easily.
“The final one percent is the hardest one percent to make, and that’s our challenge on both sides of the ball.”
Wallabies flyhalf Ben Donaldson, who missed the loss to France with a calf injury, is set to return against Italy in a massive boost to Australia’s hopes.
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