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Raelene Castle sets high bar for Wallabies tour
By Online Editors
Rugby Australia CEO Raelene Castle has set the bar high for the Wallabies' upcoming tour of Europe.
According to Castle, going undefeated would be a “pass mark” as Michael Cheika's men look to end a tough season on a high with fixtures against Wales, Italy and England.
The Wallabies have won just three of their ten fixtures this season and their have been calls for Cheika’s sacking. The RA have backed the coach and his staff as they continue their preparations for the 2019 Rugby World Cup in Japan next year.
“They are determined to go there and win all three games,” Castle told reporters in Sydney.
“That’s the start point, that’s the pass mark from where they are, from their perspective, that’s the expectation that certainly Michael’s setting for them and there’s no reason why they can’t do that.
“They will be very confident that they can come home with three wins.”
Castle also said she saw positives in Australia's most recent loss, a 37-20 beating at the hands of the All Blacks in Japan.
“I think the great thing about the third test was we saw some improvements and some things they identified they were concerned with,” she said.
“I’m not justifying the result — we all wanted a win — but if you think about building into a World Cup, there was some very specific improvements, particularly around the defensive patterns and things I know they had targeted, that Michael had [targeted], as important for that game.”
The Wallabies have the week off before heading to Cardiff to take on Wales on November 11.
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Latest Comments
I’m looking forward to attending the Twickenham match, I don’t think it will have a bearing on the outcome of the grand prize itself but it will tell us more about each teams’ preparation and game plan. It’s hard to look past one of the big four (I’m including Canada) lifting the trophy in 2025 but sport is a curious thing, there will still be twists and turns in road ahead.
Go to commentsThe better side seems to be the losing side a lot these days. As far as narrative goes. Must be the big emergent culture of “participation awards” that have emerged in nanny states. ”It looked like New Zealand would take the game from there but lapses in execution let South Africa get back into the game. New Zealand’s goal kickers left five points out there, including a very make-able penalty on the stroke of half”. Sounds like a chronic problem… I wonder how the better team has lapses in concentration and execution? Or are those not important factors in the grand scheme of total performances? In 2023, the ABs at least didn’t give up a lead to lose. They just couldn’t execute to get the points and take the lead. This Baby AB result points to a choke - letting the game slip through your fingers. In the words of the great Ricky Bobby’s dad - “If you’re not 1st you’re last!” Loosely translated - if you didn’t win, you’re a loser.
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