Rugby Union - Rugby Championship - South Africa v Australia - Ellis Park, Johannesburg, South Africa - August 16, 2025 Australia's James O'Connor in action with South Africa's Kwagga Smith REUTERS/Siphiwe Sibeko/File Photo
DUBLIN (Reuters) -Australia are hoping fresh legs in their team will give them a much-needed lift as they continue to labour through the last weeks of their season, coach Joe Schmidt said on Thursday.
He made six changes to the team beaten by Italy in Udine last Saturday for this weekend’s clash against Ireland in Dublin, including a return for veteran flyhalf James O’Connor and powerful centre Len Ikitau.
“We've tried to get some freshness into this squad,” Schmidt told a press conference on Thursday. “There's a bit of wear and tear, to be honest, and we’re just trying to mitigate some of the wear and tear and get a fresh 15 out there.”
Last weekend’s 26-19 loss to the Italians was Australia's second in a row, following a 25-7 defeat to England the previous week, and was the fifth in the last six matches for a Wallabies side building towards Australia hosting the 2027 World Cup.
“I've learned a long time ago, you can't please all the people all the time, but we've got to build some depth,” said Schmidt, weighing up long-term goals with short-term success.
“I feel like if you don’t have strength and depth, you're too vulnerable. But how do you learn and how do you get better? I think the only way to do it is in the arena, and at some stage, you've got to trust everyone in your squad. If you've selected them, then they have to be ready for whatever is demanded of them once they put on a test jersey.
FINDING A BALANCE
“So, it's a balance there. I don't think anyone gets it right all the time, not even some of those countries who have really, really good depth, and can replace player for player without any observable kind of dilution in what they deliver.”
Schmidt will be leaving his role next year when Les Kiss takes over and struck a confident note despite a tough year for the Wallabies.
“The boys have been great, and we're getting better. We're talking about human beings, and we're talking about people who fluctuate and may feel a bit of fatigue, or they may feel a little bit of a distraction, or maybe you miss a couple of guys who are really important in your fulcrum, and that can impact things, but I feel like we're making progress,” he added.
(Writing by Mark Gleeson in Cape Town; Editing by Toby Davis)
